2CH 18

2 Chronicles 18:1

WEB

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself with Ahab.

BSB

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

KJV

Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–3

2 Chronicles 18:1–3

Here is, I. Jehoshaphat growing greater. It was said before (Ch2 17:5) that he had riches and honour in abundance; and here it is said again that his wealth and honour increased upon him by piety and good management.

II. Not growing wiser, else he would not have joined with Ahab, that degenerate Israelite, who had sold himself to work wickedness. What good could he get by a man that was so bad? What good could he do to a man that was so obstinately wicked - an idolater, a persecutor? With him he joined in affinity, that is, married his son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah.

1. This was the worst match that ever was made by any of the house of David. I wonder what Jehoshaphat could promise himself by it. (1.) Perhaps pride made the match, as it does many a one, which speeds accordingly. His religion forbade him to marry his son to a daughter of any of the heathen princes that were about him - Thou shalt not take their daughters to thy sons; and, having riches and honour in abundance, he thought it a disparagement to marry him to a subject. A king's daughter it must be, and therefore Ahab's, little considering that Jezebel was her mother. (2.) Some think he did it in policy, hoping by this expedient to unite the kingdoms in his son, Ahab perhaps flattering him with hopes that he would make him his heir, when he intended no such thing.

2. This match drew Jehoshaphat, (1.) Into an intimate familiarity with Ahab. He paid him a visit at Samaria, and Ahab, proud of the honour which Jehoshaphat did him, gave him a very splendid entertainment, according to the splendour of those times: He killed sheep and oxen for him, plain meat, in abundance, Ch2 18:2. In this Jehoshaphat did not walk so closely as he should have done in the ways of his father David, who hated the congregation of evil-doers and would not sit with the wicked (Psa 26:5), nor desired to eat of their dainties, Psa 141:4. (2.) Into a league with Ahab against the Syrians. Ahab persuaded him to join forces with him in an expedition for the recovery of Ramoth-Gilead, a city in the tribe of Gad, on the other side Jordan. Did not Ahab know that that, and all the other cities of Israel, did of right belong to Jehoshaphat, as heir of the house of David? With what face then could he ask Jehoshaphat to assist him in recovering it for himself, whose title to the crown was usurped and precarious? Yet Jehoshaphat, an easy man, yields to go with him: I am as thou art, Ch2 18:3. Some men's kindnesses are dangerous, as well as their society infectious. The feast Ahab made for Jehoshaphat was designed only to wheedle him into the expedition. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Cross-references: 2Chr 17:5 · 2Chr 18:2 · Ps 26:5 · Ps 141:4 · 2Chr 18:3

Hebrew interlinear

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H3092

יְהוֹשָׁפָטYᵉhôwshâphâṭ/yeh-ho-shaw-fawt'/

n-pr-m n-pr-loc — Jehoshaphat

Derivation: from 3068 and 8199; Jehovah-judged;

Jehoshaphat, the name of six Israelites; also of a valley near Jerusalem

KJV: Jehoshaphat. Compare 3146.

יְהוֹשָׁפָט

n.pr.m — Jehoshaphat. Compare

יְהוֹשָׁפָט, יוֹשָׁפָט n.pr.m. (י׳ hath judged)

1. king of Judah, son of Asa

2. father of Jehu king of Israel

3. chronicler under David & Solomon, son of Ahilud

4. one of Sol.’s 12 officers who provided victuals for the royal household

5. one of David’s heroes

6. a priest & trumpeter in David’s time

7. in n.pr.loc., symbolical name of a valley near Jerusalem, place of ultimate judgment.

H6239

עֹשֶׁרʻôsher/o'-sher/

n-m — wealth

Derivation: from 6238;

wealth

KJV: × far (richer), riches.

עֹ֫שֶׁר

riches

עֹ֫שֶׁר riches

H3519

כָּבוֹדkâbôwd/kaw-bode'/

n-m — weight, splendor, copiousness

Derivation: rarely כָּבֹד; from 3513;

properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness

KJV: glorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).

כָּבוֹד

n.m — abundance

כָּבוֹד n.m. and f. abundance, honour, glory

1. abundance, riches

2. honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances

3. honour, dignity of position

4. honour, reputation, of character

5. my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man

6. honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one

7. glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying

H7230

רֹבrôb/robe/

n-m — abundance

Derivation: from 7231;

abundance (in any respect)

KJV: abundance(-antly), all, × common (sort), excellent, great(-ly, -ness, number), huge, be increased, long, many, more in number, most, much, multitude, plenty(-ifully), × very (age).

רֹב

n.m — multitude

רֹב 151 n.m. multitude, abundance, greatness

H2859

חָתַןchâthan/khaw-than'/

v — give, away in marriage, contract affinity by marriage

Derivation: a primitive root;

to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage

KJV: join in affinity, father in law, make marriages, mother in law, son in law.

חתן

vb. denom — make oneself a daughter’s husband

חתן vb. denom. only Hithp. make oneself a daughter's husband

חֹתֵן

n.verb — give

חֹתֵן n.verb.

1. m. wife's father

2. f. wife's mother

H256

אַחְאָבʼAchʼâb/akh-awb'/

n-pr-m — Achab

Derivation: once (by contraction) אֶחָב (Jeremiah 29:22); from 251 and 1; brother (i.e. friend) of (his) father;

Achab, the name of a king of Israel and of a prophet at Babylon

KJV: Ahab.

אַחְאָב

n.pr.m — Ahab

אַחְאָב 91 n.pr.m. Ahab (father’s brother)

1. son of Omri, king of Isr.

2. false prophet, time of Jerem.

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