And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. And as Ahab reigned twenty two years, 1 Kings 16:29 , Jehoshaphat must reign about eighteen years with him, and seven years after him. read more
Jehoshaphat was thirty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem ,.... So that he must be sixty years of age when he died: and his mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi ; but of what family they were is not said. read more
And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father ,.... Who was a good prince: he turned not aside from doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord ; in his moral conversation, religious worship, and civil government: nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places ; he took away the high places and groves for idolatrous worship, 2 Chronicles 17:6 , but not the high places in which sacrifices were offered to... read more
And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. First with Ahab, with whom he contracted an affinity, and joined with him in his expedition to Ramothgilead, and with Ahaziah his successor. read more
And all the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and all his might that he showed, and all his wars, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? Many of them are recorded in the canonical book of Scripture, which bears the name of Chronicles; and more might be in this referred to, out of which might be taken what God has thought fit to transmit to future times; see 2 Chronicles 17:1 . read more
And the remnant of the Sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. His father Asa removed many of these filthy creatures, but not all; as many, no doubt, as came within his knowledge, but some remained, whom this his son removed, being of the same disposition with his father, see 1 Kings 15:12 . read more
There was then no king in Edom, a deputy was king. Which had been the case from the times of David, who subdued Edom, and placed garrisons in it, and governors over it, 2 Samuel 8:14 and continued through the reign of Jehoshaphat, unto the times of his son, under whom the Edomites revolted, and set up a king of their own, 2 Kings 8:20 , with a view to which this is observed, as also to account for it how Jehoshaphat could build ships in Eziongeber, which was in the land of Edom, of which... read more
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish ,.... Ships to go to sea, particularly the Indian sea, 1 Kings 10:22 . Tarshish is used for the sea in general, Psalm 48:7 , in the Cetib, or text, it is "ten"; in the Keri, or margin, it is "made", which we follow, and may be put together, as in the Tigurine version, and read, "he made ten ships to go by sea": even to go to Ophir for gold ; as Solomon did; of which place see 1 Kings 9:28 , but they went not, for the ships were broken at... read more
Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat ,.... Who very probably had built some more ships on his own, having broke off his partnership with Ahaziah: let my servants go with thy servants in the ships ; since he was refused a part in the ships themselves, he desires leave to send men aboard them to traffic for him abroad: but Jehoshaphat would not ; having been reproved by a prophet of the Lord, and had suffered the loss of his ships by joining with him already. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 22:41-53
Here is, I. A short account of the reign of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, of which we shall have a much fuller narrative in the book of Chronicles, and of the greatness and goodness of that prince, neither of which was lessened or sullied by any thing but his intimacy with the house of Ahab, which, upon several accounts, was a diminution to him. His confederacy with Ahab in war we have already found dangerous to him, and his confederacy with Ahaziah his son in trade sped no better. He offered to... read more