CHAPTER XIV

Asa succeeds his father Abijah, reigns piously, and has peace for ten years, 1. He makes a great reformation in Judah, and builds cities of defense, 2-7. His military strength, 8. He is attacked by Zerah the Ethiopian, with an immense army; Asa cries to the Lord, attacks the Ethiopians, and gives them a total overthrow, 9-12. He takes several of their cities, their cattle, &c., and returns to Jerusalem, laden with spoils, 13-15.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIV

Verse 1. The land was quiet ten years.] Calmet thinks these years should be counted from the fifth to the fifteenth of Asa's reign.

Verse 2. Did that which was good] He attended to what the law required relative to the worship of God. He was no idolater, though, morally speaking, he was not exempt from faults, 1 Kings xv. 14. He suppressed idolatry universally, and encouraged the people to worship the true God: see ver. 3-5.

Verse 6. Fenced cities] To preserve his territories from invasion, and strengthen the frontiers of his kingdom, see 2 Chronicles xiv. 7.

Verse 8. Targets and spears] Probably targets with the dagger in the center, and javelins for distant fight.

Bare shields and drew bows] They were not only archers, but had shield and sword for close fight.

Verse 9. Zerah the Ethiopian] Probably of that Ethiopia which lay on the south of Egypt, near to Libya, and therefore the Libyans are joined with them, chap. xvi. 8.

A thousand thousand] If this people had come from any great distance, they could not have had forage for such an immense army.

Verse 11. Whether with many] The same sentiment as that uttered by Jonathan, 1 Sam. xiv. 6, when he attacked the garrison of the Philistines.

O Lord our God-we rest on thee] "Help us, O Lord our God; because we depend on thy WORD, and in the name of thy WORD we come against this great host." -Targum.

Verse 14. There was-much spoil in them.] These cities being on the rear of this vast army, they had laid up much forage in them; and to get this the Jews overthrew the whole.

Verse 15. Tents of cattle] Those which had carried the baggage of the great army, and which they had left in such places as abounded with pasture.