2 Chronicles 12:3

3 cum mille ducentis curribus et sexaginta milibus equitum nec erat numerus vulgi quod venerat cum eo ex Aegypto Lybies scilicet et Trogoditae et Aethiopes

2 Chronicles 12:3 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 12:3

With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen;
and the people were without number
The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus F8 was 400,000:

that came with him out of Egypt;
the above numerous army came from thence with him, which was famous for horses and chariots of war, see ( Exodus 14:7 Exodus 14:28 ) , what follow seem to have joined him after he came out of Egypt, or whom he subdued in his way; the Lubim or Lybians, inhabitants of Libya, a country near Egypt the same with the Lehabim; of whom see ( Genesis 10:13 ) ,

the Sukkiims;
who were either the Scenite Arabs, who dwelt in tents, as this word signifies; or the Troglodytes, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, who dwelt in dens and caves, in which sense the word "Succah" is sometimes used, ( Job 38:40 ) ( Psalms 10:9 ) and in their country was a town called Suchae, mentioned by Pliny F9; they inhabited near the Red sea; and if Shishak is the same with Sesostris, as is thought, these people were subdued by him, as Herodotus F11 and Strabo F12 testify:

and the Ethiopians;
some think these were the Cushite Arabs, and that Sesostris came into Arabia is testified by the above writers; though rather the proper Ethiopians are meant, since they are joined with the Lubim or Africans; and since, as Herodotus F13 says, he ruled over Ethiopia; and Diodorus Siculus F14 says he fought with them, and obliged them to pay him tribute.


FOOTNOTES:

F8 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 10. sect. 2.
F9 Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29.
F11 Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 102.
F12 Geograph. l. 16. p. 529.
F13 Ut supra, (Euterpe, sive, l. 2.) c. 110.
F14 Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 50.

2 Chronicles 12:3 In-Context

1 cumque roboratum fuisset regnum Roboam et confortatum dereliquit legem Domini et omnis Israhel cum eo
2 anno autem quinto regni Roboam ascendit Sesac rex Aegypti in Hierusalem quia peccaverunt Domino
3 cum mille ducentis curribus et sexaginta milibus equitum nec erat numerus vulgi quod venerat cum eo ex Aegypto Lybies scilicet et Trogoditae et Aethiopes
4 cepitque civitates munitissimas in Iuda et venit usque Hierusalem
5 Semeias autem propheta ingressus est ad Roboam et principes Iuda qui congregati fuerant in Hierusalem fugientes Sesac dixitque ad eos haec dicit Dominus vos reliquistis me et ego reliqui vos in manu Sesac
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.