Bible Commentaries

Reign of Jehoshaphat (continued)

The chapter narrates how Jehoshaphat was reproved by the seer Jehu for helping Ahab, and how he instituted judges in the cities of Judah.

This chapter is entirely supplementary to the account of Jehoshaphat as given in 1 K.

2. Jehu] previously only named in connexion with the northern kingdom in the reign of Baasha (1 Kings 16:7). Shouldest thou help the ungodly] The peace with Israel, ratified by a marriage (2 Kings 8:18), put an end to a war between two kindred peoples, yet brought evils in its train, since the Baal worship which polluted the northern kingdom was introduced into Judah by Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and the daughter-in-law of Jehoshaphat: 2 Chronicles 24:7.

5. He set judges] Local courts of justice may have existed before, but Jehoshaphat improved them, and likewise established a court in the capital, which seems also to have heard appeals: 2 Chronicles 19:10.

6. The Lord.. judgment] Judges were administrators of the divine justice, so that even the term 'God' could be used to describe them in their official capacity: see Exodus 21:6 RV.

8. For the judgment of the Lord.. controversies] Perhaps the former means cases relating to religious obligations, and the latter ordinary civil and criminal trials. When they returned] RV 'and they returned,' the reference being to the king and his retinue.

10. Between blood and blood] e.g. the determination of what was murder and what was merely manslaughter: cp. Exodus 21. Between law and commandment] i.e. the decision, where laws seemed to conflict, which of them applied to a particular case.

11. And, behold, etc.] The court at Jerusalem was divided into two sections, one (under Amariah) dealing with ecclesiastical causes, and the other (under Zebadiah) dealing with secular causes.