852 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all Judah stood before the Lord,.... Looking towards the most holy place, where the ark of his presence was, in an humble and submissive posture; waiting what would be the issue of things, what answer they should have from the Lord: with their little ones, their wives, and their children: they and their wives, with their children, both small...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jehiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite, of the sons of Asaph,.... Being a man of some note, though a Levite, his genealogy is given: came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; the spirit of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum, as it was; for he foretold...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said, hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat,.... There is a climax or gradation in these words rising from the lowest to the highest; from the people of the cities in the country, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem the metropolis, and from thence to the king the supreme governor: thus saith the Lord...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Tomorrow go ye down against them,.... This was the fast day, and so not proper to march out in, but on the morrow they might go out with great confidence and intrepidity; and as Jerusalem was situated on an eminence, they are directed to go down: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; a steep hill, so called from the flowers upon it: and ye...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle,.... Since the Lord would fight for them: set yourselves, stand ye still; present themselves they might, as if ready to engage; and keep their ground, not giving way in the least, but would have no need to strike a stroke: and see the salvation of the Lord with you; which he would work for them, see Exodus...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground,.... Not only in reverence of God, and his prophet, but as a token of his belief of what was said, and his thankfulness for it: and all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the Lord, worshipping him; adoring his goodness to them, in imitation of their king.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites,.... Who were of the posterity of Kohath, in the line of Korah: stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high; in high notes; they being the course in turn at this time for this service.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they rose early in the morning,.... Being confident of success, animated by what the prophet said to them: and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa; which, according to Jerom (u), was six miles from Bethlehem, and nine from Jerusalem, some say twelve, beyond which was nothing but a desert; it was part of the wilderness of Judah: and as they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he had consulted with the people,.... His principal officers, in what order they should march, and in what manner they should form themselves, when they met the enemy, and how they should conduct as if they were to engage: he appointed singers unto the Lord; to sing his praise, and give him glory, as if the victory was already completed,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when they began to sing and to praise,.... They sung more or less all the way they went, from the time they set out, but when they came nearer the enemy, they sung louder and louder: the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which came against Judah; some take them to be their own ambushments, which they set...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir,.... Supposing that they had acted a treacherous part by them, and took on the side of their enemies: utterly to slay and destroy them; as they did: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir; so that there were none left of them: everyone helped to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
When Judah came towards the watch tower in the wilderness,.... Which might stand upon the hill or cliff of Ziz, for the sake of the direction of travellers, and the preservation of them from thieves and robbers: they looked unto the multitude; which they could take a view of from the top of the hill: and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them,.... Which was all they had to do; they had no need to fight, as they were told, the Lord had fought for them: they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies; rich garments on them, and gold and silver on them: and precious jewels, which they stripped of for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah,.... As it was afterwards called from what they did there, as follows, which was the reason of its name: for there they blessed the Lord; returned thanks to him for this wonderful appearance on their behalf, and gave him the glory of it; no doubt but they had given him...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then they returned, every man of Judah and of Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy,.... There to praise the Lord in the temple, as they had done in the valley: for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies; by giving them a complete victory, and making them masters of so much wealth and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets,.... The three principal instruments of music used in singing the praises of God; these they played upon as they came to the city, and entered it, and passed through it: unto the house of the Lord; the temple, there to offer praise and thanksgiving again.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of these countries,.... Whose armies were slain, and all other neighbouring ones; for the word these is supplied: when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel; and they were afraid to invade their land, or make war with them; nor did the Edomites dare to revolt in the times of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet,.... Both within and without; they were at peace among themselves, and none from abroad dared to molest them: for his God gave him rest round about; from all his enemies; the Targum has it, the Word of his God; and so, in the preceding verse, the Word of the Lord fought; and in 2 Chronicles 20:28 the Word of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 31,32. And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah,.... Of these two verses, [See comments on 1 Kings 22:42]. [See comments on 1 Kings 22:43].
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on 2 Chronicles 20:31].