Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XV.

Vers. 2. THe Lord is with you, whilest ye be with him, &c.] As if he should have said, By experience you now see in this your victory over the Ethiopians, that whilest you walk in Gods wayes he will not fail to blesse you.

Vers. 3. Now for a long season Israel had been without the true God, &c.] That is, now for a long time, ever since their revolting from Rehoboam, the ten tribes have lived under Jeroboam in a manifest apostacie from the true God, not having Gods priests to instruct them, and not regarding the law of God, according to which they ought in all things to have ordered themselves.

Vers. 4. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.] That is, in former times when the Israe∣lites in their trouble did repent and return unto the Lord, he was alwayes ready to receive them into his favour again. And this is added to imply, that though the ten tribes had thus forsaken the Lord, yet if they would as in former times have returned to the Lord, he would have pardoned them.

Vers. 5. And in those times there was no peace, &c.] That is, ever since the re∣volting of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, and their apostacie from the true God; whereof he had before spoken, vers. 3.

Vers. 6. And Nation was destroyed of nation, &c.] To wit, in the warres be∣twixt the kingdome of Judah and the kingdome of Israel; wherein they also made use of the auxilliary forces of other nations.

Vers. 7. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.] That is, go couragiously and constantly forward in the reforma∣tion begun amongst you, and the Lord shall be still with you.

Vers. 8. And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the pro∣phet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols, &c.] Either this is meant of some prophecy of Oded the father of this Azariah, which he declared unto them at this time, together with this his own exhortation; or else of some prophesie of Azariah himself, he also being here called by the name of his father Oded. As for that which is said, that when Asa had heard these words, and this prophesie, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land, &c. we see that he had in a great part done this before, chap. 14.3. but it seems now upon a more di∣ligent search made throughout his kingdome, he put away the remainder of the idols that were found amongst them; and that not onely out of the land of Judah and Benjamin, but also out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, which may be meant of the cities which his father Abijam had taken, chap. 13.19. but yet there is mention made of cities of Ephraim which Asa himself took, cha∣pter 17.2.

And renewed the altar of the Lord.] That is, the altar which Solomon had built, having some way lost its beautie in so many years (which is no wonder, con∣sidering how continually it was used and stood in the open court) he renewed it,

and beautified it again; and then in a solemne manner observed again sacrifices thereon.

Vers. 9. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon.] Hereby it is manifest that even the tribe of Simeon did revolt from the kingdome of Judah, or at least the greatest part of them, however they had their inheritance within the portion of Ju∣dah, Josh 19.1. and that therefore either they removed from their first habitation, and transplanted themselves amongst other tribes of Israel: or else that they stood out against Judah, and clave to the party of the other tribes, yea, though they had their dwelling within Judahs portion.

Vers. 10. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third moneth, in the fifteenth yeare of the reigne of Asa.] Which was the twelfth of Baasha king of Israel. By this it appears that Zerah the Ethiopian did not invade the land of Judah, till the fourteenth yeare of Asa. Indeed Asa lived in peace but ten years, chap. 14.1. But it was therefore Baasha king of Israel not Zerah, that immediately after those ten years were ended, made warre against Asa. As for the third moneth, it was that wherein the feast of Pentecost was kept.

Vers. 15. And the Lord gave them rest round about.] To wit, at that time when Asa and the people made this covenant with God; then the Lord gave them rest, the land not being invaded by any of her enemies.

Vers. 16. And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa, &c.] That is, the grandmother. The Annotations concerning these three following verses, see 1. Kings 15.2, 10, 14, 15.

Vers. 19. And there was no more warre unto the five and thirtieth yeare of the reigne of Asa.] Ʋnto the five and thirtieth yeare (that is, untill the five and thir∣tieth yeare was ended, whence is that chap. 16.1. In the six and thirtieth yeare of the reigne of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, &c.) of the reigne of Asa, that is of the kingdome of Judah since it was divided from that of Israel; which was the fifteenth yeare of Asa: for that thus these words must be ex∣pounded is evident, because Baasha died in the six and twentieth yeare of Asa, 1 Kings 16.8. and therefore could not come up in the six and thirtieth yeare of Asa, as is expressely said in the first verse of the following chapter: we have a like passage afterward, chap. 22.2.