John Gill Commentary 2 Chronicles 25:5

John Gill Commentary

2 Chronicles 25:5

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

2 Chronicles 25:5

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers` houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield." — 2 Chronicles 25:5 (ASV)

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.