John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 17:1
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead ,.... In the stead of Asa his father: and strengthened himself against Israel ; the ten tribes, by fortifying his cities, building castles, raising and keeping a large standing army, as the latter part of this chapter shows, and the next verse. read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 17:1-9
Here we find concerning Jehoshaphat, I. What a wise man he was. As soon as he came to the crown he strengthened himself against Israel, 2 Chron. 17:1. Ahab, an active warlike prince, had now been three years upon the throne of Israel, the vigour of his beginning falling in with the decay of Asa's conclusion. It is probable that the kingdom of Israel had, of late, got ground of the kingdom of Judah and began to grow formidable to it; so that the first thing Jehoshaphat had to do was to make his... read more