Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 25:5
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of [their] fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice [men, able] to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
5 10 (not in Kings). Amaziah prepares for War
5. and made them and Benjamin ] R.V. and ordered them according to their fathers’ houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin.
three hundred thousand ] These were spearmen and correspond in number with Asa’s spearmen (2Ch 14:8).
choice men] R.V. chosen men.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Three hundred thousand – Asas army had been nearly twice as numerous, amounting to 580, 000 2Ch 14:8. The diminution was due, in part, to wars 2Ch 21:8, 2Ch 21:16; 2Ch 24:23-24; in part, to the general decadence of the kingdom.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Gathered Judah together] He purposed to avenge himself of the Syrians, but wished to know his military strength before he came to a rupture.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
5. Amaziah . . . made captains,c.As all who were capable of bearing arms were liable to serve, itwas quite natural in making up the muster-roll to class themaccording to their respective families and to appoint the officers ofeach corps from the same quarter so that all the soldiers who formeda regiment were brothers, relatives, friends. Thus the Hebrew troopswere closely linked together, and had strong inducements to keepsteady in their ranks.
found them three hundredthousand choice menThis was only a fourth part ofJehoshaphat’s army (2Ch17:14-19), showing how sadly the kingdom of Judah had, in thespace of eighty-two years, been reduced in population by foreignwars, no less than by internal corruptions. But the full amount ofAmaziah’s troops may not be here stated.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together,…. The inhabitants thereof:
and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; he divided the people, according to their families throughout his kingdom, into thousands and hundreds, and out of their respective families appointed captains over them:
and he numbered them from twenty years old and above; the usual age men were numbered at for war, to the fiftieth, according to Josephus; the Roman law a obliged none to be soldiers after fifty, nor might any be dismissed before b; the age of military men with the Romans was from seventeen to forty six, or, as some, forty five; but with the Persians from twenty as here to fifty c:
and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield; which shows that their number was greatly decreased since the times of Jehoshaphat, 2Ch 17:14, occasioned by the wars under Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Joash; some copies of the Vulgate Latin d have only 30,000.
a Seneca de Brevitate Vitae, c. 20. b Liv. Hist. l. 42. c. 33. c Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 20. d Ed. of Sixtus V. the Lovain and MSS. in James’s Corruption of the Fathers, p. 295.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The succeeding section, 2Ch 25:5-16, enlarges upon Amaziah’s preparations for war with Edom, which had revolted under Joram of Judah, 2Ki 8:22; upon the victory over the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and on the results of this war; – on all which we have in 2Ki 14:7 only this short note: “he smote Edom in the valley of Salt 10,000 men, and took Selah in war, and called its name Joktheel unto this day.” But the more exact statements of the Chronicle as to the preparations and the results of this war and victory are important for Amaziah’s later war with Kings Joash of Israel, which is narrated in 2Ch 25:17. of our chapter, because in them lie the causes of that war, so fatal to Amaziah; so that the history of Amaziah is essentially supplemented by those statements of the Chronicle which are not found in 2 Kings.
2Ch 25:5-7 The preparations for the war against Edom, and the victory over the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. – 2Ch 25:5. Amaziah assembled Judah, i.e., the men in his kingdom capable of bearing arms, and set them up (ordered them) according to the princes of thousands and hundreds, of all Judah and Benjamin, and passed them in review, i.e., caused a census to be taken of the men liable to military service from twenty years old and upward. They found 300,000 warriors “bearing spear and target” (cf. 2Ch 14:7); a relatively small number, not merely in comparison with the numbers under Jehoshaphat, 2Ch 17:14., which are manifestly too large, but also with the numberings made by other kings, e.g., Asa, 2Ch 14:7. By Joram’s unfortunate wars, 2Ch 21:17, those of Ahaziah, and especially by the defeat which Joash sustained from the Syrians, 2Ch 24:23, the number of men in Judah fit for war may have been very much reduced. Amaziah accordingly sought to strengthen his army against the Edomites, according to 2Ch 25:6, by having an auxiliary corps of 100,000 men from Israel (of the ten tribes) for 100 talents of silver, i.e., he took them into his pay. But a prophet advised him not to take the Israelitish host with him, because Jahve was not with Israel, viz., on account of their defection from Jahve by the introduction of the calf-worship. To Israel there is added, (with) all the sons of Ephraim, to guard against any misunderstanding.
2Ch 25:8 Amaziah is to go alone, and show himself valiant in war, and the Lord will help him to conquer. This is without doubt the thought in 2Ch 25:8, which, however, does not seem to be contained in the traditional Masoretic text. can hardly, after the preceding imperatives – do, be strong for battle – be otherwise translated than by, “and God will cause thee to stumble before the enemy.” But this is quite unsuitable. Clericus, therefore, would take the words ironically: sin minus, tu vadito, etc.; i.e., if thou dost not follow my advice, and takest the Israelites with thee to the war, go, show thyself strong for the war, God will soon cause thee to stumble. But can never signify sin minus . Others, as Schmidt and Ramb., translate: Rather do thou go alone (without the Israelitish auxiliaries), and be valiant, alioquin enim, si illos tecum duxeris, corruere te faciet Deus; or, May God make thee fall before the enemy (De Wette). But the supplying of alioquin , which is only hidden by De Wette’s translation, cannot be grammatically justified. This interpretation of the would be possible only if the negation stood in the preceding clause and was joined to it by . The traditional text is clearly erroneous, and we must, with Ewald and Berth., supply a or before : God thou (alone), do, be valiant for battle, and God will not let thee come to ruin.
(Note: Even the old translators could make nothing of the present text, and expressed the first clause of the verse as they thought best. lxx, ; Vulg., quod si putes in robore exercitus bella consistere; after which Luth., “ denn so du komest das du eine knheit beweisest im streit, wird Gott dich fallen lassen fr deinen Feinden . ” )
After this we have very fittingly the reason assigned: “for with God there is power to help, and to cause to fall.”
2Ch 25:9-10 Amaziah had regard to this exhortation of the prophet, and asked him only what he should do for the 100 talents of silver which he had paid the Israelite auxiliary corps; to which the prophet answered that Jahve could give him more than that sum. Amaziah thereupon dismissed the hired Ephraimite mercenaries. , he separated them (sc., from his army prepared for battle), viz., the band, that they might go to their place, i.e., might return home. The before is nota accus ., and is in apposition to the suffix in . But the auxiliaries thus dismissed returned home full of wrath against Judah, and afterwards fell upon the border cities of Judah, wasting and plundering (2Ch 25:13). Their anger probably arose from the fact that by their dismissal the opportunity of making a rich booty in war was taken away.
2Ch 25:11-12 But Amaziah courageously led his people into the Valley of Salt, and smote the Edomites. , as in 2Ch 15:8, refers back to , 2Ch 25:8: he showed himself strong, according to the word of the prophet. As to the Valley of Salt, see on 2Sa 8:13 and 1Ch 18:12. Besides the 10,000 slain in the battle, the men of Judah took 10,000 other Edomites prisoners, whom they cast from the top of a rock. This statement is wanting in 2Ki 14:7, where, instead of it, the capture of the city Sela (Petra) is mentioned. The conjecture of Thenius, that this last statement of the Chronicle has been derived from a text of the Kings which had become illegible at this place, has already been rejected as untenable by Bertheau. Except the word , the two texts have nothing in common with each other; but it does suggest itself that , the top of the rock (which has become famous by this event), is to be looked for in the neighbourhood of the city Selah, as the war was ended only by the capture of Selah. Besides the battle in the Valley of Salt there were still further battles; and in the numbers 10,000, manifestly the whole of the prisoners taken in the war are comprehended, who, as irreconcilable enemies of Judah, were not made slaves, but were slain by being thrown down from a perpendicular rock.
2Ch 25:13 The Ephraimite host dismissed by Amaziah fell plundering upon the cities of Judah, and smote of them (the inhabitants of these cities) 3000, and carried away great booty. They would seem to have made this devastating attack on their way home; but to this idea, which at first suggests itself, the more definite designation of the plundered cities, “from Samaria to Bethhoron,” does not correspond, for these words can scarcely be otherwise understood than as denoting that Samaria was the starting-point of the foray, and not the limit up to which the plundered cities reached. For this reason Berth. thinks that this attack upon the northern cities of Judah was probably carried out only at a later period, when Amaziah and his army were in Edom. The latter is certainly the more probable supposition; but the course of events can hardly have been, that the Ephraimite auxiliary corps, after Amaziah had dismissed it, returned home to Samaria, and then later, when Amaziah had marched into the Valley of Salt, made this attack upon the cities of Judah, starting from Samaria. It is more probable that the dismissal of this auxiliary corps, which Amaziah had certainly obtained on hire from King Joash, happened after they had been gathered together in Samaria, and had advanced to the frontier of Judah. Then, roused to anger by their dismissal, they did not at once separate and return home; but, Amaziah having meanwhile taken the field against the Edomites with his army, made an attack upon the northern frontier cities of Judah as far as Bethhoron, plundering as they went, and only after this plundering did they return home. As to Bethhoron, now Beit-Ur, see on 1Ch 7:24.
2Ch 25:14-15 Amaziah’s idolatry. – 2Ch 25:14. On his return from smiting the Edomites, i.e., from the war in which he had smitten the Edomites, Amaziah brought the gods (images) of the sons of Seir (the inhabitants of Mount Seir) with him, and set them up as gods, giving them religious adoration.
(Note: This statement, which is not found in 2 Kings 14, may, in the opinion of Berth., perhaps not rest upon a definite tradition, but be merely the application of a principle which generally was found to act in the history of Israel to a particular case; i.e., it may be a clothing in historical garments of the principle that divine punishment came upon the idolatrous king, because it does not agree with the statement of 2Ki 14:3. In that passage it is said of Amaziah: He did what was right in the eyes of Jahve, only not as David; altogether as his father Joash had done, did he. But Joash allowed his princes, after Jehoiada ‘ s death, to worship idols and Asheras, and had caused the prophet Zechariah, who reproved this idolatry, to be stoned. These are facts which, it is true, are narrated only in the Chronicle, but which are admitted by Bertheau himself to be historical. Now if Amaziah did altogether the same as his father Joash, who allowed idolatry, etc., it is hard indeed to see wherein the inconsistency of our account of Amaziah ‘ s idolatry with the character assigned to this king in 2Ki 14:3 consists. Bertheau has omitted to give us any more definite information on this point.)
In order to turn him away from this sin, which would certainly kindle Jahve’s wrath, a prophet said to Amaziah, “Why dost thou seek the gods of the people, who have not delivered their people out of your hand?” The prophet keeps in view the motive which had induced the king to set up and worship the Edomite idols, viz., the belief of all polytheists, that in order to make a people subject, one must seek to win over their gods (cf. on this belief that remarks on Num 22:17), and exposes the folly of this belief by pointing out the impotence of the Edomite idols, which Amaziah himself had learnt to know.
2Ch 25:16 The king, however, in his blindness puts aside this earnest warning with proud words: “Have we made thee a counsellor of the king? Forbear, why should they smite thee?” is spoken collectively: We, the king, and the members of the council. And the prophet ceased, only answering the king thus: “I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this (introduced Edomite idols), and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.” The prophet calls his warning “counsel,” referring to the king’s word, that he was not appointed a counsellor to the king.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
AMAZIAHS MILITARY STRENGTH, AND CONQUEST OF EDOM
(2Ch. 25:5-13).
This section is for the most part peculiar to Chronicles. In Kings the conquest of Edom is recorded in a single verse (2Ki. 14:7).
(5) And made them captains over thousands.Rather, And made them stand (marshalled them) according to father houses, to wit, according to the captains of thousands and according to the captains of hundreds of all Judah and Benjamin.
Numbered.Mustered.
Twenty years old.The military age: Num. 1:2-3; 1Ch. 27:23.
Three hundred thousand.A total immensely below that of the forces of Jehoshaphat (2Ch. 17:14-18), and not much more than half that of Asas (2Ch. 14:8). All these high numbers are no doubt suspicious; but a certain relative propriety is observable in the present instance, inasmuch as the country had suffered great losses by the disastrous wars of Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash.
Able to go forth to war.Literally, going out in the host. (See Num. l.c.)
That could handle spear and shield.Grasping lance and target, i.e., heavy-armed warriors. (Comp. 1Ch. 12:8.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
If we compare the army of Judah as mentioned in this place, with the army as it stood in the days of Jehoshaphat, we find a sad decrease. See 2Ch 17:12-18 . The whole of Jehoshaphat’s subjects at that time were little less than six million, including men, women, and children. But this will be explained when we consider what are the sad consequences of sin. The Lord turneth a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. Psa 107:34 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 25:5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of [their] fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice [men, able] to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
Ver. 5. Three hundred thousand choice men. ] His great-grandfather Jehoshaphat had eleven hundred thousand. Their idolatry and evil practices had wasted and weakened them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 25:5-13
2Ch 25:5-13
AMAZIAH’S SINFUL PREPARATIONS FOR WAR AGAINST EDOM
“Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers’ houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield. He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for Jehovah is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do valiantly, be strong for the battle: God will cast thee down before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down. And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, Jehovah is able to give thee much more than this. Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. And other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they were all broken in pieces. But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote of them three thousand, and took much spoil.”
“Jehovah is not with Israel, to wit, the children of Ephraim” (2Ch 25:7). The man of God here made it plain that the rebellion of the northern tribes against the Davidic dynasty had forfeited their further identity as “God’s Chosen People.” This is the reason that the Chronicler completely ignored, in as much as it was possible, the entire Northern Israel, focusing his attention completely upon the fortunes of Judah.
“The top of the rock” (2Ch 25:12). “This was the height of Petra, the Edomite capital, near where the battle was fought.”
Other Scriptures which relate the horrible cruelties of the Edomite wars with Israel are 1Ki 11:15; Eze 25:12; and Oba 1:14. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother; and there is no more terrible an example of brother hating brother in human history.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 25:5. Warfare was the “order of the day” in those years, and it was important that the king be prepared. Judah and Benjamin are both mentioned because both tribes were included in the kingdom, although Judah gave the name to it, being the larger tribe.
2Ch 25:6. It was not an unusual thing for a king or other military leader to hire soldiers into his service. Such men are called mercenaries, and the arrangement is not considered necessarily objectionable. However, there was a special reason why it was an unfavorable movement in the case of Amaziah.
2Ch 25:7. A man of God means some man sent from God for a special reason; to deliver to Amaziah a protest against his hiring men out of the kingdom of Israel (the 10 tribes). God was not favorably disposed toward that kingdom and would not prosper any work attempted in connection with it. Ephraim is a term that came to be used, both in history and the writings of the prophets, to refer to the 10 tribes. It is well worded in Smith’s Bible Dictionary thus: “After the revolt of Jeroboam the history of Ephraim is the history of the kingdom of Israel, since not only did the tribe become a kingdom, but the kingdom embraced little besides the tribe.”
2Ch 25:8. Amaziah was further warned that if he insisted on using these hired men of Israel he would fail in the battle. An additional reason was given for not using the legions of mercenaries in the words, God bath power to help, and to cast down. If a battle is not favored, all the multitudes in the world would not give a man success. This is taught also by Paul in Rom 8:31.
2Ch 25:9. Amaziah was convinced that he should not use the hired soldiers. But he was worried about the money he had paid them in advance and which he could not get back from them. The man of God assured him that the Lord would more than repay him for his financial loss.
2Ch 25:10. Amaziah dismissed the men he had hired out of Ephraim (the 10 tribes), and told them to go home. We would take that as a special favor, to have all that money and yet not have to fight. The account says they were angry over it. The explanation is that it was a shock to their military pride. They felt that it was the same as if Amaziah had said to them, “I can get along in my battle just as well without your services as with them, so you may go home.” They will show their resentment by their actions before the affair is over.
2Ch 25:11. Valley of salt was a region not far from the Dead Sea, otherwise called the Salt Sea. Children of Seir means the Edomites because Mount Seir was a central point in the territory occupied by that people.
2Ch 25:12. War is a terrible procedure, and includes various methods of destruction. The Edomites who could not be captured alive were slain in battle. There were 10,000 who were taken alive and were to be destroyed in a mass. It was accomplished by thrusting them down a rocky precipice.
2Ch 25:13. This verse records the revenge that was intimated at 2Ch 25:10. The men whom Amaziah hired and then dismissed, “took their spite out” on him by attacking some of his cities and killing many of the inhabitants.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
am 3177, bc 827
captains over thousands: Exo 18:25, 1Sa 8:12, 1Ch 13:1, 1Ch 27:1
from twenty: Num 1:3
three: 2Ch 11:1, 2Ch 14:8, 2Ch 17:14-18
Reciprocal: 1Ch 12:8 – handle Eze 38:4 – handling
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
25:5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of [their] fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from {c} twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice [men, able] to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
(c) So many as were able to bear weapons and go to war.