“Percussit ergo eos Abia et populus ejus plaga magna : et corruerunt vulnerati ex Israël quingenta millia virorum fortium.”
“And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.”
“Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.”
“Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain.”
“And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.”
Five. Some Latin editions have 50,000, (Calmet) which number is found in some manuscripts of Epiphanius. (Hudson’s Josephus) — Hentenius has the same, and only remarks five manuscripts which had the greater number. See ver. 3. (Haydock) — We do not read of such a slaughter in any one battle. But Israel made no resistance, and God assisted the four hundred thousand. (Menochius) — Valiant. Protestants, “chosen.” See chap xiv. 13. (Haydock) — So many were either slain or wounded. (Du Hamel) — Protestants intimate all were “slain.” (Haydock)
3. Thus they obtained a complete victory: As the men of Judah shouted for joy in God's salvation, God smote Jeroboam and his army with such terror and amazement that they could not strike a stroke, but fled with the greatest precipitation imaginable, and the conquerors gave no quarter, so that they put to the sword 500,000 chosen men (v. 17), more, it is said, than ever we read of in any history to have been killed in one battle; but the battle was the Lord's, who would thus chastise the idolatry of Israel and own the house of David. But see the sad effect of division: it was the blood of Israelites that was thus shed like water by Israelites, while the heathen, their neighbours, to whom the name of Israel had formerly been a terror, cried, Aha! so would we have it.