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 Chron.

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded The same with Iddo, as Hillerus [[7]] 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 on whom came, as the Targum, the spirit of prophecy, instructing him what…

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…

Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, &c.] 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…

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…

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…

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, (Judg. 20:21, Judg. 20:24, Judg.

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…

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…

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…

So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem By the order of Asa, , 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…

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…

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 , to seek the Lord God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul; to serve and worship him…

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, , 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…

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…

And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, &c.] Or rather his grandmother, , 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), (See…

And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, &c.] Or rather his grandmother, , 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), (See…

And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, &c.] Or rather his grandmother, , 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), (See…

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…