“So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.”
Years, dating from the fifth; as in the fifteenth year of his reign, Asa offered many victims, which had been taken from the enemy, chap. xv. 10. (Calmet)
“And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:”
God, with respect to the external worship of the true God, (Haydock) though he had some faults, 3 Kings xv. 14. — Places, while he tolerated those which were intended for the service of the Lord, (Calmet) though illegally; and he even left the buildings erected by Solomon standing, (4 Kings xxiii. 13.; Tirinus) thinking they might be no longer dangerous. (Salien) — Several other pious kings did the like, for which they deserved some reprehension; as they could not be ignorant, that this was considered as wrong by the more enlightened, Ecclesiasticus xlix. 5. (Tirinus) — It was the king’s duty to destroy the exterior practices of idolatry, while the priests and prophets were to instruct. (Worthington)
“Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. images: Heb. sun images”
Altars. Hebrew, “high places, and the Chamanim,” or temples of the sun, Leviticus xxvi. 30. (Calmet) — Protestants, “images.” (Haydock) — Asa was encouraged to perfect the work which he had begun, by the exhortation of Azarias, chap. xv. 8. (Calmet)
“And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.”
Time, as yet. (Tirinus) — Admirable lesson for all to prepare for war in time of quiet! (Haydock)
“And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.”
Ethiopian. Some think Zara was a successor of Sesac; and the Rabbins say, that he “restored the spoils which the latter had taken.” (Seder. xvi.) — He at least, made the Jews some compensation for that loss. Perhaps he had been present in the expedition of Sesac, and was now animated with the same ambition. (Tirinus) — It would be difficult for a foreign king to traverse Egypt with so large an army, (Calmet) unless he had conquered or intimidated the king of the country. (Haydock) — Hence some believe that the Ethiopia here in question, was a part of Arabia. (Calmet) (Torniel.) — But it is more probable that it lay south of Egypt, as the troops of Zara are joined with the Lybians, chap. xvi. 8. (Salien, the year of the world 3094.) (Tirinus) — A king of Arabia would hardly have had so many subjects. (Calmet) — Three. Some would read thirteen, as Anani takes notice of the great number of chariots, chap. xvi. 8. (Junius) (Malvenda) (Calmet) — But surely the number here specified is sufficient. The minds of men are very different. In the former chapter we find them complaining of the too great numbers! (Haydock)
“Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.”
Meet him, fearing lest he should lay waste his dominions, as Sesac had done. (Menochius) — Sephata, or Sephala, a great valley to the west of Maresa, (Calmet) which is a city of Juda. (Menochius) — Septuagint have, “in the vale north of Maresa.” (Haydock)
“And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. man: or, mortal man”
Help. Hebrew, “to help; whether with many, or with those who have no power.” The same sentiment was expressed by Jonathas, 1 Kings xiv. 6. Those who have God with them are secure of victory. (Calmet) — If God be with us, who is against us?
“So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.”
Terrified. Hebrew and Septuagint, “struck,” as he had done Jeroboam, chap. xiii. 15. (Haydock)
“And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. destroyed: Heb. broken”
Gerara was on the southern borders, twenty-three miles from Maresa. (Eusebius) (Calmet) — The Ethiopians were pursued perhaps for many days. (Tirinus) — Destruction. Protestants, “that they could not recover themselves.” Hebrew, “there was no quarter given;” or, “so that none were left alive.” (Calmet) — If this were the case, the number of the slain far exceeded that the Jeroboam’s army, chap. xiii. (Haydock)
“And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.”
Gerara. The adjacent territory is now uncultivated, Josue xiii. 3. — Great. Hebrew, “a fear of the Lord;” (ver. 12) an extraordinary (Calmet) panic. (Haydock) — The Philistines had assisted the enemy, and therefore their cities were invaded; (Menochius) or these belonged to Zara. (Calmet)
“They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.”
Destroyed. Hebrew, “smote also the tents of cattle.” Septuagint, “they cut in pieces the tents of cattle, the Amazons;” or, according to the Vatican copy, (Haydock) “the Alimazonians,” as they seem to have read aeli manim, which may be well rendered, “the tents of the Mineans,” a people of Arabia, chap. xx. 1., and xxvi. 7., and Judges x. 11. (Calmet) — If these nations came to punish Asa, for banishing their foreign worship, (ver. 12) as the Sieur de Folard thinks the sacred penman insinuates, (ver. 5) we need not wonder that they met with such ill success, and that not one of them was spared, as God avenged his own cause, ver. 12, 13. (Haydock) — We read of no cavalry here, though it is mentioned, chap. xvi. 8. It seems not to have been considerable, as the people of Asia, the Greeks and Romans, trusted more to their infantry; and, in effect, no species of warfare is more costly to a state, nor less useful, than a multitude of horses, which were introduced in barbarous times. (De Folard)