John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number , etc.] The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus was 400,000: that came with him out of Egypt ; the above numerous army came from thence with him, which was famous for horses and chariots of war, (see Exodus 14:7,28), what follow seem to have joined him after he came out of Egypt, or whom he subdued in his way; the Lubim or Lybians, inhabitants of Libya, a country near Egypt the same with the Lehabim; of whom (see Genesis 10:13), the Sukkiims ; who were either the Scenite Arabs, who dwelt in tents, as this word signifies; or the Troglodytes, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, who dwelt in dens and caves, in which sense the word “Succah” is sometimes used, ( Job 38:40 Psalm 10:9) and in their country was a town called Suchae, mentioned by Pliny f35 ; they inhabited near the Red sea; and if Shishak is the same with Sesostris, as is thought, these people were subdued by him, as Herodotus and Strabo f37 testify: and the Ethiopians ; some think these were the Cushite Arabs, and that Sesostris came into Arabia is testified by the above writers; though rather the proper Ethiopians are meant, since they are joined with the Lubim or Africans; and since, as Herodotus says, he ruled over Ethiopia; and Diodorus Siculus says he fought with them, and obliged them to pay him tribute.
Matthew Henry Commentary
- Rehoboam, forsaking the Lord, is punished.
--When Rehoboam was so strong that he supposed he had nothing to fea from Jeroboam, he cast off his outward profession of godliness. It is very common, but very lamentable, that men, who in distress or danger or near death, seem much engaged in seeking and serving God, thro aside all their religion when they have received a mercifu deliverance. God quickly brought troubles upon Judah, to awaken the people to repentance, before their hearts were hardened. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of Providence, to justif God, and to judge ourselves. If we have humbled hearts under humblin providences, the affliction has done its work; it shall be removed, or the property of it be altered. The more God's service is compared with other services, the more reasonable and easy it will appear. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance will be found much harder. The service of God is perfect liberty; the servic of our lusts is complete slavery. Rehoboam was never rightly fixed in his religion. He never quite cast off God; yet he engaged not his hear to seek the Lord. See what his fault was; he did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray, as Solomon, for wisdom and grace; he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle, nor follow its directions. He made nothing of his religion, because he did not set his heart to it, nor ever came up to steady resolution in it. He did evil, because he never was determine for good _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew באלף505 ומאתים3967 רכב7393 ובשׁשׁים8346 אלף505 פרשׁים6571 ואין369 מספר4557 לעם5971 אשׁר834 באו935 עמו5973 ממצרים4714 לובים3864 סכיים5525 וכושׁים׃3569
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