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Bible Dictionaries
Chariots of War
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or The Scripture speaks of two sorts of these chariots, one for princes and generals to ride in, the other used to break the enemies battalions, by letting them loose armed with iron, which made dreadful havoc among the troops. The most ancient chariots of which we have any notice are Pharaoh's, which were overwhelmed in the Red Sea, Exodus 14:7 . The Canaanites, whom Joshua engaged at the waters of Merom, had cavalry and a multitude of chariots, Joshua 11:4 . Sisera, the general of Jabin, king of Hazor, had nine hundred chariots of iron in his army, Judges 4:3 . The tribe of Judah could not get possession of all the lands of their lot, because the ancient inhabitants of the country were strong in chariots of iron. The Philistines, in the war carried on by them against Saul, had thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, 1 Samuel 13:5 . David, having taken one thousand chariots of war from Hadadezer, king of Syria, hamstrung the horses, and burned nine hundred chariots, reserving only one hundred to himself, 2 Samuel 8:4 . Solomon had a considerable number of chariots, but we know of no military expedition in which they were employed, 1 Kings 10:26 . As Judea was a very mountainous country, chariots could be of no great use there, except in the plains; and the Hebrews often evaded them by fighting on the mountains. The kings of the Hebrews, when they went to war, were themselves generally mounted in chariots from which they fought, and issued their orders; and there was always a second chariot empty, which followed each of them, that if the first was broken he might ascend the other, 2 Chronicles 35:24 . Chariots were sometimes consecrated to the sun; and the Scripture observes, that Josiah burned those which had been dedicated to the sun by his predecessors, 2 Kings 23:11 . This superstitious custom was borrowed from the Heathens, and principally from the Persians.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Chariots of War'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/c/chariots-of-war.html. 1831-2.
