Prosperous reign of Uzziah.

B. C. 810.

6

CHAPTER XXVI.

A. M. 3194. digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains; husbandmen also, and vinedressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.

11 ¶ Moreover, Uzziah had a host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.

12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred.

13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and 10 slings to cast

stones.

B. C. 765.

15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name "spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.

h

He invades the priest's office.

B. C. 765.

lifted up to his destruction: for he A. M. 3239. transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

0

19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incensealtar.

20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.

21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a 'several 12 house, being a leper; for he was cut off from

16 ¶ But when he was strong, his heart was the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son

make: and partly to give notice of the approach of any enemy, and to put some stop to their march on that side. Uzziah had an army that went out to war by bands-Some bands at one time, and some at another, as occasion required.

Verse 16. When he was strong-Strengthened in his kingdom, and free from the fear of any enemy; his heart was lifted up to his destruction-Thus the prosperity of fools, by puffing them up with pride, destroys them. He had done so much business, and attained so much honour, that he began to think no business, no honour too great, or too good for him; no, not that of the priesthood. He went into the temple of the Lord-Into the holy place, where the altar of incense stood, and into which none but priests might enter, much less offer

incense.

Verse 18. And they withstood Uzziah-Hebrew, stood up against Uzziah, not by force, or laying hands upon him to restrain him, for in the next verse we still find the censer in his hand; but only by admonition and reproof, which follows. Neither

shall it be for thine honour, &c.-Expect that God will punish thee, or put some brand of infamy upon thee for this presumption. But this they express modestly, because they considered that he to whom they spake, though an offender, was their sovereign.

Verse 19. Then Uzziah was wroth-With the priests. While he was wroth the leprosy rose up in his forehead-So that he could not hide his shame: though it is probable it was also in the rest of his body. From beside the incense-altar-By a stroke from an invisible hand, coming from the altar; that he might be assured this was the effect of God's displeasure.

Verse 20. They thrust him out from thence-Not by force, which needed not, for he voluntarily hasted away, as it follows; but by vehement persuasions and denunciations of God's further judgments upon him, if he did not depart.

Verse 21. Uzziah was a leper unto the day of his death-God would have this leprosy to be incurable, as a lasting monument of his anger against such presumptuous invaders of the priest's office.

Jotham succeeds

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II. CHRONICLES.

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his father Uzziah. A. M. 3239. was over the king's house, judging || 23 So Uzziah slept with his fa- A. M. 3239. the people of the land. thers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

S

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.

• Isaiah i. 1.

Dwelt in a several house, &c. As he was obliged to do by law, which he durst not now resist, being under the hand of God, and under the fear of worse plagues, if he did not so. For he was cut off from the house of the Lord-He dwelt in a several house, because he might not come into the temple and courts, nor consequently into any public assembly. So the punishment answers the sin, as face does to

t 2 Kings xv. 7; Isaiah vi. 1.

face in a glass. He thrust himself into the temple of God, whither the priests only had admission: and for that was thrust out of the very courts of the temple, into which the meanest of his subjects might enter. He invaded the dignity of the priesthood, to which he had no right, and is for that deprived of the royal dignity, to which he had an un|| doubted right.

A. M. 3246.
B. C. 758.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Jotham reigns well and prospers, 1-6. The conclusion of his reign, 7-9.

a

JOTHAM was twenty and five || the children of Ammon gave him the A. M. 3246.

years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit, he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

b

B. C. 758.

same year a hundred talents of silver,
and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten
thousand of barley. 2 So much did the children
of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year,
and the third.

6 So Jotham became mighty, because he 3 pre-
pared his ways before the LORD his God.
7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and
all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written
in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
8 He was five and twenty years old when he
began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in
Jerusalem.

Verse 2. He did that which was right, &c.-He||-Who, it seems, endeavoured to shake off the yoke, did according to all his father Uzziah did, except in his miscarriages. We must not imitate those we have the greatest esteem for, any further than they do well; and their failings must be warnings to us, to walk more circumspectly.

Verse 3. He built the high gate, &c.-Otherwise called the new gate. He repaired it, for it was built before, chap. xi. 5. On the wall of Ophel he built much-Ophel was a tower upon or near the wall of Jerusalem, which probably he fortified, as his father had other towers.

Verses 5, 6. He fought also with the Ammonites which from David's time had been put upon them. So Jutham became mighty-In wealth, and power, and influence upon the neighbouring nations, who courted his friendship, and feared his displeasure; because he prepared his ways, &c.-Or, directed his ways, his counsels, and actions, by the rule of God's law. The more steadfast we are in religion, the more mighty we are both for the resistance of that which is evil, and for the performance of that which is good.

Verse 9. And Jotham slept with his fathers-He

Ahaz reigns ill, 1-4. Is smitten by the Syrians and Israelites, 5-8; who send back the captives they had taken, 9–15. Ahaz sends for help to the king of Assyria, but in vain, 16–21. Yet he continues in idolatry, 22-25; and dies, 26, 27.

A HAZ was twenty years old when || high places, and on the hills, and A. M. 3263. he began to reign, and he reigned under every green tree. sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:

4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the fathers.

11 Now hear me therefore, and de- A. M. 3263. liver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: " for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

12 Then certain of the heads of the children

8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thou-of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Bere

sand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

chiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,

13 And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have of fended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congre

10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for m bond-gation. men and bond-women unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?

Heb. the second to the king.- -i Chap. xi. 4. k Psa. Ixix. 26; Isa. x. 5; xlvii. 6; Ezek. xxv. 12, 15; xxvi. 2; Obadiah

15 And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among

10, &c.; Zech. i. 15.- Ezra ix. 6; Rev, xviii. 5.- Lev. xxv. 39, 42, 46. James ii. 13. Verse 12.

do.

and But are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?-Which, if not repented of, may bring down the divine vengeance upon your own heads. He appeals to their own consciences, and to the notorious evidence of the fact. As if he had said, It ill becomes sinners to be cruel. Show mercy to them, for you are undone if God do not show mercy to you.

they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers—what men purpose, as well as of what they say Ahaz walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and God chose the kings of Israel for his scourge: it is just with God, to make them a plague to us, whom we have made our patterns, or partners in sin. Verse 8. The children of Israel carried away cap-|| tive two hundred thousand, women, &c.-When the army in the field was routed, the cities, and towns, and country villages were all easily stripped, the inhabitants taken for slaves, and their wealth for a prey.

fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you—And there is no other way of escaping it, but by showing mercy.

Verse 11. Now therefore deliver the captives— Verse 9. A prophet of the Lord was there-By Release your brethren, whom you have made prisonthis it appears God continued his prophets amongers, and send them home again with care. For the the Israelites, idolatrous as they were, that he might|| bring them to repentance, if they would hearken to their admonitions. This prophet meets the victorious army of Israel, not to applaud their valour or congratulate their victory; though they returned laden with spoils and triumphs; but in God's name to tell them of their faults, and warn them of the judgments of God. And said unto them, Behold, because the Lord was wroth with Judah-He exhorts them not to be lifted up with their victory; which he assures them was not to be ascribed so much to their own valour, as to the anger of God against Judah, to chastise whom, he had used them as the rod of his indignation. And ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up to heaven-An unbounded rage, which cries to God for vengeance against such bloody men.

Verse 10. Ye purpose to keep the children of Judah for bond-men and bond-women-To use them, or sell them as slaves, though they are your brethren, and free-born Israelites. God takes notice of

Verse 14. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes, &c.-To be disposed of as they pleased. And herein they showed a more truly heroic bravery than they did by taking them. For it is true honour to yield to reason and religion, even in spite of interest. It was a wonderful instance of deference and obedience, which these armed men manifested toward their princes on this occasion, in restoring not only the captives, which were very valuable, but all the spoil also, which no doubt was considerable. What might not these great men have done to bring them to repentance for their idolatries, and to effect a reformation among them, if they had been themselves truly religious, and had exerted their authority among them for these purposes.

Verse 15. The men expressed by name-Nominated and appointed by the heads of the people, to take care of the captives, and see them well treated, which they did even to a very high degree of humanity.

A. M. 3263. them, and arrayed them, and shod || 19 For the LORD brought Judah A. M. 3263. them, and gave them to eat and to low because of Ahaz king of Israel: drink, and anointed them, and carried all the for he "made Judah naked, and transgressed feeble of them upon asses, and brought them sore against the LORD. to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. 16 At that time did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.