3 Now for a long H7227 season H3117 Israel H3478 hath been without H3808 the true H571 God, H430 and without a teaching H3384 priest, H3548 and without law. H8451
And that ye may teach H3384 the children H1121 of Israel H3478 all the statutes H2706 which the LORD H3068 hath spoken H1696 unto them by the hand H3027 of Moses. H4872
For the children H1121 of Israel H3478 shall abide H3427 many H7227 days H3117 without a king, H4428 and without a prince, H8269 and without a sacrifice, H2077 and without an image, H4676 and without an ephod, H646 and without teraphim: H8655
Whereupon the king H4428 took counsel, H3289 and made H6213 two H8147 calves H5695 of gold, H2091 and said H559 unto them, It is too much H7227 for you to go up H5927 to Jerusalem: H3389 behold thy gods, H430 O Israel, H3478 which brought thee up H5927 out of the land H776 of Egypt. H4714 And he set H7760 the one H259 in Bethel, H1008 and the other H259 put H5414 he in Dan. H1835 And this thing H1697 became a sin: H2403 for the people H5971 went H3212 to worship before H6440 the one, H259 even unto Dan. H1835 And he made H6213 an house H1004 of high places, H1116 and made H6213 priests H3548 of the lowest H7098 of the people, H5971 which were not of the sons H1121 of Levi. H3878 And Jeroboam H3379 ordained H6213 a feast H2282 in the eighth H8066 month, H2320 on the fifteenth H2568 H6240 day H3117 of the month, H2320 like unto the feast H2282 that is in Judah, H3063 and he offered H5927 upon the altar. H4196 So did H6213 he in Bethel, H1008 sacrificing H2076 unto the calves H5695 that he had made: H6213 and he placed H5975 in Bethel H1008 the priests H3548 of the high places H1116 which he had made. H6213 So he offered H5927 upon the altar H4196 which he had made H6213 in Bethel H1008 the fifteenth H2568 H6240 day H3117 of the eighth H8066 month, H2320 even in the month H2320 which he had devised H908 of his own heart; H3820 and ordained H6213 a feast H2282 unto the children H1121 of Israel: H3478 and he offered H5927 upon the altar, H4196 and burnt incense. H6999
For G1063 as many as G3745 have sinned G264 without law G460 shall G622 also G2532 perish G622 without law: G460 and G2532 as many as G3745 have sinned G264 in G1722 the law G3551 shall be judged G2919 by G1223 the law; G3551
And G1161 we know G1492 that G3754 the Son G5207 of God G2316 is come, G2240 and G2532 hath given G1325 us G2254 an understanding, G1271 that G2443 we may know G1097 him that is true, G228 and G2532 we are G2070 in G1722 him that is true, G228 even in G1722 his G846 Son G5207 Jesus G2424 Christ. G5547 This G3778 is G2076 the true G228 God, G2316 and G2532 eternal G166 life. G2222
For G1063 they G518 themselves G846 shew G518 of G4012 us G2257 what manner G3697 of entering in G1529 we had G2192 G2192 unto G4314 you, G5209 and G2532 how G4459 ye turned G1994 to G4314 God G2316 from G575 idols G1497 to serve G1398 the living G2198 and G2532 true G228 God; G2316
To them that are without law, G459 as G5613 without law, G459 (being G5607 not G3361 without law G459 to God, G2316 but G235 under the law G1772 to Christ,) G5547 that G2443 I might gain G2770 them that are without law. G459
But G1161 sin, G266 taking G2983 occasion G874 by G1223 the commandment, G1785 wrought G2716 in G1722 me G1698 all manner of G3956 concupiscence. G1939 For G1063 without G5565 the law G3551 sin G266 was dead. G3498 For G1161 I G1473 was alive G2198 without G5565 the law G3551 once: G4218 but G1161 when the commandment G1785 came, G2064 sin G266 revived, G326 and G1161 I G1473 died. G599
They shall teach H3384 Jacob H3290 thy judgments, H4941 and Israel H3478 thy law: H8451 they shall put H7760 incense H6988 before H639 thee, and whole burnt sacrifice H3632 upon thine altar. H4196
And G1161 this G3778 is G2076 life G2222 eternal, G166 that G2443 they might know G1097 thee G4571 the only G3441 true G228 God, G2316 and G2532 Jesus G2424 Christ, G5547 whom G3739 thou hast sent. G649
And G2532 when he had gathered G4863 all G3956 the chief priests G749 and G2532 scribes G1122 of the people G2992 together, G4863 he demanded G4441 of G3844 them G846 where G4226 Christ G5547 should be born. G1080 And G1161 they said G2036 unto him, G846 In G1722 Bethlehem G965 of Judaea: G2449 for G1063 thus G3779 it is written G1125 by G1223 the prophet, G4396
For the priest's H3548 lips H8193 should keep H8104 knowledge, H1847 and they should seek H1245 the law H8451 at his mouth: H6310 for he is the messenger H4397 of the LORD H3068 of hosts. H6635
The heads H7218 thereof judge H8199 for reward, H7810 and the priests H3548 thereof teach H3384 for hire, H4242 and the prophets H5030 thereof divine H7080 for money: H3701 yet will they lean H8172 upon the LORD, H3068 and say, H559 Is not the LORD H3068 among H7130 us? none evil H7451 can come H935 upon us.
Neither shall any priest H3548 drink H8354 wine, H3196 when they enter H935 into the inner H6442 court. H2691 Neither shall they take H3947 for their wives H802 a widow, H490 nor her that is put away: H1644 but they shall take H3947 maidens H1330 of the seed H2233 of the house H1004 of Israel, H3478 or a widow H490 that had a priest H3548 before. And they shall teach H3384 my people H5971 the difference between the holy H6944 and profane, H2455 and cause them to discern H3045 between the unclean H2931 and the clean. H2889
But the LORD H3068 is the true H571 God, H430 he is the living H2416 God, H430 and an everlasting H5769 king: H4428 at his wrath H7110 the earth H776 shall tremble, H7493 and the nations H1471 shall not be able to abide H3557 his indignation. H2195
And Nehemiah, H5166 which is the Tirshatha, H8660 and Ezra H5830 the priest H3548 the scribe, H5608 and the Levites H3881 that taught H995 the people, H5971 said H559 unto all the people, H5971 This day H3117 is holy H6918 unto the LORD H3068 your God; H430 mourn H56 not, nor weep. H1058 For all the people H5971 wept, H1058 when they heard H8085 the words H1697 of the law. H8451
And with them he sent Levites, H3881 even Shemaiah, H8098 and Nethaniah, H5418 and Zebadiah, H2069 and Asahel, H6214 and Shemiramoth, H8070 and Jehonathan, H3083 and Adonijah, H138 and Tobijah, H2900 and Tobadonijah, H2899 Levites; H3881 and with them Elishama H476 and Jehoram, H3088 priests. H3548 And they taught H3925 in Judah, H3063 and had the book H5612 of the law H8451 of the LORD H3068 with them, and went about H5437 throughout all the cities H5892 of Judah, H3063 and taught H3925 the people. H5971
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 15
2Ch 15:1-15. Judah Makes a Solemn Covenant with God.
1. Azariah the son of Oded—This prophet, who is mentioned nowhere else, appears at this stage of the sacred story in the discharge of an interesting mission. He went to meet Asa, as he was returning from his victorious pursuit of the Ethiopians, and the congratulatory address here recorded was publicly made to the king in presence of his army.
2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him—You have had, in your recent signal success, a remarkable proof that God's blessing is upon you; your victory has been the reward of your faith and piety. If you steadfastly adhere to the cause of God, you may expect a continuance of His favor; but if you abandon it, you will soon reap the bitter fruits of apostasy.
3-6. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, &c.—Some think that Azariah was referring to the sad and disastrous condition to which superstition and idolatry had brought the neighboring kingdom of Israel. His words should rather be taken in a wider sense, for it seems manifest that the prophet had his eye upon many periods in the national history, when the people were in the state described—a state of spiritual destitution and ignorance—and exhibited its natural result as widespread anarchy, mutual dissension among the tribes, and general suffering (Jud 9:23; 12:4; 20:21; 2Ch 13:17). These calamities God permitted to befall them as the punishment of their apostasy. Azariah's object in these remarks was to establish the truth of his counsel (2Ch 15:2), threatening, in case of neglecting it by describing the uniform course of the divine procedure towards Israel, as shown in all periods of their history. Then after this appeal to national experience, he concluded with an earnest exhortation to the king to prosecute the work of reformation so well begun [2Ch 15:7].
7. Be ye strong—Great resolution and indomitable energy would be required to persevere in the face of the opposition your reforming measures will encounter.
your work shall be rewarded—What you do in the cause and for the glory of God will assuredly be followed by the happiest results both to yourself and your subjects.
8. when Asa heard … the prophecy of Oded the prophet—The insertion of these words, "of Oded the prophet," is generally regarded as a corruption of the text. "The sole remedy is to erase them. They are, probably, the remains of a note, which crept in from the margin into the text" [Bertheau].
he took courage—Animated by the seasonable and pious address of Azariah, Asa became a more zealous reformer than ever, employing all his royal authority and influence to extirpate every vestige of idolatry from the land.
and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim—He may have acquired cities of Ephraim, the conquest of which is not recorded (2Ch 17:2); but it has been commonly supposed that the reference is to cities which his father Abijah had taken in that quarter (2Ch 13:19).
renewed the altar of the Lord … before the porch—that is, the altar of burnt offering. As this was done on or about the fifteenth year of the reign of this pious king, the renewal must have consisted in some splendid repairs or embellishments, which made it look like a new dedication, or in a reconstruction of a temporary altar, like that of Solomon (2Ch 7:7), for extraordinary sacrifices to be offered on an approaching occasion.
9-15. he gathered all Judah and Benjamin—Not satisfied with these minor measures of purification and improvement, Asa meditated a grand scheme which was to pledge his whole kingdom to complete the work of reformation, and with this in view he waited for a general assembly of the people.
and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh—The population of Asa's kingdom had been vastly increased by the continued influx of strangers, who, prompted by motives either of interest or of piety, sought in his dominions that security and freedom which they could not enjoy amid the complicated troubles which distracted Israel.
and out of Simeon—Although a portion of that tribe, located within the territory of Judah, were already subjects of the southern kingdom, the general body of the Simeonites had joined in forming the northern kingdom of Israel. But many of them now returned of their own accord.
10-14. the third month—when was held the feast of pentecost. On this occasion, it was celebrated at Jerusalem by an extraordinary sacrifice of seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep, the spoil of the Ethiopians being offered. The assembled worshippers entered with great and holy enthusiasm into a national covenant "to seek the Lord their God … with all their heart and with all their soul;" and, at the same time, to execute with rigor the laws which made idolatry punishable with death (2Ch 15:13; De 17:2-5; Heb 10:28). The people testified unbounded satisfaction with this important religious movement, and its moral influence was seen in the promotion of piety, order, and tranquillity throughout the land.
18. the things that his father had dedicated—probably part of the booty obtained by his signal victory over Jeroboam, but which, though dedicated, had hitherto been unrepresented.
and that he himself had dedicated—of the booty taken from the Ethiopians. Both of these were now deposited in the temple as votive offerings to Him whose right hand and holy arm had given them the victory.