⁸Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
8. that they may know my service, etc.] i.e. that they may learn the difference between my service and other service.
⁹So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all away: he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
9. he took all away] Shishak was bought off with a heavy present from attacking Jerusalem; compare the case of Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii. 13–16).
shields] Rather, targets, i.e. small shields; compare note on ix. 15.
¹⁰And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard[¹], that kept the door of the king’s house. ¹¹And it was so, that as oft as the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.
[¹] Hebrew runners.
10. the guard] margin (more literally) the runners. These derived their name from the duty of running before the king’s chariot to clear the way for him; compare 2 Samuel xv. 1; 1 Kings i. 5.
¹²And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things found.
12. in Judah were good things found] i.e. piety, compare xix. 3. This is said as giving an additional reason for the mercy which God had showed (verse 7). Doubtless it is also intended to emphasise the religious superiority of the South over the North; compare the note on xi. 20.