John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? [I come] not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from [meddling with] God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not." — 2 Chronicles 35:21 (ASV)
But he sent ambassadors to him
That is, Necho sent to Josiah:
saying, what have I to do with you, you king of Judah ?
signifying he had no quarrel with him, he did not come to fight with him, and he had no business to intermeddle between him and another prince:
I come not against you this day ;
in an hostile manner:
but against the house from which I have war ;
the king of Assyria:
for God commanded me to make haste ;
and oppose his enemy: according to the Targum, it was his idol; and which is the sense of other Jewish writers F25 ; but the true God might have appeared to him in a dream, or sent a prophet to him; or at least he might pretend this, that it might have the greater effect on Josiah; and indeed it seems to be real from the following verse:
forbear from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy
you not ;
he concluded God was with him, and would succeed him, because he had put him upon this enterprise, and hastened him to it; therefore Josiah, in opposing him, might expect to be resisted by him, and fall.