Among them in abundance both riches.--Instead of b?hem, "among them," the LXX. reads b?h?mah, "cattle," which seems preferable. "And found cattle in abundance and substance" (r?k-sh, movable goods of all sorts, including flocks and herds; Genesis 12:5).
With the dead bodies.--And corpses, which they stripped of their ornaments and clothing. But b?g?dim, "clothes," not p?g?rhn, "corpses," should be read with some MSS., and apparently the Vulg., "inter cadavera . . . vestes quoque." The Syriac has, "and they found among them a very great spoil and property, and bridles, and horses, and vessels of desire;" the Arabic, "and he found an immense booty, and herds and splendid garments." The LXX. has ?????, "spoils."
Precious jewels.--Literally, vessels of desirable things, i.e.,costly articles; a phrase only met with hero: LXX., well, ????? ?????????.
Which they stripped off for themselves.--Or, and they spoiled them, i.e., the enemy. (Comp. Exodus 3:22; LXX., e ?????????? ???????.)
More than they could carry away.--Literally, until there was no loading or carrying.
Gathering--i.e., taking away (boz?zim, "plundering"). Comp. Judges 8:24-26 (the spoils of Midian). The amount of the spoil is explained by the circumstance that the invaders had intended to effect a permanent settlement in Judah, and so brought all their goods with them (2 Chronicles 20:11). (Comp. Psalm 83:12.) The invasion was thus similar in character to the migrations of the barbarian hordes, which broke repeatedly over the declining Roman empire, though of course it was on a much smaller scale. Its repulse, however, has proved not less momentous in the history of mankind, than that of the Persians at Marathon, or of the Saracens at Roncesvalles. The greatness of the overthrow may be inferred from the fact that the prophet Joel makes it a type of the coming judgment of Israel's enemies in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat"--a prophetic designation which alludes at once to the catastrophe recorded here, and to the truth that "Jehovah is judge" of all the earth (Joel 3:2; Joel 3:12; Joel 3:14).
Verse 25. - Both riches with the dead bodies. The Hebrew text reads literally, both riches and dead bodies (no article). The וּפְגָרִים of the text, however, appears in several ("old authorities," Revised Version) manuscripts, as וּבְגָדִים ("garments"), and the versions of both Septuagint and Vulgate lend their authority to this reading. Jewels. The Hebrew term is כְלֵי, the most frequent rendering of which is "vessels," so rendered, that is, a hundred and sixty times out of about three hundred and eight times in all of its occurrence. It is, however, a word of very generic quality, and is rendered as here "jewels" about twenty-five other times. It would seem nugatory to tell us that there were "dead bodies," in the bald rendering of "and dead bodies." Our Authorized Version rendering, "riches with the dead bodies," of course both ingeniously glosses the difficulty and makes a sufficiently good meaning.
20:20-30 Jehoshaphat exhorted his troops to firm faith in God. Faith inspires a man with true courage; nor will any thing help more to the establishing of the heart in shaking times, than a firm belief of the power, and mercy, and promise of God. In all our trust in the Lord, and our praises of him, let us especially look at his everlasting mercy to sinners through Jesus Christ. Never was an army so destroyed as that of the enemy. Thus God often makes wicked people destroy one another. And never was a victory celebrated with more solemn thanksgivings.
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them,.... Which was all they had to do; they had no need to fight, as they were told, the Lord had fought for them:
they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies; rich garments on them, and gold and silver on them:
and precious jewels, which they stripped of for themselves; with which their clothes, or some part of their bodies, were ornamented:
more than they could carry away; they were so many, that they made too great a burden for them:
and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much; it took up so much time to strip the bodies, to search for their money and jewels, rings, chains, and such like things of value, worn by them.
They found.--And found.
Among them in abundance both riches.--Instead of b?hem, "among them," the LXX. reads b?h?mah, "cattle," which seems preferable. "And found cattle in abundance and substance" (r?k-sh, movable goods of all sorts, including flocks and herds; Genesis 12:5).
With the dead bodies.--And corpses, which they stripped of their ornaments and clothing. But b?g?dim, "clothes," not p?g?rhn, "corpses," should be read with some MSS., and apparently the Vulg., "inter cadavera . . . vestes quoque." The Syriac has, "and they found among them a very great spoil and property, and bridles, and horses, and vessels of desire;" the Arabic, "and he found an immense booty, and herds and splendid garments." The LXX. has ?????, "spoils."
Precious jewels.--Literally, vessels of desirable things, i.e.,costly articles; a phrase only met with hero: LXX., well, ????? ?????????.
Which they stripped off for themselves.--Or, and they spoiled them, i.e., the enemy. (Comp. Exodus 3:22; LXX., e ?????????? ???????.)
More than they could carry away.--Literally, until there was no loading or carrying.
Gathering--i.e., taking away (boz?zim, "plundering"). Comp. Judges 8:24-26 (the spoils of Midian). The amount of the spoil is explained by the circumstance that the invaders had intended to effect a permanent settlement in Judah, and so brought all their goods with them (2 Chronicles 20:11). (Comp. Psalm 83:12.) The invasion was thus similar in character to the migrations of the barbarian hordes, which broke repeatedly over the declining Roman empire, though of course it was on a much smaller scale. Its repulse, however, has proved not less momentous in the history of mankind, than that of the Persians at Marathon, or of the Saracens at Roncesvalles. The greatness of the overthrow may be inferred from the fact that the prophet Joel makes it a type of the coming judgment of Israel's enemies in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat"--a prophetic designation which alludes at once to the catastrophe recorded here, and to the truth that "Jehovah is judge" of all the earth (Joel 3:2; Joel 3:12; Joel 3:14).
they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies; rich garments on them, and gold and silver on them:
and precious jewels, which they stripped of for themselves; with which their clothes, or some part of their bodies, were ornamented:
more than they could carry away; they were so many, that they made too great a burden for them:
and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much; it took up so much time to strip the bodies, to search for their money and jewels, rings, chains, and such like things of value, worn by them.