5. stood] Rather, rose up.
before the new court] The Temple of Solomon, strictly speaking, had only one court, but the Chronicler speaks of it in terms which seem more appropriate to the post-exilic Temple with its inner and outer courts (see the note on iv. 9). The terms he uses, however, are unhappily vague and it is not quite easy to determine the precise meaning. Thus here, the word used for “court” is ḥāṣēr, which according to iv. 9 ought to mean the inner court, the court of the priests, as distinguished from the outer court of the people, the “‘azārāh.” On this view, the phrase means that Jehoshaphat was in the ‘azārāh, standing not in but before the ḥāṣēr of the priests. But the inner court must be the old original court, and it seems quite impossible that the Chronicler, as he does here, should describe it as new: that adjective can be applicable only to a secondary, outer, court. We must therefore suppose that he here uses the word ḥāṣēr for the court he elsewhere designates by the special term ‘azārāh. The correct interpretation then is that Jehoshaphat stood before the new, the outer court, i.e. he stood at the inner side of the outer court with his back towards the inner court and looking out towards the containing wall and the entrances where the people were grouped. Both interpretations come to much the same thing, but the point of language deserves attention.
⁶and he said, O Lord, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thine hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.
6. art not thou God] Compare Joshua ii. 11.
ruler over all the kingdoms] Compare Psalms xxii. 28.
is power] compare xiv. 11 (Asa’s prayer).
⁷Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? ⁸And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
7. drive out] compare Deuteronomy ix. 5.
thy friend] compare Isaiah xli. 8.
⁹If evil come upon us, the sword[¹], judgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.