Mizpah. 7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. 9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the [1]prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the
7—10 (not in 1 Kin.). The Intervention of Hanani.
The Chronicler stands alone both in recording the condemnation of Asa in this passage and in himself condemning him in ver. 12. In 1 Kin. no blame is passed on Asa.
7. Hanani the seer] Hanani as a seer is known to us from this passage only; but in xix. 2 and xx. 34 (also 1 Kin. xvi. 1) Jehu the prophet is called son of Hanani.
the seer] an ancient title, elsewhere applied only to Samuel. Cp. 1 Sam. ix. 9 "he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer." In consequence of this phrase it has been supposed that the story of Hanani is a genuinely old tradition. This is possible, but the evidence of this one phrase is not sufficient to be convincing. The term may be a deliberate archaism of the Chronicler.
therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped] The prophet declares that if Asa had not detached Syria by his presents, he might have smitten Israel and Syria combined.
8. and the Lubim] The Lubim are not mentioned in xiv. 9—13, but as they were auxiliaries of the Egyptians (xii. 3) it is quite possible that they represent the help given by Egypt to the Arabian Cushites as they passed the Egyptian border on their way to invade Judah. Cp. note on xiv. 9 (three hundred chariots).
9. run to and fro] i.e. no event escapes the Divine vigilance, cp. Zech. iv. 10.
10. in the prison house] Render, in the stocks (lit. in the house of the stocks). Cp. xviii. 26; Jer. xx. 2.
oppressed] lit. brake in pieces, an expression which when applied to things would mean made spoil of, when applied to persons treated outrageously, tortured, ἐλυμήνατο LXX.
- ↑ Heb. house of the stocks.
