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2 Chronicles 19

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Jehoshaphat Rebuked and Reform Renewed 1–4

1
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. ​
2
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah. ​
3
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy heart to seek God. ​
4
And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ​

Judicial Reform in the Cities 5–7

5
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, ​
6
and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah; and he is with you in the judgment. ​
7
Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes. ​

Establishing the Central Court 8–11

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Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem. ​
9
And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
10
And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not be guilty. ​
11
And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Jehovah be with the good. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 19

Verse 1

returned to his house in peace — The word is shalom, the peace of 18:26–27, where Ahab ordered Micaiah kept 'until I return in peace' and Micaiah answered, 'If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me.' Ahab died as the sun went down (18:34). Jehoshaphat, who had cried out and been helped (18:31), came back to Jerusalem.

Verse 2

Shouldest thou help the ungodly — 'Help' is azar, the verb of 18:31, 'the LORD helped him', and 'ungodly' is rasha, the wicked. Jehu is the son of Hanani, whom Asa put in prison for a like word (16:7–10), and who had himself spoken against Baasha (1 Kings 16:1). 'Hate' is sane, as in Ahab's 'I hate him' of Micaiah (18:7).

Verse 3

good things found in thee — The good named is the removal of the groves (17:6) and a heart 'prepared… to seek God'. Kun, to prepare, is the verb of 12:14, where Rehoboam 'prepared not his heart', and of Ezra 7:10, 'Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD'. 'Nevertheless' places this beside the wrath of v.2.

Verse 4

from Beersheba to mount Ephraim — Beersheba 'belongeth to Judah' (1 Kings 19:3), and mount Ephraim holds the cities Asa had taken in the north (15:8). 'Went out again' and 'brought them back' are both shuv, to turn, the verb of Samuel's 'If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts' (1 Sam 7:3).

Verse 5

judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities — The appointment follows Deut 16:18, 'Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates'. The 'judges' are shophetim, and the officers appear in v.11, where the Levites 'shall be officers before you'. The fenced cities are those named in 11:6–10 and mentioned in 17:2 and 17:19, with judges in each, 'city by city'.

Verse 6

ye judge not for man, but for the LORD — The ground is Deut 1:17: 'Ye shall not respect persons in judgment… for the judgment is God's.' The judges are told to 'take heed what ye do', and the LORD is 'with you in the judgment', which is the reason given for the fear of v.7.

Verse 7

no iniquity with the LORD our God — The three denials restate Deut 10:17, where the LORD 'regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward', and Deut 32:4, 'a God of truth and without iniquity'. 'Respect of persons' is masso panim, partiality, literally a lifting of faces. 'Fear' is pachad, dread, the word of 14:14 and 17:10.

Verse 8

for the judgment of the LORD, and for controversies — This is the court of Deut 17:8–9, where a matter too hard for the local judges goes to 'the place which the LORD thy God shall choose', to 'the priests the Levites, and unto the judge'. 'Controversies' (riv) is the word of Deut 17:8, and it returns in v.10 as 'what cause soever'.

Verse 10

ye shall even warn them — Zahar, to warn, is the watchman's verb of Ezek 3:18 and 33:6. The judges are to warn the people 'that they trespass not against the LORD' (asham, to incur guilt), lest wrath come 'upon you, and upon your brethren'. 'Between blood and blood' is the phrase of Deut 17:8.

Verse 11

Amariah the chief priest… and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael — Matters 'of the LORD' go to the chief priest, and the king's matters to Zebadiah, 'the ruler of the house of Judah'. The Levites serve as 'officers' (shoter), as in Deut 16:18. 'Deal courageously' is chazaq, be strong, the verb of 'strengthened himself' in 17:1.