throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, 6and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD; and he is with you [1]in the judgement. 7Now therefore let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 8Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgement of the LORD, and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem. 9And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. 10And whensoever
Israel was settled in Canaan the "elders of the cities" and the "elders of the priests" exercised the same functions. The priests also at the great shrines, by their responses in matters brought for the decision of the Divine oracle, exercised an important part in the development and administration of law in Israel. In the monarchic period the King acted as a judge before whom difficult and important disputes seem to have been brought. His willingness to hear such cases (2 Sam. viii. 15, xv. 3 ff.) and his wisdom in deciding them (1 Kin. iii. 9, etc.) evidently affected his authority and popularity to no small extent. In the present passage it is noteworthy that the King delegates this authority even in Jerusalem.
Jehoshaphat's measures, as here described, are twofold, (1) to establish judges throughout the cities of Judah (cp. Deut. xvi. 18), (2) to establish (in accordance with Deut. xvii. 8 ff.) a kind of court of appeal in Jerusalem itself.
8. for the judgement of the LORD, and for controversies] By the first expression the Chronicler refers to religious as contrasted with civil cases (controversies), or perhaps more generally to matters regarding which some decision could be found in the Law of the Lord (i.e. in the Pentateuch, according to the Chronicler's belief). The second phrase ("controversies") probably means civil disputes for which arbitration, rather than a strictly legal decision, was suitable.
And they returned to Jerusalem] These words are certainly a textual mistake. Read either, And they (the judges appointed by Jehoshaphat) dwelt in Jerusalem: i.e. the most difficult cases could always be decided in Jerusalem, because the judges were always there. Or read, and for the controversies of the inhabitants of Jerusalem (cp. LXX.). In either case the change in Heb. is very slight.
9. a perfect heart] i.e. a heart undivided in its allegiance; cp. 1 Chr. xii. 38. The judges were not to attempt to combine the service of God with the taking of bribes.
- ↑ Or, in giving judgement Heb. in the matter of judgement.
