1 Kings 22:49

1Ki 22:49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

Ver. 49. But Jehoshaphat would not.] At first he would not, but afterwards he yielded. {2Ch 20:35-37} Or, at first he did, and miscarried; and therefore would not hearken to a second motion. Vexatio dat intellectum.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 22:49. Jehoshaphat would not — He had contracted an amity with this king, and engaged himself so far, as to permit him to join with him in this navy, 2Ch 20:35. But, being chastised, and better instructed by his ill success, and the breaking of the ships, and being reproved for his sin in joining with him, by a prophet, he would not be persuaded to repeat it, or to continue this league with him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 49. But Jehoshaphat would not.] It appears from the above cited place in Chronicles that Jehoshaphat did join in making and sending ships to Tharshish, and it is possible that what is here said is spoken of a second expedition, in which Jehoshaphat would not join Ahaziah. But instead of ולא אבה velo abah, "he would not," perhaps we should read ולו אבה velo abah, "he consented to him;" two words pronounced exactly in the same way, and differing but in one letter, viz., an א aleph for a ו vau. This reading, however, is not supported by any MS. or version; but the emendation seems just; for there are several places in these historical books in which there are mistakes of transcribers which nothing but violent criticism can restore, and to this it is dangerous to resort, but in cases of the last necessity. Critics have recommended the 48th and 49th verses to be read thus: "Jehoshaphat had built ships of burden at Ezion-geber, to go to Ophir for gold. 49. And Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, had said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants, I pray thee, go with thy servants in the ships: to which Jehoshaphat consented. But the ships went not thither; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber." This is Houbigant's translation, who contends that "the words of the 48th verse, but they went not, should be placed at the end of the 49th verse, for who can believe that the sacred writer should first relate that the ships were broken, and then that Ahaziah requested of Jehoshaphat that his servants might embark with the servants of Jehoshaphat?" This bold critic, who understood the Hebrew language better than any man in Europe, has, by happy conjectures, since verified by the testimony of MSS., removed the blots of many careless transcribers from the sacred volume.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

49. Let my servants go with thy servants] This appears to have been an attempt to engage Jehoshaphat in a second expedition. If there were two expeditions contemplated, one may have been to Ophir, and the other to Tarshish. This would account for what is noticed in the previous verse, that the Chronicler mentions Tarshish as the destination, while here Ophir is spoken of.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 20:35-36, explains that the two kings conjointly built the fleet with which the Ophir trade (1Ki 9:28 note) was to be re-opened. Ahaziah had thus an interest in the ships; and when they were wrecked, attributing, as it would seem, the calamity to the unskillfulness of his ally’s mariners, he proposed that the fleet should be manned in part by Israelite sailors - men probably accustomed to the sea, perhaps trained at Tyre. This proposal Jehoshaphat refused, either offended at the reflection on his subjects’ skill, or accepting the wreck of the ships, which Eliezer had prophesied, as a proof that God was against the entire undertaking.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Made. Hebrew incorrectly reads hasar, "ten," instead of hasa, "made;" (Calmet) which the Protestants follow, "made ships of Tharshish, to go to Ophir." (Haydock) See chap. iv. 26., and 28.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Object. It is said that he did join with Ahaziah herein, 2Ch 20:35,36.

Answ. That was before this time, and before the ships were broken; for the breaking of the ships, mentioned here, 1Ki 22:48, is noted to be the effect of his sin, in joining with Ahaziah, and of the prophecy consequent upon it, 2Ch 20:37. And good Jehoshaphat being warned and chastised by God for this sin, would not be persuaded to repeat it; whereby he showed the sincerity of his repentance.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

49. Jehoshaphat would not — From 2Ch_20:36-37, we learn that Ahaziah did join himself with Jehoshaphat in building ships at Ezion-geber; and for allowing this, Jehoshaphat was reproved by the prophet Eliezer, and the ships were wrecked as a Divine judgment for the offence. Accordingly we naturally infer that Jehoshaphat’s attempt to form for himself a navy, as described in the preceding verse, was subsequent to the one spoken of in 2Ch_20:36; and when Ahaziah wished again to join himself with Jehoshaphat in this second attempt, the latter refused. But nevertheless his ship-building proved a failure.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants In the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. But we are told in. 2Ch_20:37 that the ships were broken, according to a prophecy of Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, because Jehoshaphat had joined himself with Ahaziah. The explanation is that the fleet had been built by the two kings conjointly, and manned by the subjects of Jehoshaphat exclusively; and that, after the disaster, Ahaziah proposed either to repair the injured vessels, or to construct a second fleet, which should then be partly manned by sailors of the northern kingdom, "men probably accustomed to the sea, perhaps trained at Tyre" (Rawlinson) This proposal was declined by the king of Judah, not so much on account of the "reflection on his subjects" skill contained in it," as because of the prophecy of Eliezer, and the evidently judicial disaster which had befallen the fleet already built.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Would not - He did join with Ahaziah before this time, and before the ships were broken: for the breaking of the ships mentioned here, is noted to be the effect of his sin, in joining with Ahaziah, 2 Chron. xx, 37. And Jehoshaphat being warned and chastised by God for this sin, would not be persuaded to repeat it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

For they [the ships] were broken. Since he joined Achazyahu in this [undertaking], therefore, they were broken. And so did the prophet say to him in Divrei Hayomim, “Because you have allied yourself with a Achazyahu, Adonoy has wrecked your undertakings.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.