John Gill Commentary 2 Chronicles 25

(See Gill on 2 Chronicles 25:1)

And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins
Not that which covered the tabernacle, for that was committed to the Gershonites, (Numbers 4:25) ; but a covering made of these on purpose for the present use, to preserve the ark from rain and dust; and this covering was put not immediately upon the ark, but upon the other coverings that were over the ark, and so preserved the vail as well as the ark:

and shall spread over [it] a cloth wholly of blue ;
it is a matter of question, whether this was over the covering of badgers' skins also; if over the latter, as one would think it should be, by the order of the text, how could that be a shelter from the rain and dust, which seems to be the use of it, and therefore should be the outermost, as one of the same kind was the outermost covering of the tabernacle? Aben Ezra observes, there were some that say it was over the covering of badger's skin, but it is right in mine eyes, says he, that it was spread over the covering vail; if indeed it was for the sake of honour and dignity, the first is right, but the badger's skin was on account of rain and dust:

and shall put in the staves thereof :
having been removed while the ark was covering, as Aben Ezra observes, or otherwise they always remained in their rings, and were never taken out, (Exodus 25:14Exodus 25:15) ; but on this occasion they might, and then be put in again for the carrying of the ark, which was the use of them; though he also remarks, that there are some that say the sense is, they put the staves on the shoulders of them that carried it, which is not a despicable sense; unless rather it is to be understood of putting the staves through holes made in the coverings of the ark, and disposing and fitting them in them, for the better carriage of it.

(See Gill on 2 Chronicles 25:1)

(See Gill on 2 Chronicles 25:1)

Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together
The inhabitants thereof:

and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds,
according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and
Benjamin ;
he divided the people, according to their families throughout his kingdom, into thousands and hundreds, and out of their respective families appointed captains over them:

and he numbered them from twenty years old and above ;
the usual age men were numbered at for war, to the fiftieth, according to Josephus; the Roman law ^F1 obliged none to be soldiers after fifty, nor might any be dismissed before ^F2 ; the age of military men with the Romans was from seventeen to forty six, or, as some, forty five; but with the Persians from twenty as here to fifty ^F3 :

and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to
war, that could handle spear and shield ;
which shows that their number was greatly decreased since the times of Jehoshaphat, (2 Chronicles 17:14–18) , occasioned by the wars under Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Joash; some copies of the Vulgate Latin ^F4 have only 30,000.

FOOTNOTES:

• F1: Seneca de Brevitate Vitae, c. 20.
• F2: Liv. Hist. l. 42. c. 33.
• F3: Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 20.
• F4: Ed. of Sixtus V. the Lovain and MSS. in James's Corruption of the Fathers, p. 295.