This chapter relates the death of Abijah, and the succession of Asa in his stead, 2 Chron. 14:1, gives a good character of the latter for his reformation in religion, and for the care he took for the safety and protection of his subjects, 2 Chron.

So Abijah slept with his fathers, and Asa his son reigned in his stead; in his days the land was quiet ten years; the Targum is, the land of Israel; but much better the Septuagint, the land of Judah; these ten years, in which it had rest from war, were the first three years of Asa’s reign, and the…

And Asa did that which was good and right See .

For he took away the altars of the strange gods Or of a strange people, of the Zidonians, Ammonites, and Moabites, which had remained from the times of Solomon, and which he built for his wives, (1 Kings 11:7, 1 Kings 11:8) and the high places; built for idols; for as for those on which the true…

And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers To pray to him, and him only, and attend his worship and service; this he did by a public edict: and to do the law and the commandment: to observe all the laws of God, moral, ceremonial, and civil.

Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images Perhaps the high places in design only the high places and altars in Jerusalem, and near it; these in all the rest of the cities of the land; the “images were”, as the word signifies, “sun images”, either made in the…

And he built fenced cities in Judah For his defence against the kingdom of Israel and other nations, as Rehoboam had done before him; and which might have been demolished by Shishak king of Egypt, when he took them, for the land had rest; according to the Targum, the land of Israel rested, and gave…

Therefore he said unto Judah To the nobles and principal men of the kingdom: let us build these cities; which he, no doubt, particularly mentioned by name, and pointed at; that is, repair and fortify them, and put them into a better condition of defence: and make about them walls and towers, gates…

And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand These were armed with a large sort of shield, to protect them, and with spears, to push at an enemy when they came near them, and to close quarters with them: and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew…

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with an host of thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots According to Josephus [[1]], this army consisted of 900,000 foot, and 100,000 horsemen, and certain it is there were horsemen among them, some say these were not the Ethiopians in…

Then Asa went out against him Notwithstanding he brought so great an army with him: and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah; where the Ethiopians were; he did not stay till they got further into his country, but marched against them when on the frontiers of it, and…

And Asa cried unto the Lord his God Or prayed, as the Targum, with vehemence, being in distress; this he did before the battle began, at the head of his army, and for the encouragement of it: and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help; nothing can hinder from helping, his power being superior…

So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah, &c.] With consternation and terror; they were thrown into a panic: and the Ethiopians fled; before them, just as Jeroboam and Israel had, as related in the preceding chapter, (2 Chron. 13:15, 2 Chron. 13:16) .

And Asa, and the people that were with him, pursued them unto Gerar A city of the Philistines, , and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; they were thrown into such a fright, and into so much confusion, that they could not put themselves in order, and rally again;…

And they smote all the cities round about Gerar The cities of the Philistines, who were auxiliaries and confederates with these Ethiopians, and colonies from them, according to Theodoret, and who says, about Eleutheropolis was a place, called, in his time, Geraron Saton: for the fear of the Lord…

They smote also the tents of cattle The people that dwelt in tents for the sake of the pasturage of their cattle; the Scenite Arabs, so called from dwelling in tents: and carried away sheep; which those Arabs were feeding in Palestine, and which this great army brought with them for their support:…