Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Chronicles 12:3
Verse 3. The Lubims] Supposed to be a people of Libya, adjoining to Egypt; sometimes called Phut in Scripture, as the people are called Lehabim and Ludim. The Sukkiims] The Troglodytes, a people of Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea. They were called Troglodytes, trwglodutai, oi tav trwglav oikountev, "because they dwelt in caves." - Hesych. This agrees with what Pliny says of them, Troglodytae specus excavant, haec illis domus; "The Troglodytes dig themselves caves; and these serve them for houses." This is not very different from the import of the original name µyyks Sukkiyim, from hks sachah, to cover or overspread; (hence ūws such, a tabernacle;) the people who were covered (emphatically) under the earth.
The Septuagint translate by the word trwglodutai, Troglodytes.
The Ethiopians.] µywk Cushim. Various people were called by this name, particularly a people bordering on the northern coast of the Red Sea; but these are supposed to have come from a country of that name on the south of Egypt.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen; and the people were without number , etc.] The foot soldiers; their number, according to Josephus 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 14:7,28), 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 Psalm 10:9) and in their country was a town called Suchae, mentioned by Pliny f35 ; 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 and Strabo f37 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 says, he ruled over Ethiopia; and Diodorus Siculus says he fought with them, and obliged them to pay him tribute.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Rehoboam, forsaking the Lord, is punished.
--When Rehoboam was so strong that he supposed he had nothing to fea from Jeroboam, he cast off his outward profession of godliness. It is very common, but very lamentable, that men, who in distress or danger or near death, seem much engaged in seeking and serving God, thro aside all their religion when they have received a mercifu deliverance. God quickly brought troubles upon Judah, to awaken the people to repentance, before their hearts were hardened. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of Providence, to justif God, and to judge ourselves. If we have humbled hearts under humblin providences, the affliction has done its work; it shall be removed, or the property of it be altered. The more God's service is compared with other services, the more reasonable and easy it will appear. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance will be found much harder. The service of God is perfect liberty; the servic of our lusts is complete slavery. Rehoboam was never rightly fixed in his religion. He never quite cast off God; yet he engaged not his hear to seek the Lord. See what his fault was; he did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray, as Solomon, for wisdom and grace; he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle, nor follow its directions. He made nothing of his religion, because he did not set his heart to it, nor ever came up to steady resolution in it. He did evil, because he never was determine for good __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
באלף 505 ומאתים 3967 רכב 7393 ובשׁשׁים 8346 אלף 505 פרשׁים 6571 ואין 369 מספר 4557 לעם 5971 אשׁר 834 באו 935 עמו 5973 ממצרים 4714 לובים 3864 סכיים 5525 וכושׁים׃ 3569
