Chapter XVII

=1‒6.=
THE CHARACTER OF THE REIGN.

The reign of Jehoshaphat is one of the most interesting sections of Chronicles If these chapters, xvii.‒xx., be compared with the references to Jehoshaphat in Kings (viz. 1 Kings xxii. 1‒35, 41‒50), it will be seen that much new material appears in Chronicles (chapter xvii., and xix. 1‒xx. 30), with the result that the prosperity and piety of this king are greatly enhanced. As to the historical value of the Chronicler’s account, see the head-notes to the various sections below.

¹And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened
himself against Israel.

=1.= _And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead_] These words are from 1 Kings xv. 24. All the rest of this chapter is without any parallel in Kings.

²And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set
garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim,
which Asa his father had taken.

=2.= _the cities of Ephraim_] Compare xv. 8.

³And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the
first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim;

=3.= _in the first ways of his father David_] Omit _David_ (so LXX.), the person referred to being _Asa_ (1 Kings xxii. 43). Asa’s _first ways_ (chapters xiv., xv.) were good, his latter ways (chapter xvi.), according to the Chronicler, were evil.

_unto the Baalim_] Baal is not a proper name, but a title meaning “Lord,” which was given to false gods generally. Israel might not call Jehovah, “My Baal” (_Baali_), Hosea ii. 16, 17. See the note on 1 Chronicles viii. 33.

⁴but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his
commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.

=4.= _after the doings of Israel_] Compare xiii. 8, 9.

⁵Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all
Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and
honour in abundance.

=5.= _brought ... presents_] Probably congratulatory gifts at his accession; compare 1 Samuel x. 27.

_riches and honour_] Compare xviii. 1.

⁶And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: and
furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of
Judah.

=6.= _furthermore he took away_] But in xx. 33 = 1 Kings xxii. 43 it is said that the high places were _not_ taken away. It is remarkable that the contradiction finds an exact parallel in what is said of Asa (see xiv. 3 and xv. 17 = 1 Kings xv. 14). How can the presence of these curious contradictions be explained? It is held by some that the Chronicler in both cases has incorporated contradictory traditions, and that “such discrepancies did not trouble the Hebrew historian.” To the present writer it seems more probable to suppose that _only_ xiv. 3 and xvii. 6 (the statements that the high places _were_ removed), are from the Chronicler himself; the passages which assert the contrary, viz. xv. 17 (= 1 Kings xv. 14) and xx. 33 (= 1 Kings xxii. 43) being later additions. They were added by someone who, troubled by the divergence between Kings and Chronicles, judged it desirable to supplement or correct the Chronicler’s words by adding a more or less exact transcription of the summaries of the reigns of Asa and Jehoshaphat as recorded in Kings. If xv. 17 and xx. 33 are later additions, it is evident that the Chronicler asserts the same reform to have been made in two successive reigns. But this is not a serious difficulty. He may easily have supposed that the removal of the high places (i.e. the discontinuance of worship at these local sanctuaries) was but a partial success, an official rather than an actual reform; and one suspects also that the phrase for the Chronicler was largely conventional: a reform with which all “good” kings should presumably be credited.

_the Asherim_] See note on xiv. 3.

=7‒9= (no parallel in 1 Kings).
JEHOSHAPHAT’S PROVISION FOR TEACHING THE LAW.

⁷Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even
Benhail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah,
to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them the Levites,
even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and
Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and
Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram,
the priests. ⁹And they taught in Judah, having the book of the
law of the LORD with them; and they went about throughout all
the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.

=7‒9.= These verses state that Jehoshaphat was not content with the usual reforming measures of a pious king (verse 6) but proceeded to confirm his people in loyalty to Jehovah by sending leading laymen, Levites, and priests, to teach the Law throughout the land. If verses 7‒9 be compared with xix. 4‒11 the two passages will at once be seen to be so closely similar that they may well be variations of the same tradition. Still the description in xix. 4‒11 is fuller and suggests arrangements of a permanent character; and, whilst xvii. 7‒9 deals with _teachers_ of the Law, xix. 4‒11 deals with administrators of it (_judges_). It is argued with force that this single or dual tradition is entirely unhistorical (so Wellhausen and Torrey). Certainly the arrangements for the judiciary and for instruction in the Law correspond with conditions _circa_ 100 B.C. (see Schürer, _Geschichte_³, II. 176‒179), conditions which probably in the Chronicler’s day were partly existent and which he may have hoped to see more fully realised. That he should wish to ascribe the institution of such a system of instruction and justice to an early date is also agreeable to his habit of thought; and for such a purpose Jehoshaphat was obviously most suitable: a good king, whose name denoted “Jehovah is judge.” Mark further the similarity of the conclusion of each reform: “And the fear of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands ...” (xvii. 10 and xx. 29) and the remarkable prosperity which properly rewarded such pious action (xvii. 11 ff. and xx. 1‒28). Yet the possibility that the Chronicler in these passages has incorporated a really old tradition associating Jehoshaphat with some reform or development of judicial affairs in Judah remains open. Some see an old trait in the conjunction of laymen (_princes_, xvii. 7) with the priests and Levites. Again the judicial system indicated in xix. 4‒11 has no little resemblance to that set forth in Deuteronomy xvi. 18‒20, xvii. 8, “and might have been derived from that source.” On this theory, xvii. 7‒9 and xix. 4‒11 would in all likelihood be derived by the Chronicler from some “source” or rather perhaps from two “sources” giving slightly different accounts of Jehoshaphat’s procedure; and this is the view of some commentators (so Kittel and Benzinger). But close examination of the language of both passages reveals strong characteristics of the Chronicler’s style and spirit; and it seems safer to conclude that, while there _may_ possibly have been some tradition connecting Jehoshaphat with such reforms, this account in Chronicles is essentially due to the Chronicler and reflects the situation of his own times.

=9.= _the book of the law of the LORD_] The Chronicler of course meant by this the Pentateuch as we have it. If, however, these verses are drawn from an old source (see the previous note) then the reference in the original may have been to one of the earlier codes embedded in the present Pentateuch.

=10‒13= (no parallel in 1 Kings).
THE GREATNESS OF JEHOSHAPHAT.

¹⁰And the fear of the LORD¹ fell upon all the kingdoms of the
lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war
against Jehoshaphat.

¹ Or, _a terror from the LORD_.

=10.= _the fear of the LORD_] Compare xx. 29; Genesis xxxxv. 5.

¹¹And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and
silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven
thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven
hundred he-goats.

=11.= _some of the Philistines_] See the following note, and also xxvi. 6 (note).

_the Arabians_] compare xxi. 16. The term is here used to signify the desert tribes, in particular those on the south and south-west of Judah. It would be specially impressive to the contemporaries of the Chronicler, because by that period an Arabian people, the Nabateans, had established a powerful state to the south of Judah. On the other hand the Philistines would of course be familiar from the references to them in Samuel and Kings. The tradition that tribute was received from them and from some desert tribes may possibly be correct, especially if Zerah’s army was Arabian (xiv. 8, note) and if Asa’s victory over him is historical.

_flocks_] compare 2 Kings iii. 4.

¹²And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah
castles and cities of store. ¹³And he had many works in the
cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valour, in
Jerusalem.

=12.= _castles_] Hebrew _bīrāniyyōth_; compare xxvii. 4 (same word); and xxvi. 10 (“towers”). Such small castles or towers lie scattered along the pilgrim-road from Damascus to Mecca at the present day to make the way safe. See Introduction § 7, p. xlviii.

_cities of store_] compare xi. 11, 12.

=14‒19= (no parallel in 1 Kings).
THE NUMBER OF JEHOSHAPHAT’S ARMY.

In these verses Jehoshaphat is credited with an army of 1,160,000 men; and the passage may be noted as the most extreme instance of the midrashic exaggeration of numbers which is a well-marked feature of the Chronicler’s writing. If the possible proportions between the total numbers of a population and the men capable of military service at a given time be considered, it is easy to realise how monstrous an exaggeration are the figures here stated. They serve two purposes: (1) compared with the somewhat smaller numbers assigned to Abijah (xiii. 3) and to Asa (xiv. 8), they indicate that Jehoshaphat’s reign was even more prosperous; and (2) generally, they suggested to the men of the Chronicler’s own generation that in the eyes of all right-thinking men Jerusalem of old in its prosperous hours was not one whit less important and glorious than any huge and much-vaunted city of their own days.

For further examples of midrashic exaggeration, besides the passages named above, compare xi. 1; 1 Chronicles xii. 23, 24; and (as regards sums of money) 1 Chronicles xxii. 14; 2 Chronicles ix. 13.

¹⁴And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers’
houses: of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the captain,
and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand: ¹⁵and
next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and
fourscore thousand:

=15.= _next to him_] Literally _at his hand_; the same phrase is used in Nehemiah iii. 2, 4, 5, etc.

_Jehohanan_] Sometimes spelt _Johanan_.

¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly
offered himself unto the LORD; and with him two hundred thousand
mighty men of valour:

=16.= _who willingly offered himself_] Compare Judges v. 9.

¹⁷and of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him
two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield: ¹⁸and next to
him Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand
ready prepared for war. ¹⁹These were they that waited on the
king, beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities
throughout all Judah.

=17.= _armed with bow and shield_] i.e. light-armed troops; compare note on xiv. 8.