=8.= _that bare bucklers and spears ... that bare shields and drew bows_] LXX., δύναμις ὁπλοφόρων (= ὁπλιτῶν) αἰρόντων θυρεοὺς καὶ δόρατα ... πελτασταὶ καὶ τοξόται. The Chronicler divides Asa’s army into the heavy-armed men belonging to Judah and the light-armed bowmen belonging to Benjamin. Asa apparently had no chariots. “Bucklers” and “shields” should be transposed as in ix. 15. _of Judah three hundred thousand ... of Benjamin ... two hundred and fourscore thousand_] The total is 580,000. Under Asa’s successor, Jehoshaphat, the numbers are (xvii. 14‒18), Judah 780,000, Benjamin 380,000, making a total of 1,160,000, i.e. twice the total given above. The moral which the Chronicler would enforce by these figures seems to be that Judah was strong in the early days of Asa, while Asa showed faith in God, and that it became still stronger under his really religious successor, Jehoshaphat. Regarding the exaggeration of these figures, see the notes on xi. 1, and xvii. 14. =9‒15= (no parallel in Kings). ASA’S VICTORY OVER ZERAH: THE BATTLE OF MARESHAH. The present passage has much the same midrashic character as the account of Abijah’s victory related in the previous chapter, and some scholars consider that the story of the raid and defeat of Zerah has no basis in fact. It is, however, more probable that it originates in a genuine tradition of the repulse of some Egyptian, or rather Arabian (see note, verse 9), inroad, not necessarily, however, in the time of Asa: compare the Introduction § 7, p. l. ⁹And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah. =9.= _against them_] We should expect either _against him_ (i.e. Asa) or _against Judah_. Perhaps this account has been torn out from some older document without regard to the context, so that the reference of _them_ is lost. Compare notes on verses 12, 13, 14.