1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.
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.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.
16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
1 And the Spirit H7307 of God H430 came upon Azariah H5838 the son H1121 of Oded: H5752
2 And he went out H3318 to meet H6440 Asa, H609 and said H559 unto him, Hear H8085 ye me, Asa, H609 and all Judah H3063 and Benjamin; H1144 The LORD H3068 is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek H1875 him, he will be found H4672 of you; but if ye forsake H5800 him, he will forsake H5800 you.
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
4 But when they in their trouble H6862 did turn H7725 unto the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel, H3478 and sought H1245 him, he was found H4672 of them.
5 And in those times H6256 there was no peace H7965 to him that went out, H3318 nor to him that came in, H935 but great H7227 vexations H4103 were upon all the inhabitants H3427 of the countries. H776
6 And nation H1471 was destroyed H3807 of nation, H1471 and city H5892 of city: H5892 for God H430 did vex H2000 them with all adversity. H6869
7 Be ye strong H2388 therefore, and let not your hands H3027 be weak: H7503 for your work H6468 shall be H3426 rewarded. H7939
8 And when Asa H609 heard H8085 these words, H1697 and the prophecy H5016 of Oded H5752 the prophet, H5030 he took courage, H2388 and put away H5674 the abominable idols H8251 out of all the land H776 of Judah H3063 and Benjamin, H1144 and out of the cities H5892 which he had taken H3920 from mount H2022 Ephraim, H669 and renewed H2318 the altar H4196 of the LORD, H3068 that was before H6440 the porch H197 of the LORD. H3068
9 And he gathered H6908 all Judah H3063 and Benjamin, H1144 and the strangers H1481 with them out of Ephraim H669 and Manasseh, H4519 and out of Simeon: H8095 for they fell H5307 to him out of Israel H3478 in abundance, H7230 when they saw H7200 that the LORD H3068 his God H430 was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together H6908 at Jerusalem H3389 in the third H7992 month, H2320 in the fifteenth H2568 H6240 year H8141 of the reign H4438 of Asa. H609
11 And they offered H2076 unto the LORD H3068 the same time, H3117 of the spoil H7998 which they had brought, H935 seven H7651 hundred H3967 oxen H1241 and seven H7651 thousand H505 sheep. H6629
12 And they entered H935 into a covenant H1285 to seek H1875 the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers H1 with all their heart H3824 and with all their soul; H5315
13 That whosoever would not seek H1875 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 should be put to death, H4191 whether H4480 small H6996 or great, H1419 whether man H376 or woman. H802
14 And they sware H7650 unto the LORD H3068 with a loud H1419 voice, H6963 and with shouting, H8643 and with trumpets, H2689 and with cornets. H7782
15 And all Judah H3063 rejoiced H8055 at the oath: H7621 for they had sworn H7650 with all their heart, H3824 and sought H1245 him with their whole desire; H7522 and he was found H4672 of them: and the LORD H3068 gave them rest H5117 round about. H5439
16 And also concerning Maachah H4601 the mother H517 of Asa H609 the king, H4428 he removed H5493 her from being queen, H1377 because she had made H6213 an idol H4656 in a grove: H842 and Asa H609 cut down H3772 her idol, H4656 and stamped H1854 it, and burnt H8313 it at the brook H5158 Kidron. H6939
17 But the high places H1116 were not taken away H5493 out of Israel: H3478 nevertheless the heart H3824 of Asa H609 was perfect H8003 all his days. H3117
18 And he brought H935 into the house H1004 of God H430 the things that his father H1 had dedicated, H6944 and that he himself had dedicated, H6944 silver, H3701 and gold, H2091 and vessels. H3627
19 And there was no more war H4421 unto the five H2568 and thirtieth H7970 year H8141 of the reign H4438 of Asa. H609
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
4 But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned 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 Jehovah his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round about.
16 And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
1 And upon Azariah son of Oded hath been the Spirit of God,
2 and he goeth out before Asa, and saith to him, `Hear, me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; Jehovah `is' with you -- in your being with Him, and if ye seek Him, He is found of you, and if ye forsake Him, He forsaketh you;
3 and many days `are' to Israel without a true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law,
4 and it turneth back in its distress unto Jehovah, God of Israel, and they seek Him, and He is found of them,
5 and in those times there is no peace to him who is going out, and to him who is coming in, for many troubles `are' on all the inhabitants of the lands,
6 and they have been beaten down, nation by nation, and city by city, for God hath troubled them with every adversity;
7 and ye, be ye strong, and let not your hands be feeble, for there is a reward for your work.'
8 And at Asa's hearing these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he hath strengthened himself, and doth cause the abominations to pass away out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities that he hath captured from the hill-country of Ephraim, and reneweth the altar of Jehovah that `is' before the porch of Jehovah,
9 and gathereth all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon -- for they have fallen unto him from Israel in abundance, in their seeing that Jehovah his God `is' with him.
10 And they are gathered to Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,
11 and sacrifice to Jehovah on that day from the spoil they have brought in -- oxen seven hundred, and sheep seven thousand,
12 and they enter into a covenant to seek Jehovah, God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul,
13 and every one who doth not seek for Jehovah, God of Israel, is put to death, from small unto great, from man unto woman.
14 And they swear to Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets,
15 and rejoice do all Judah concerning the oath, for with all their heart they have sworn, and with all their good-will they have sought Him, and He is found of them, and Jehovah giveth rest to them round about.
16 And also Maachah, mother of Asa the king -- he hath removed her from `being' mistress, in that she hath made for a shrine a horrible thing, and Asa cutteth down her horrible thing, and beateth `it' small, and burneth `it' by the brook Kidron:
17 yet the high places have not turned aside from Israel; only, the heart of Asa hath been perfect all his days.
18 And he bringeth in the sanctified things of his father, and his own sanctified things, to the house of God, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And war hath not been till the thirty and fifth year of the reign of Asa.
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you while ye are with him; and if ye seek him he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long while Israel [was] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
4 but in their trouble they turned to Jehovah the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found of them.
5 And in those times there [was] no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in, but great disturbances were amongst all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 And nation was broken against nation, and city against city; for God disturbed them with all manner of distress.
7 But as for you, be firm and let not your hands be weak; for there is a reward for your deeds.
8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities that he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.
9 And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon; for they fell away to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.
10 And they assembled themselves at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they sacrificed to Jehovah in that day, of the spoil that they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek Jehovah the God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul,
13 and that whoever would not seek Jehovah the God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they swore to Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they took the oath with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them. And Jehovah gave them rest round about.
16 And also Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol for the Asherah; and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burned it in the valley Kidron.
17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; only, Asa's heart was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:
2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear you me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
4 But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great vexations were on all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 But be you strong, and don't let your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.
8 When Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.
9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who sojourned 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 Yahweh his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 All Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Yahweh gave them rest round about.
16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 He brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 There was no more war to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
1 And the spirit of God came on Azariah, the son of Oded;
2 And he came face to face with Asa and said to him, Give ear to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with him; if your heart's desire is for him, he will be near you, but if you give him up, he will give you up.
3 Now for a long time Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without the law;
4 But when in their trouble they were turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, searching after him, he let their search be rewarded.
5 In those times there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, but great trouble was on all the people of the lands.
6 And they were broken by divisions, nation against nation and town against town, because God sent all sorts of trouble on them.
7 But be you strong and let not your hands be feeble, for your work will be rewarded.
8 And Asa, hearing these words of Azariah, the son of Oded the prophet, took heart and put away all the disgusting things out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the towns which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he made new again the altar of the Lord in front of the covered way of the Lord's house.
9 And he got together all Judah and Benjamin and those of Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon who were living with them; for numbers of them came to him out of Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 So they came together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the rule of Asa.
11 And that day they made offerings to the Lord of the things they had taken in war, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they made an agreement to be true to the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and all their soul;
13 And that anyone, small or great, man or woman, who was not true to the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death.
14 And they made an oath to the Lord, with a loud voice, sounding wind-instruments and horns.
15 And all Judah was glad because of the oath, for they had taken it with all their heart, turning to the Lord with all their desire; and he was with them and gave them rest on every side.
16 And Asa would not let Maacah, his mother, be queen, because she had made a disgusting image for Asherah; and Asa had her image cut down and broken up and burned by the stream Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; but still the heart of Asa was true to the Lord all his life.
18 He took into the house of God all the things which his father had made holy and those which he himself had made holy, silver and gold and vessels.
19 And there was no more war till the thirty-fifth year of the rule of Asa.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 15 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 15
Asa returning from the battle, and with the spoil of the enemy, was met by a prophet of the Lord, who encouraged him to go on with the work of reformation, promising the presence and help of God with him, 2 Chronicles 15:1, which inspired him with fresh courage, and he went about the work with great alacrity; and having offered sacrifices, he and his people entered into a solemn covenant with the Lord, to serve him, 2 Chronicles 15:8 upon which he destroyed his mother's idol, brought the dedicated things into the house of God, and the effect of this was peace for a long time, 2 Chronicles 15:16.
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded,.... The same with Iddo, as HillerusF8Onomastic, Sacr. p. 458. thinks; and some suppose this to be the name of the son as well as the father, but called Azariah, to distinguish him from him, see 2 Chronicles 15:8 on whom came, as the Targum, the spirit of prophecy, instructing him what to say to Asa; and the Jews sayF9In Hieron. Trad. Heb. in Paralipom. fol. 84. L. & 85. A. he is the same with Iddo, and he the same that was sent to Jeroboam, to reprove him for the altar he built.
And he went out to meet Asa,.... From Jerusalem, as Asa was coming to it:
and said unto him, hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the principal inhabitants of which tribes had been collected, and went to this war, and were now returning:
the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; it was a clear case he had been with them, in giving them the victory over the Ethiopians; and as long as they continued in the service of God, and abode by his pure worship, they might expect he would yet be with them, otherwise not:
and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; you will see his face, and enjoy his favour, and have his presence, and help from him in every time of need, when they sought him by prayer and supplication, as Asa had, and attended his worship and ordinances:
but if ye forsake him; his laws and his service:
he will forsake you; and leave you to fall into the hands of your enemies.
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God,.... The fear, worship, and service of him being greatly neglected by them for a long time; what period of time is referred to is not expressed, whether past, present, or to come, but left to be supplied; the Targum refers this to the time of the separation of the ten tribes, and the days of Jeroboam, when the calves were worshipped, and not the true God, and the teaching priests of the Lord were cast out, and the law of the Lord, especially with respect to worship, was not regarded, in which it is followed by many interpreters; others think it refers to time to come, and to what would be the case, should they forsake the Lord; and was fulfilled in the Babylonish captivity, see Hosea 3:4 and the JewsF11Vajikra Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 160. 4. say, that"Oded prophesied that the days should come, when Israel would be "without the true God", since judgment should not be done in the world: and "without a teaching priest"; since the high priesthood should cease, (see Hebrews 7:12) "and without the law"; since the sanhedrim should cease;'but according to our supplement, and which seems most correct, it refers to time past; not to the case of the ten tribes from the times of Jeroboam; nor to the case of Judah from the times of Rehoboam; but to times more remote, even the times of the judges, when they worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth, and not the true God, Judges 2:10, yet at the same time suggesting, that should the present inhabitants of Judah go into the same practices, their case would be like theirs, described in the following verses:
and without a teaching priest: as they were under the judges, from the times of Phinehas to those of Eli, which was a long space of time:
and without law; every man doing as he pleased, there being no king in Israel, nor any regard paid to the law of God, moral or ceremonial, Judges 17:6.
But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel,.... When being carried captive by neighbouring nations, and oppressed; and they cried unto the Lord, and repented of their sins, and turned from them to him:
and sought him; by prayer and supplication:
he was found of them; and appeared for their help and deliverance, of which there are many instances in the book of Judges.
And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in,.... There was no safety in going abroad for travellers from one part to another on account of trade and business, the highways being infested with thieves and robbers:
but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries; of the country villages, which were deserted, because of the plunders and depredations of them, Judges 5:6.
And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city,.... Or one tribe of another; as the Ephraimites by the Gileadites, and the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes; and Shechem by Abimelech, Judges 9:45,
for God did vex them with all adversity; both with foreign enemies and civil wars; and now it is intimated that this would be their case again, should they not keep close to the Lord their God.
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak,.... Be hearty, earnest, and vigorous, and not languid and remiss in reforming the worship of God, which Asa had begun:
for your work shall be rewarded; with peace and prosperity at home, and success against enemies abroad, of which they had had a recent instance.
And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet,.... Some think that besides the above words of Azariah the son of Oded, a prophecy of Oded his father was related by him, though not recorded; but rather Oded here is the same with the son of Oded; and so the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions read Azariah the son of Oded; and so does the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint version:
he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin; which were abominable to God, and all good men; besides the images and statues he had broken before, he removed other idols that remained, being animated and emboldened by the speech of the prophet:
and out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim: the same which his father Abijah had taken from Jeroboam, 2 Chronicles 13:19 and which perhaps, upon the approach of the Ethiopians, revolted from Asa, or were restored by them to Jeroboam, and Which Asa retook upon his conquest of them:
and renewed the altar of the Lord before the porch of the Lord; the altar of burnt offering, which had never been repaired since it was made by Solomon; perhaps he anew overlaid it with brass that being worn out, or become very thin in some places.
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.'
So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem,.... By the order of Asa, 2 Chronicles 15:9,
in the third month; of the ecclesiastical year, the month Sivan, in which month was the day of Pentecost; and that very probably was the time of their gathering:
in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa; and which seems to be the year in which he fought the Ethiopians.
And they offered unto the Lord the same time,.... The Targum adds, on the feast of weeks, or Pentecost: of the spoil which they had brought; from the camp of the Ethiopians, and the cities of the Philistines:
seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep; partly for burnt offerings, and partly for peace offerings, by way of thankfulness to the Lord for the victory he had given them, and for a feast at the making of the following covenant with him.
And they entered into a covenant,.... Asa and all his people; that is, as Piscator remarks, they went between the pieces of the calf cut asunder, for the confirmation of the covenant, see Jeremiah 34:18,
to seek the Lord God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul; to serve and worship him most truly, sincerely, and cordially.
That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death,.... That obstinately refused to worship him, and served other gods, which by the law was deserving of death, Deuteronomy 17:2,
whether small or great, whether man or woman; without any regard to rank or dignity, age or sex.
And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice,.... As not being ashamed of the oath they took, and that there might be witnesses of it, and that it might be clear they did not equivocate in but expressed themselves in plain words:
and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets; showing that the oath was not extorted from them unwillingly, but that they took it with the utmost cheerfulness, and with all the demonstrations of joy and gladness imaginable.
And all Judah rejoiced at the oath,.... The greater part of them; for some there might be who were dissemblers:
for they had sworn with all their heart; in the sincerity and uprightness of their souls:
and sought him with their whole desire; none being more or so desirable as he:
and he was found of them: and favoured them with his presence:
and the Lord gave them rest round about; from all their enemies.
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king,.... Or rather his grandmother, 1 Kings 15:10,
he removed her from being queen; the Septuagint version is, "that she should not minister to Astarte"; which was the goddess of the Zidonians; of this and the two next verses; see Gill on 1 Kings 15:13, 1 Kings 15:14, 1 Kings 15:15.
And there was no more war unto the thirty fifth year of the reign of Asa. That is, from the Ethiopian war to that time; after that there was no war with any foreign enemy; there were animosities and discords, bickerings and hostilities of some sort continually between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, as long as he lived, see 1 Kings 15:16.