2 Chronicles 19:2

2Ch 19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore [is] wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

Ver. 2. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer.] Jehu delivered his message with better success than his father had done. {2Ch 16:7} Asa had gall in his ears, as some creatures are said to have; but good Jehoshaphat had aures purgatissimas, a "hearing ear," {Pro 20:12} an "obedient ear," {Pro 25:12} upon which "a wise reprover is as an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold." {See Trapp on "Pro 25:12"}

Shouldest thou help the ungodly,] i.e., That wicked wretch Ahab, of whom it might be said, as afterwards it was of the Jews in St Paul’s time, that "they pleased not God, and were contrary to all men," {1Th 2:15} or as the historian said of Commodus, the emperor, that he was called "the enemy of God and men."

And love them that hate the Lord?] I think not. Idolaters are God-haters - whatever they pretend - and are therefore to be heartily "hated," {Psa 139:22} provided that we hate non virum, sed vitium, not the man, but his manners.

Therefore is wrath upon thee.] Thy late great danger was a fair warning, and must be kept in recent remembrance. The Moabites and the Ammonites, &c., are preparing against thee. The prophet also might have respect - as one {a} hath well observed - to some dissension that began at present betwixt his sons; the seeds of that horrid slaughter Jehoram did afterwards make amongst them. {2Ch 21:4}

{a} Mr Jackson.

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.

2. Jehu — This prophet had previously exercised his office in the kingdom of Israel, and had foretold the doom of Baasha. 1Ki_16:1, note.

Went out to meet him — As he was returning to his house from the war. So Azariah went out to meet Asa as the latter returned from the war with Zerah. 2Ch_15:2. But Jehu received a better treatment from Jehoshaphat than his father Hanani had received from Asa. 2Ch_16:10.

Shouldest thou help the ungodly — Such as the idolatrous Ahab, whose kingdom is so largely given over to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth.

Love them that hate the Lord — Jehoshaphat’s affinity with Ahab’s family by marriage exposed him to this charge of loving those that hated Jehovah. Jezebel, and all whom she could influence, seem to have had a hatred towards Jehovah and his worshippers. Comp. 1Ki_18:4; 1Ki_19:2.

Wrath upon thee — Jehovah’s indignation, which will result in future woes to Judah.

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

Hebrew, wrath from the Lord.

He declareth that the wrath and judgment of God is over all such that support the wicked, and rather show not in deed that they are enemies to all such as hate the Lord.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 2. Jehu the son of Hanani] We have met with this prophet before; 1Kg 16:7.

Therefore is wrath upon thee] That is, Thou deservest to be punished. And who can doubt this, who knows that he did help the ungodly, and did love them that hated Jehovah? And is not the wrath of God upon all those alliances which his people form with the ungodly, whether they be social, matrimonial, commercial, or political?

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

(2) And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer.—The seer whose father had suffered for his reproof of Asa (2Ch_16:7-10), and who had himself already witnessed against Baasha, king of Israel (1Ki_16:1-7).

To meet him.—Unto his presence (1Ch_12:17; 2Ch_15:2).

King.—The king. The prophets never shrank from facing the highest representatives of earthly power (comp. 1Ki_21:20).

Shouldest thou help.—Literally, to help the ungodly. The infinitive (as in 1Ch_5:1; 1Ch_9:25), i.e., oughtest thou to help.

The ungodly.—.The emphatic word. (See Psa_139:21-22; Psa_119:158 : “I beheld the transgressors with loathing.”)

Them that hate the Lord.—And haters of Jehovah lovest thou? (The particle le prefixed to the word for “haters” is characteristic of the chronicler’s style.)

Therefore is wrath upon thee.—See the same phrase, 1Ch_27:24. In the case of David, the Divine wrath was embodied in pestilence; what form did it take with Jehoshaphat? The following chapters seem to supply the answer. His land suffered invasion and his fleet shipwreck; his posterity was evil, and came to an evil end (2 Chronicles 20, 21, 22). There may be reference also to the failure of the campaign in which Jehoshaphat had engaged, and his inglorious return to his own land.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. Jehu the son of Hanani] He must have been an old man at this time for he had prophesied against Baasha (1Ki_16:1), since whose time two kings had reigned in Israel, viz., Omri (12 years) and Ahab (22 years).

the ungodly] R.V. the wicked.

and love them that hate the Lord] Cp. Psa_139:21-22.

therefore is wrath upon thee] R.V. for this thing wrath is upon thee, i.e. a visitation of wrath is impending. The visitation is described in chap. 20. For “wrath” (Heb. qeçeph) cp. 2Ki_3:27 R.V. mg.

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.

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer,.... The son of him that reproved Asa, for which he put him in prison, Ch2 17:7, but that did not deter this his son from reproving Jehoshaphat:

went out to meet him; as he was returning:

and said to King Jehoshaphat, shouldest thou help the ungodly; such an one as Ahab, an idolater, murderer, and persecutor:

and love them that hate the Lord? his laws, worship, and ordinances, as he had; intimating, that he had done wrong, by entering into alliance and affinity with him, by showing him friendship, and assisting him in his war against the Syrians:

therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord; which appeared in the war of the Ammonites and Moabites with him, related in the next chapter, and in the calamities that came upon his family, his sons being slain by Jehoram that succeeded him, and his grandsons by Jehu.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jehu ... went out to meet him - Compare 2Ch 15:2. The monarch was therefore rebuked at the earliest possible moment, and in the most effective way, as he was entering his capital at the head of his returning army. Jehu, 35 years previously, had worked in the northern kingdom, and prophesied against Baasha 1Ki 16:1-7, but had now come to Jerusalem, as prophet and historian (compare 2Ch 20:34).

Shouldest thou help ... - As a matter of mere human policy, the conduct of Jehoshaphat in joining Ahab against the Syrians was not only justifiable but wise and prudent. And the reasonings upon which such a policy was founded would have been unexceptionable but for one circumstance. Ahab was an idolater, and had introduced into his kingdom a false religion of a new and most degraded type. This should have led Jehoshaphat to reject his alliance. Military success could only come from the blessing and protection of Yahweh, which such an alliance, if persisted in, was sure to forfeit.

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

Thou. Sept. "O king Josaphat, if thou helpest the sinner; or, wilt thou befriend one hated by the Lord?" Prot. "shouldst thou....love them that hate the Lord?" H. --- The Donatists hence inferred, that it was not lawful to converse with sinners. But S. Augustine (contra ep. Par. ii. 18.) replied, that Josaphat was blamed for aiding Achab in the contempt of the true prophet, and for going to battle conformably to the predictions of impostors. Both kings offended, but in a different degree. W. --- We must also keep at as great a distance as possible from the notorious enemies of God, as their conversation is dangerous. T. --- Evil communications corrupt the best of manners. See Psalm cxxxviii., &c.

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).

Jehu the son of Hanani the seer; of whom see 1Ki 16:1.

Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? was this agreeable to thy duty and love which thou professest to God and godliness, that thou hast entered into so strict an alliance and friendship with wicked Ahab, my sworn enemy, and given such assistance to him?

Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord; therefore God is angry with thee, and will chastise thee for this miscarriage: which he did, partly, by stirring up the Moabites and others to invade him, 2Ch 20; partly, by permitting his eldest son Jehoram to kill all his brethren, 2Ch 21:4; and principally, by bringing that sore and almost general destruction upon his grandchildren by Jehu, 2Ki 9:27; 10:13,14, which was the proper fruit of his alliance with Ahab.

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

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. For Hanani, the faithful father of a faithful son, see 2Ch_16:7-10, where we read that he "came to Asa King of Judah," etc. Also for Jehu, see 1Ki_16:1-4, where we read of his commission at the word of the Lord to rebuke Baasha the King of Israel, at a date upwards of thirty years before the present; and see 2Ch_20:34, which would lead us to infer, though not with certainty, that he outlived Jehoshaphat. The book called by his name, however, was not necessarily finished by him. It is evident that neither the word of the Lord nor the messengers and prophets of the Lord were bound by the orthodox limits of the divided kingdom. The powerful character and the moral force of the true prophet is again seen. (comp. 2Ch_15:1-8) in the way in which he was wont to go out to meet the evil-doer, though he were a king. We are accustomed to set the whole of this down to the account of the special inspiration of the prophet of old; yet that was but typical of the intrinsic force that truth faithfully spoken should wield in its own right in later times. Religion is established in the nation and people that know and do this, by the accredited teachers of it, vie. the plain rebuke of the wrong. Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord? Strong suspicion must attend upon Jehoshaphat, that he had been not a little misled by answering to some personal fascination in Ahab. The prophet"s rebuke is not that Jehoshaphat helped both Israel and therein Judah also against a common foe, but that he helped the ungodly, etc. Therefore wrath upon thee, etc. The significance of this sentence was probably not merely retrospective, glancing at the fact that Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem minus the victory for which he had bid, but was probably an intimation of troubles that should ripen, were already ripening for Jehoshaphat, in the coming invasion of his own kingdom. (2Ch_20:1-3)

HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON Ver. 2.

Friendship with man and faithfulness to God.

The Apostle John fleeing from the baths because he saw the enemy of Christ entering, is a familiar picture. But how far are we to carry such unwillingness to be associated with the ungodly or the unbelieving? Jehoshaphat is here strongly rebuked for his intimacy with Ahab and the help he had been giving that wicked monarch. Let us consider

I HOW FAR OUR FREEDOM EXTENDS. It surely extends to:

1. The interchange of common courtesies. "Be courteous" is a maxim thatwill apply to every one. "Civility brings no conclusions," and may be shown to all people, without implying any sanction of their heresies or immoralities.

2. Fidelity in service and equity in negotiation. It was once thought right totake advantage of a man if he were a Jew or an infidel. But unrighteousness can never be anything but hateful to God and injurious to man, and justice and fair-dealing can never be otherwise than commendable. Moreover, the Christian servant or slave was urged by the apostle to show a right spirit "not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward". (1Pe_2:18)

3. Succour to those who are in need. Pity for those who are in distress, and the helping hand stretched out to those that are "ready to perish," can never be contrary to the mind and the will of Jesus Christ.

4. Alliance for the promotion of a good common end. Here it may beobjected that this would justify Jehoshaphat in his "offensive alliance" with Ahab, as they were seeking the lawful common object of crippling Syria. But it must be remembered that by helping to sustain the kingdom of Israel Jehoshaphat was perpetuating the division between the twelve tribes, the dismemberment of the country; and he was sustaining a power which was recreant to its high mission, and was positively and seriously hostile to sacred truth, to the kingdom of God. We may lawfully associate with ungodly men as fellow-citizens who are united in such rightful objects as saving life, as promoting health, as providing food, as extending trade and commerce. In so doing we are not in any way compromising principle or sustaining wrong; we are not helping the ungodly" or loving them that hate the Lord.

II WHERE THE LINE OF PROHIBITION IS DRAWN. We have clearly no right to ally ourselves with sinful men when by so doing:

1. We advance the cause of unrighteousness or ungodliness. Better sacrifice anything we have at heart, better leave our personal preferences or our temporal interests entirely disregarded, than do that which will give an impetus to the cause of infidelity or immorality. In such a case we should certainly draw down God"s displeasure; we need no prophet to say to us, "Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.

1. When we show ourselves indifferent to the honour of our DivineSaviour. Jehoshaphat"s ostentatious companionship with such an enemy of

2. God as Ahab amounted to a tacit intimation that he could, when he wished to do so, be forgetful whose servant he was; he laid by that consideration to serve his momentary purpose. There may be some one who is a very pronounced enemy of Jesus Christ who seeks our friendship. To be very intimate with him is to put a slight upon our attachment to our Lord; it is to put him in the second place. Then fidelity to Christ will keep us at home; will lead us to seek other intimacies, to find our friendships with those who do not "hate the Lord.

3. When we expose our own character to serious risk. For one who is of aweaker mind and will to be associated intimately and for any length of time with an enemy of the Lord, can have but one result. It must issue in spiritual degeneracy; it may, indeed, end in spiritual ruin. Let those who contemplate the formation of a lifelong friendship beware how they trust their souls to any one who can be called "ungodly," how they "love them that hate the Lord." A sensitive, yielding spirit had better be "drowned in the midst of the sea" than be immersed in an atmosphere of worldliness or of unbelief, where all true piety and all living faith are daily being weakened and are constantly withering away. C.

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

Therefore - Therefore God will chastise thee for this miscarriage. Which he did partly by stirring up the Moabites, and others to invade him, chap. xx, 1, partly by permitting his eldest son Jehoram to kill all his brethren, chap. xxi, 4, and principally by bringing that almost general destruction upon his grand- children by Jehu, 2 Kings ix, 27; x, 13, 14, which was the fruit of his alliance with Ahab.

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