Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 15:9
And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God [was] with him.
9. the strangers with them ] R.V. them that sojourned with them; cp. 2Ch 10:17; 2Ch 11:16-17; 2Ch 16:1.
Simeon ] The territory of this tribe lay in the South and it is natural to think that at the disruption Simeon followed Judah in allegiance to the house of David. It may be however that Simeon at first held aloof.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Strangers … – i. e. Israelites of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. The separation of the two kingdoms had made their Israelite brethren strangers, or foreigners, to Judah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. And the strangers] Many out of the different tribes, particularly out of Simeon, Ephraim, and Manasseh, having reflected that the Divine blessing was promised to the house of David, and finding the government of Jeroboam founded in idolatry, would naturally, through a spirit of piety, leave their own country, and go where they might enjoy the worship of the true God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Out of Simeon; which tribe, though they had their inheritance out of the portion of Judah, did for the generality of them revolt to Jeroboam with the other tribes, as appears from many passages of Scripture; which they might conveniently do, because their portion bordered, as on one side upon that of Judah, so on the other side upon that of Dan; and therefore might indifferently join with the one or other, as they saw fit.
They fell to him, to wit, from the king of Israel.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9-15. he gathered all Judah andBenjaminNot satisfied with these minor measures ofpurification and improvement, Asa meditated a grand scheme which wasto pledge his whole kingdom to complete the work of reformation, andwith this in view he waited for a general assembly of the people.
and the strangers with themout of Ephraim and ManassehThe population of Asa’s kingdom hadbeen vastly increased by the continued influx of strangers, who,prompted by motives either of interest or of piety, sought in hisdominions that security and freedom which they could not enjoy amidthe complicated troubles which distracted Israel.
and out of SimeonAlthougha portion of that tribe, located within the territory of Judah, werealready subjects of the southern kingdom, the general body of theSimeonites had joined in forming the northern kingdom of Israel. Butmany of them now returned of their own accord.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them,…. The proselytes of the gate:
out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: out of all the places in those tribes that had come off to him, or had been taken by him; for otherwise these belonged to the ten tribes under the government of Jeroboam, and his successors, and the next clause explains it:
for they fell to him out of Israel abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him; as was clear by the victory he gave him over the Ethiopians; after that time many in the above tribes came over to him; the Targum is,
“when they saw the Word of the Lord his God was his help.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(9) The strangersi.e., the non-Judans; members of the northern kingdom. A similar accession to the southern kingdom had taken place under Rehoboam (2Ch. 11:16); and another yet is related in the reign of Hezekiah (2Ch. 30:11; 2Ch. 30:18).
And out of Simeon.This tribe is again mentioned along with Ephraim and Manasseh in 2Ch. 34:6, although its territory lay within the inheritance of the children of Judah (Jos. 19:1). Perhaps a portion of the tribe had migrated northward (comp. Judges 18), and some of these now settled again in Judah. Gen. 49:7 speaks of Simeon as divided in Jacob, and scattered in Israel.
Another solution is, that although politically one with Judah, the tribe of Simeon was religiously isolated by its illegal worship established at Beersheba, similar to that at Bethel and Dan (Amo. 4:4; Amo. 5:5; Amo. 8:14). But this hardly agrees with the next clause: They fell to him out of Israel.
They fell to him.(1Ch. 12:19; 2Ki. 7:4.)
When they saw that the Lord.They had heard of his great deliverance from Zerah.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.This seems to indicate that the Cushite invasion took place not long before, perhaps in the spring of the same year (see Note on 1Ch. 20:1).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. The strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh The Israelites of these leading tribes of the northern kingdom are here spoken of as strangers. Such estrangement had secession wrought, Many of the more pious Israelites out of the various tribes joined the kingdom of Judah in the days of Rehoboam, but multitudes more came now when they saw that the Lord his God was with Asa.
And out of Simeon Most of the tribe of Simeon probably fell to the southern kingdom from the first, but not all the tribe, for there were not a few whose jealousy of Judah and Jerusalem led them to cast in their fortunes with the majority of the nation. Keil remarks that “the Simeonites, though politically united with Judah, yet in religious matters were not so, but had set up in Beersheba a worship of their own similar to that in Beth-el and Dan. In such a case the more earnest and thoughtful people from Simeon, as well as from Ephraim and Manasseh, may have gone to Jerusalem to the sacrificial festival prepared by Asa. In favour of this last supposition we may adduce the fact that the prophet Amos (1Ch 4:4; 1Ch 5:5; 1Ch 8:14) mentions Beer-sheba, along with Beth-el and Gilgal, as a place to which pilgrimages were made by the idolatrous Israelites.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
This convening of the people was a very proper thing after so glorious an instance of the divine mercy; in order that all the people, because all were interested in the deliverance, might send up their praises together. And it is delightful to remark, that the assembly became numerous, and fell to Asa out of all Israel in abundance, because they saw that the Lord his God was with him. Oh! Reader! what unknown powers of persuasion would be found in that argument, could we but carry that proof with us, that the Lord our God is with us. Such we are told will be the grand predisposing cause, in making up the gospel church at the last times, when Jew, and Gentile, are to be brought into one fold. Ten men shall take hold of the skirts saying, we will go with you for we have heard that God is with you. Zec 8:23 . How beautiful a view is here given of the sacred joy of this people. And what a complacency is described in the Lord’s being found of them, and giving them rest! surely those sacrifices, and this covenant, were by faith in the promised seed and looking unto Jesus!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 15:9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God [was] with him.
Ver. 9. And the strangers with them, &c. ] Strangers they had made themselves by their revolt with the rest, but now they repented and returned, being looked upon by their “brethren in iniquity” as apostates, like as was Luther by the Papists. An apostate he confessed himself, sed beatum et sanctum, “but happy and holy,” but such a one as had not kept touch with the devil.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
strangers = sojourners: i.e. those not of Judah. Hebrew. gur. See note on Pro 5:3.
Ephraim. Jeroboam’s own tribe.
Simeon. Always more or less reckoned with Judah.
fell to him out of Israel. See note on 1Ki 12:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the strangers: 2Ch 11:16, 2Ch 30:1-11, 2Ch 30:25
they fell: 1Ki 12:19, 1Ch 12:19
they saw: Gen 39:3, 1Sa 18:28, 1Ki 3:28, Zec 8:21-23, Act 7:9, Act 7:10, Act 9:31
Reciprocal: Gen 49:8 – thy hand 2Ch 16:1 – to the intent 2Ch 17:3 – the Lord Jer 7:15 – the whole Eze 37:16 – For Judah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 15:9. And out of Simeon For the generality of this tribe, though they had their inheritance out of the portion of Judah, revolted to Jeroboam with the other tribes, as appears from many passages of Scripture. This they might conveniently do, because, as their portion bordered, on one side, on the tribe of Judah, so, on the other, it touched on that of Dan, and therefore could easily join with the one or the other. For they fell to him out of Israel in abundance Namely, from the king of Israel.