John Gill Commentary 2 Chronicles 27
John Gill Commentary
2 Chronicles 27
John Gill Commentary
2 Chronicles 27
"Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother`s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok." — 2 Chronicles 27:1 (ASV)
Jotham was twenty five years old
(See Gill on 2 Kings 15:33).
"And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly." — 2 Chronicles 27:2 (ASV)
And he did that which was right
(See Gill on 2 Kings 15:34),
howbeit, he entered not into the temple of the Lord ;
to burn incense, as his father did; he did according to his good ways, but not his evil ones:
and the people did yet corruptly ;
in sacrificing and burning incense in the high places, (2 Kings 15:35) which some think Joash himself did, and is meant in the preceding clause; but the sense given is best.
"He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much." — 2 Chronicles 27:3 (ASV)
He built the high gate in the house of the Lord
See the note on (2 Kings 15:35)
and on the wall of Ophel he built much ;
which Kimchi interprets an high place; it was the eastern part of Mount Zion. Josephus F6 calls it Ophlas, and says it joined to the eastern porch of the temple; and some have thought the porch of the temple is meant; the Targum renders it a palace; it is a tradition of the Jews that it was the holy of holies F7 .
FOOTNOTES:
- F6: De Bell. Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.
- F7: Vid. Hieron Trad. Heb. in lib. Paralipom. fol. 86. A. F. G.
"Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers." — 2 Chronicles 27:4 (ASV)
Moreover, he built cities in the mountains of Judah
In the mountainous part of it, the hill country of Judea, (Luke 1:65) ,
and in the forests he built castles and towers ;
for the safety of travellers, and of shepherds and their flocks, see (2 Chronicles 26:10) .
"He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third." — 2 Chronicles 27:5 (ASV)
He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed
against them
These were brought into subjection by David; but in later times endeavoured to cast off the yoke, and even invaded the land of Judah, as in the days of Jehoshaphat, and now in the reign of Jotham, but succeeded not, see (Amos 1:13)
and the children of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of
silver ;
he obliged them to pay this tribute annually, and which they began to pay in the present year, and amounted to 35,330 pounds,
and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley ;
the measure here is the "cor", the same with the "homer"; which, according to Godwin F8 , held forty five gallons, or five bushels and five gallons, so that there must be upwards of 50,000 bushels of each of these paid to Jotham; according to Bishop Cumberland F9 , a "cor", or "homer", held seventy five wine gallons, and upwards of five pints:
so much did the children of Ammon pay both the second year and the
third ;
the two following years as well as the present one; why this tribute was not continued to be paid cannot be said with certainty, whether the Ammonites refused and revolted, and could not be obliged, or whether the agreement was only for three years.
FOOTNOTES:
- F8: Moses & Aaron, l. 6. c. 9.
- F9: Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 3. p. 86.
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