Synopsis of the Chapter
Azariah the prophet foretells that Israel will for a long time be deprived of the worship of the true God, of the law, and of the priesthood. Moved by his oracle, King Asa utterly extirpates the idols and deposes his mother from the priesthood of Priapus.
Verse 3: Many Days Without God ¶
3. MANY DAYS SHALL PASS IN ISRAEL WITHOUT GOD, A TEACHER, AND THE LAW — that is, without the care and worship of the true God, of a divine teacher and law. He touches upon the present time, when Jeroboam introduced the worship of golden calves into Israel; for all his posterity followed him in this worship of calves, and all the kings of Israel to a man.
Verse 4: They Shall Find Him ¶
4. AND WHEN IN THEIR DISTRESS THEY SHALL RETURN TO THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, THEY SHALL FIND HIM. — Thus the penitent Ahab found God, and Joash to whom Elisha foretold a triple victory over the Syrians, and the penitent Manasseh, also the pious Hezekiah, Josiah, and the like.
Verse 10: In the Third Month ¶
10. IN THE THIRD MONTH — Sivan, in which they celebrated Pentecost, to indicate that on this feast, by invoking God, they had obtained so great a victory by His help, and therefore offered Him the spoils of the enemy in thanksgiving.
Verse 17: The Heart of Asa Was Perfect ¶
17. YET THE HEART OF ASA WAS PERFECT WITH THE LORD ALL HIS DAYS — as regards the true worship of God, that is to say: Asa throughout his whole life worshipped the true God; and never turned aside to idols, as others did. For otherwise Asa sinned in other matters and gravely offended God, as will appear in the next chapter, verses 7, 10, and 12.
Verse 19: Until the Thirty-Fifth Year ¶
19. UNTIL THE THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF ASA — that is, of the kingdom of Judah, which at the death of Solomon was torn from the kingdom of Israel through the schism of Jeroboam. So the Hebrews, Sanchez, Salianus, Torniellus, and others; this will become clearer in the next chapter, verse 1.