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Bible Commentaries
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Ellicott's Commentary
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliographical Information
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on 2 Chronicles 18". "Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers". https://studylight.org/commentaries/eng/ebc/2-chronicles-18.html. 1905.
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on 2 Chronicles 18". "Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers". https://studylight.org/
Whole Bible (39)Old Testament (1)Individual Books (1)
Introduction
XVIII.
JEHOSHAPHAT MAKES AFFINITY WITH AHAB, AND TAKES PART IN THE SYRIAN WAR AT RAMOTH-GLLEAD.
Comp. 1 Kings 22:2-35. Only the introduction of the narrative (2 Chronicles 18:1-2) differs from that of Kingsâa change necessitated by the fact that the chronicler is writing the history, not of Ahab, but of Jehoshaphat.
Verse 1
(1) Now Jehoshaphat had.âAnd Jehoshaphat got.
Riches and honour in abundance.âRepeated from 2 Chronicles 17:5.
And joined affinity with Ahab.âHe married his son Jehoram to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Chronicles 21:6; 1 Kings 18:8). The high degree of prosperity to which the king of Judah had attained is indicated by the fact that so powerful a monarch as Ahab entered into such an intimate connection with him. (The vav of the second clause is not adversative, as ZĂśckler asserts, but rather consecutive.)
Verse 2
(2) And after certain years.âSee margin. 1 Kings 22:2 has: âAnd it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat went down,â &c.âa date which is relative to the three yearsâ truce between Syria and Israel mentioned in the preceding verse. From 1 Kings 22:51 of the same chapter we learn that this visit took place in the sixteenth or seventeenth year of the reign of Jehoshaphat. The marriage of Jehoram and Athaliah preceded the visit by eight or nine years. (Syriac and Arabic, âand after two years.â)
And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance.âThis royal hospitality is here represented as part of a deliberate plan for obtaining the co-operation of Jehoshaphat in the projected campaign.
Persuaded him.âIncited, pricked him on (Judges 1:12); especially to evil; 1 Chronicles 21:1, Deuteronomy 13:7. In 1 Kings 22:3, Ahab broaches the subject of the expedition to his court.
To go up . . . to.âTo make an expedition against a town or country (Isaiah 7:1; Isaiah 7:6; 1 Kings 15:17). Comp. Isaiah 8:7-8.
Verse 3
(3) And Ahab king of Israel.âThis verse is essentially the same as 1 Kings 22:4. From this point the two narratives practically coincide. (See the Notes on 1 Kings 22:0)
To Ramoth-gileadâi.e., Ramoth of, or in, Gilead. Ramoth (âheightsâ), or Ramath or Ramah (âheightâ), was a common name in such a hilly country as Palestine. Kings adds, to the war.
And my people . . . in the warâThe symmetry of this part of the verse has been disregarded by the chronicler, in order to make Jehoshaphat express an apparently more definite assent to Ahabâs request. (Comp. Kings: âMy people as thy people, my horses as thy horsesâ (kamĂ´nĂŽ kamĂ´ka, kÄâammĂŽ kÄâammbka, kÄsĂťsai kÄsĂťseika). The Syriac reads: âAnd my horses as thy horses; and I will go with thee to the war.â Similarly the Arabic: âMy horsemen as thy horsemen.â
Verse 4
(4) And Jehoshaphat.âSo exactly 1 Kings 22:5.
Enquire . . . at the word.âSeek the word.
Verse 5
(5) Therefore.âAnd.
Of prophets.âRather, the prophets.
Four hundred.âKings, âAbout four hundred.â Alsoâ Adonai (âthe Lordâ), instead of haâelĂ´hĂŽm (âthe [true] Godâ); and âI go againstâ for âwe go to,â where the former is obviously more appropriate.
Verse 6
(6) ButâAnd. So 1 Kings 22:7, literally.
Verse 7
(7) He never prophesied good unto me, but always evil.âLiterally, He is not prophesying to me for good, but all his days for evil. Kings: âHe prophesieth not to me good but evil.â The chronicler has aggravated the idea of opposition, by adding âall his days;â i.e., throughout his prophetic career. (Comp. Homer, Iliad, i. 106.)
Micaiah.âHeb., MĂŽkâyÄhĂť, which presupposes an older MĂŽkÄyÄhĂť (âWho like Iahu?â). Iahu is in all probability the oldest form of the Divine Name, Iah being an abridgment of it. Syriac and Arabic, âMicahââthe form in 2 Chronicles 18:14 (Heb.).
Imla.âHe is full, or, he filleth; etymologically right.
Let not the king say so.âJehoshaphat hears in the words a presentiment of evil, and deprecates the omen.
Verse 8
(8) Called for one of his officers.âLiterally, Called to a eunuch. (See on 1 Chronicles 28:1.)
MicaiahâHebrew text, MĂŽkâhĂť, a contracted form. The Hebrew margin substitutes the usual spelling.
Verse 9
(9) And the king of Israel . . . sat either of them on his throne.âRather, Now the king of Israel . . . were sitting each on his throne.
Clothed in their robes.âThe pronoun, which is indispensable if this be the meaning, is wanting in the Hebrew. The Syriac has probably preserved the original reading: âClothed in raiment spotted white and black.â (Vid. infr.)
And they sat.âWere sitting. Explanatory addition by chronicler.
A void place.âA threshingfloor. LXX., áźÎ˝ Ďῡ Îľá˝ĎĎ Ďá˝˝Ďáżł, âin the open ground;â Vulg., âin a threshing. floor.â The word is probably corrupt, and may have originated out of bÄruddĂŽm, âspotted,â i.e., perhaps embroidered; an epithet of robes.
Prophesied.âWere prophesying. âVaticina-bantur,â Vulg.
Verse 10
(10) Push.âButt (Daniel 8:4). Figuratively, as here, Deuteronomy 33:17.
Until they be consumed.âUnto destroying them.
Verse 11
(11) Prophesied.âNibbÄâĂŽm, âwere prophesying.â Vulg., âprophetabant.â In 2 Chronicles 18:9 the synonym mith-nabbeâĂŽm was used, which also signifies âmad, ravingâ Jeremiah 29:26). The root meaning of this word is probably visible in the Assyrian nabĂť, âto call, proclaim,â so that the nâbĂŽ, or prophet, was the ĎĎÎżĎÎŽĎÎˇĎ or spokesman of God, the herald of heaven to earth. (Comp. the name of the god Nebo, Nabiâum, who answers in the Babylonian Pantheon to the Greek Hermes.)
And prosperâi.e., and thou shalt prosper. So LXX., κι὜ Îľá˝ÎżÎ´Ďθ὾Ďáż. Vuig., âprosperaberis.â (Comp. âThis do, and live;â and Genesis 20:7, âhe shall pray for thee, and live thou!â)
For.âAnd.
Verse 12
(12) The words of the prophets . . . one assent.âSee margin, and comp. Joshua 9:2, âthey assembled . . . to fight against Israel, one mouth ââi.e., with one consent.)
Probably instead of dibhrĂŞ, âwords,â we should read dibbÄrĂť, âthey said,â a far slighter change in Hebrew writing than in English: âBehold the prophets have with one mouth spoken good unto (or, of) the king.â So LXX.
Like one of theirâs.âLiterally, like one of them. Kings, like the word of one of them.
Verse 13
(13) Even.âNay, but whatsoever my God shall say.
My God.âKings, Jehovah.
Verse 14
(14) Shall I forbear.âKings, shall we forbear. (See Note on 2 Chronicles 18:5.)
And he said, Go ye up . . . and they shall be delivered.âKings repeats the words of 2 Chronicles 18:11, âGo thou up, and prosper thou, and the Lord,â &c. The chronicler has substituted a reply, which states quite definitely that they (i.e., the Syrians) shall be delivered into the hands of the allied sovereigns. In 2 Chronicles 18:11 the object of the verb âdeliverâ was not expressed. This rather reminds us of the Delphic oracle: âIf CrĹsus pass the Halys, a mighty empire will be overthrown,â though the words of Zedekiah in the preceding verse are plain enough.
Verse 15
(15) And the king said.â1 Kings 22:16 literatim.
I adjure thee.âCompare the words of the high priest to Christ (Matthew 26:63).
Verse 16
(16) Upon the mountains.âKings, âunto the mountains.â
As sheep.âLike the flock, both of sheep and goats.
Verse 17
(17) But evil.âSo Kings. Heb., here as margin. (Comp. 2 Chronicles 18:7.)
Verse 18
(18) Again.âAnd.
Therefore.âLXX., not so, as if the Hebrew were lĂ´âkçn instead of laken. Vulg. excellently, âat ille: idcirco ait audite verbum domini.â
Hear ye.âKings, hear thou.
Standing on his right hand.âLiterally, were standing. Kings, And all the host of heaven was standing by him, on his right hand and on his left. The chronicler has abridged.
Verse 19
(19) And one spake, saying.âLiterally, and one said (i.e., it was spoken), this one saying thus, and that one saying thus. The text is certainly right.
After this manner.âKâhhâh. Kings, bÄkhĂ´h. Kings has, and this one said in this wise, and that one was saying in that wise.
Verse 20
(20) Then there came out a spirit.âRather, And the spirit came forth. LXX., κι὜ áźÎžáżÎťÎ¸ÎľÎ˝ Ďὸ ĎνξῌΟι.
Verse 21
(21) And be.âBecome (wÄhâyĂŽthĂŽ lÄ). Kings omits the particle.
A lying spirit.âA spirit of falsehood. (Comp. Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 19:14; Ezekiel 14:9 : âAnd the prophet, if he be deceived, and speak a word, it is I, Jehovah, who have deceived that prophet.â The verb âdeceiveâ is that which is rendered âenticeâ here and in 2 Chronicles 18:19, pittah. LXX., áźĎÎąĎ὾ĎÎľÎšĎ (See also 2 Thessalonians 2:11.)
Verse 22
(22) Now therefore.âAnd now.
Of these.âKings, of all these. So some Hebrew MSS., Vulg., Syriac, Arabic, and one MS. of LXX.
Verse 23
(23) Then.âAnd.
And smote.âWay-yak, a correction of way-yakkèh (Kings), such as the chronicler often makes.
which way.âLiterally, where is the way the spirit of Jehovah passed. Kings, where passed the spirit, &c.
Unto thee.âWith thee.
Verse 24
(24) Thou shalt see.âThou art to see, or, destined to see, on that day when thou shalt enter a chamber in a chamber to hide thyself (lÄhçchâbçhâ, correctly. Kings, lÄhçchâbçh). Zedekiahâs further history is not recordedâan indication, as Ewald justly observes, that the original narrative contained much more than the present extract from it.
Verse 25
(25) Take ye . . . carry him.âKings, Take thou . . . carry thou, addressed to some single officer.
Governor.âSar, âprefect.â LXX., áźĎĎονĎÎą. Syriact shallit.
Carry backâi.e., convey back. Literally, make him return.
Verse 26
(26) Bread of affliction, and with water of affliction.âIn the Hebrew the second word (lĂ hats) is not a genitive but an accusative, âbread with stint,â âwater with stint.â Literally, squeezing. Vulg., âpanis modicum et aquae pauxillum.â Syriac, âbread (enough) to keep life, and water (enough) to keep life.â (Comp. Isaiah 30:20.)
Until I return.âA correction of until I come (Kings).
Verse 27
(27) And Micaiah said.âLiterally as 1 Kings 22:28.
If thou certainly return.ââIf thou dost return.â
And he saidâi.e., Micaiah said, turning to the crowd of bystanders, and making them witnesses to his prediction.
Hearken, all ye people.âRather, Hearken ye, O peoples all! Literally, all of them. The book of the prophet Micah opens with these very words (Micah 1:2). Hitzig thinks they were taken from that passage, and NĂśldeke, that they âmust be and denote an abbreviation of the entire book.â (!) Thenius, on the other hand, justly argues that the whole section before us bears indubitable marks of historical truth, and is probably an extract from the history of Jehoshaphat written by Jehu the son of Hanani (2 Chronicles 20:34).
Verse 29
(29) I will disguise myself, and will go.âLiterally, disguising myself and entering! A hurried exclamatory mode of speaking.
They went.âKings, he (Ahab) went into the battle. So some Hebrew MSS., LXX., Syriac, Vulg., Arabic, and Targum.
Verse 30
(30) That were with him.âKings adds, âthirty and two,â referring to what is related in 1 Kings 20:16; 1 Kings 20:24, a matter which the chronicler has not noticed. The Syriac and Arabic supply the number here.
With small or great.âSo Kings. Our text is literally, with the small or the great.
They compassed about him.âOr, came round against him. Kings, wrongly, âturned aside against him.â In Hebrew the difference turns on half a letter.
But Jehoshaphat cried out.âProbably to bring his followers to the rescue. (1 Kings 22:32 ends with these words.)
And the Lord helped him; and God moved (literally, incited, âpersuaded,â 2 Chronicles 18:1) them . . . from him.âDrove them away from him. This addition is evidently from the pen of the chronicler himself. It appears that he understood the verb âcried outâ in the sense of a cry to God for help, a sense which it often bears, e.g., Psalms 22:6.
How God âdrove them offâ is explained in the next verse. The captains discovered their mistake and retired.
This perfectly natural event is regarded by the chronicler as providential, and rightly so. Hebrew faith âknows nothing of an order of the world which can be separated even in thought from the constant personal activity of Jehovah.â
Verse 33
(33) Drew a bow.âWith the bow.
At a venture.âSee margin, and comp. 2 Samuel 15:11, where a similar phrase occurs, which Gesenius interprets âwithout thought of evil design.â The LXX. Îľá˝ĎĎ὚ĎĎĎ, âwith good aim,â is a bad guess. Syriac, âinnocently straight before him.â But the explanation of Rashi seems best: âwithout knowing why he chose that particular man to shoot at.â
And smote.âSee on 2 Chronicles 18:23.
Between the joints of the harness.âOr, breastplate. So Syriac, âbetween the division of his mailâ; the LXX. has âin the midst of the lungs and breast:; Vulgate, âbetween the neck and shouldersâ; both mere guesses.
That thou mayst carry (literally, bring) me out.âKings, and bring me out.
Verse 34
(34) Increased.âLiterally, went up, grew. (Comp. Genesis 40:10; Amos 7:0, the growth of grass.)
Howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot.âLiterally, and the king of Israel was (or, continued) holding himself up in the chariot, facing Aram, until the evening. 1 Kings 22:35 reads: was held up in the chariot, &c, and he died in the evening. The reading of Chronicles is preferable, the sense being that Ahab bravely bore up against the pain of his wound, in order not to discourage his own side by retiring from the field. The rest of the narrative which tells of the return of the army and the washing of Ahabâs chariot at the pool of Samaria (1 Kings 22:36-38) is omitted here, because Jehoshaphat was not concerned in it, and perhaps because the chronicler had a true perception of the real climax of this vivid story of the olden time.