the beauty of holiness] Render in holy attire, i.e. in priestly garments. Compare 1 Chronicles xvi. 29 (note).
before the army] Contrast Joshua vi. 7, 9 (the armed men precede the Ark).
Give thanks] compare 1 Chronicles xvi. 41.
²²And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers in wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
22. the Lord set liers in wait] Comparing Joshua viii. 2, where Joshua is bidden by God to set an ambush, we might suppose that the present phrase implies simply that the Lord suggested to Jehoshaphat the plan of setting an ambush. Such a view, however, seems antagonistic to verse 17, where the Judeans are told only to stand still and see the salvation wrought by God; and indeed it would detract immensely from the value of the tale as an awe-inspiring marvel. It is preferable to suppose that certain supernatural Divine agents were meant by the Chronicler. If the tradition has an historical basis, some sudden assault was probably made by the inhabitants of the invaded district before the main army from Jerusalem arrived (see the Introduction pp. [xlix], l). G. A. Smith (Historical Geography of the Holy Land, p. 272) points out that the country between En-gedi and Tekoa is well suited for attack by surprise.
²³For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
23. For the children of Ammon] Render, And the children of Ammon. The sudden attack of the “liers in wait” caused a panic and a suspicion of treachery among the allies; so at Gideon’s surprise of Midian every man turned his sword against his fellow (Judges vii. 22).
utterly to slay] Literally to devote, or put to the ban (Hebrew ḥerem); i.e. to undertake the partial or total destruction of the foe and his possessions as a sacred duty to be performed in honour of God—compare Leviticus xxvii. 28, 29, and Driver’s note on Exodus xxii. 20 in this series. Compare 1 Chronicles iv. 41.
²⁴And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none that escaped.
24. to the watch-tower] Rather “to the outlook-point,” i.e. some spot from which they were able to survey the scene of the disaster in the valley by which the enemy were advancing.