1 Kings 15:15

And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) Which his father had dedicated.—These seem to be the spoils of his own victory over the Egyptian army and Abijah’s victory over Jeroboam. They replenished for a time the treasury, swept bare in the reign of Rehoboam by the host of Shishak.

Benson Commentary

1 Kings 15:15. He brought in the things which his father had dedicated — Namely, Abijam, when he was in distress, and going to fight with Jeroboam, (2 Chronicles 13.,) though afterward he did not perform his vows, nor bring into the house of the Lord what he had devoted: probably he was prevented by death. Asa his son, however, made good his vow; and also himself brought in what he had dedicated to holy uses, namely, silver, and gold, and vessels, having gotten great spoil in his war with the Ethiopians, 2 Chronicles 14:13-14.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

15:9-24 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That is right indeed which is so in God's eyes. Asa's times were times of reformation. He removed that which was evil; there reformation begins, and a great deal he found to do. When Asa found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence. Reformation must begin at home. Asa honours and respects his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory. Asa was cordially devoted to the service of God, his sins not arising from presumption. But his league with Benhadad arose from unbelief. Even true believers find it hard, in times of urgent danger, to trust in the Lord with all their heart. Unbelief makes way for carnal policy, and thus for one sin after another. Unbelief has often led Christians to call in the help of the Lord's enemies in their contests with their brethren; and some who once shone brightly, have thus been covered with a dark cloud towards the end of their days.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Abijam's dedications were made after his victory over Jeroboam, and probably consisted of a portion of the spoils which were the fruit of the battle 2 Chronicles 13:16-19.

Asa's dedications may have been made from the spoils of Zerah the Ethiopian, who attacked him in his eleventh year (2 Chronicles 14:9, etc.). They were not deposited in the temple until his fifteenth year 2 Chronicles 15:10, 2 Chronicles 15:18.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. he brought in the things which his father had dedicated—Probably the spoils which Abijam had taken from the vanquished army of Jeroboam (see 2Ch 13:16).

and the things which himself had dedicated—after his own victory over the Cushites (2Ch 14:12).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Which his father had dedicated, Abijam, to wit, when he was in distress, and going to fight with Jeroboam, 2Ch 13 though afterwards he did not perform his vows, nor bring in what he had devoted; whether because he was prevented by death, or because he afterwards relapsed to idolatry, as may seem probable from the 12th verse of this chapter.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated,.... The spoils he had taken in war from Jeroboam, and which he had devoted to religious uses, but lived not to perform his vows, which his son now did for him; so that it seems, notwithstanding the sins he fell into, he had some regard to God and his worship, see 2 Chronicles 13:19.

and the things which himself had dedicated; out of the spoils taken from the Ethiopians, 2 Chronicles 14:13, these he brought into the house of the Lord, silver, and gold, and vessels; of various sorts.

Geneva Study Bible

And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

15. And he brought in the things which [R.V. that] his father had dedicated, and the things which [R.V. that] himself had dedicated] These apparently trivial changes of the R.V. are made so that this passage may be in accord with the identical passage in 2 Chronicles 15:18.

Here a commencement was made to supply the place of all those treasures which Shishak had carried off in the reign of Rehoboam. The silver and gold and vessels were no doubt the booty which had been taken from some conquered enemies. That it was customary thus to dedicate the booty or tribute of conquered and subject peoples we see from 2 Samuel 8:11, where David dedicates silver and gold taken from all the nations he had subdued. And it was not a custom confined to the Hebrews, for we are told (Ezra 1:7) that Nebuchadnezzar put into ‘the house of his gods’ those vessels of the house of the Lord which he had brought away from Jerusalem.

into the house of the Lord] These words the R.V. places after ‘brought,’ for the same reason which dictated the other slight changes in the verse.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 15. - And he brought in the things which his gather had dedicated [Heb. the holy things of his father. These were probably the spoils Abijah had taken in his war with Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:18)], and the things which himself had dedicated [These were probably the spoils of the Ethiopians (2 Chronicles 14:15; cf. 15:11)], into [the Hebrew omits this word. Keil says that "house" is an accusative governed by "brought"], the house of the Lord, silver and gold, and vessels. 1 Kings 15:15

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

He brought the sacred offerings of his father and his own sacred offerings into the house of Jehovah; probably the booty, in silver, gold, and vessels, which his father Abijam had gathered in the war with Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:16-17), and he himself on the conquest of the Cushites (2 Chronicles 14:12-13). The Keri וקדשׁי is a bad emendation of the correct reading in the Chethb קדשׁו, i.e., קדשׁו (קדשׁיו); for יהוה בּית is an accusative, and is to be connected with ויּבא.