- ZERAH, King of Ethiopia, or, rather, King of the Country of Cush, in Arabia Petrea, upon the Red Sea, and bordering upon Egypt.1 This Prince came to fight with Asa King of Judah, with an Army of a Million of Foot, and three hundred Chariots of War. Advancing as far as Mareshah, Asa went out to meet him, and set his Army in Battel-array in the Valley of Zephathah, near Mareshah. He called upon the Lord, who cast Terror and Consternation into the Hearts of the Ethiopians, and made them run away. Asa and his whole Army pursued them as far as Gerar, plundered their Cities, and brought back a great Booty.
We have given an Account of this famous Victory under the Article ASA: We shall here propose some new Conjectures concerning the Country of Zerah, and the Causes of so formidable a War, carried on with such Rapidity, and of so short Continuance.
At his first setting out, Asa furnishes us Observations upon the Battel of Zephathah, near to Mareshah, 2 Chron. xiv.with an excellent Lesson, in the seventh and eighth Verses of the fourteenth Chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles. He causes his Cities to be repaired, he adds new Fortifications to ‘em: He raises an Army of three hundred thousand chosen Men; and all this while his Kingdom is in Peace. This is an admirable Instruction for Princes, and those to whom the Government of Nations is committed.
Tho’ the Scripture generally acquaints us with the several Occasions of the Wars of the People of God against their Enemies, yet the sacred Author says nothing of the Cause of this between Zerah King of Ethiopia, and Asa King of Judah: Nor by the Beginnings or Prosecution of this War can we observe any thing that may teach us the Order or Manner in which these two Armies fought with each other. This is the Divining Rod of Nebuchadnezzar, which the Author does not take from me so often as to give me reason to complain; as may be perceived from the several Observations I have made upon the several Battels of the Scriptures. This Event, which happened a long time after the Siege of Troy, is founded only upon the Relation of the sacred Author. But of what Credit ought this Relation to be; since we have it from the Mouth of Truth itself? This shews how little the Greek Historians knew of the Wars of the People of Asia, tho’ they were their Neighbours, and had sent several Colonies into this Country; which I conceive to be much more ancient than the Reign of Solomon, and the time of Homer, who was born 168 Years after the taking of Troy, according to the Julian Period.
It is surprizing that Herodotus, who has wrote of the Wars of Greece and Asia, should have had no better Information. To read his Book one would imagine, that he had travelled over all Asia, and had read all the Historians of that Country; yet never any Historian, that undertook so great a Design, has travelled less, or read less, than he did. For what Countries did he see? Only Egypt; and of this indeed he speaks as a Man that had not lost his Time. But we plainly see, that he went thither by Sea, and that he returned into his own Country again the same way; and that he was never acquainted with the Jews, nor their Histories, nor with those of the neighbouring Nations, nor with their Language, nor with those of the other People of Asia, nor even with that of the Egyptians. We must not therefore wonder if we have no other Testimony than that of the sacred Books for the great Actions of the Hebrews: For if this Author had understood their Language, would he have omitted to inform us something of their Wars, or, at least, of their most remarkable Events? And, without doubt, the Battel of Zephathah near Mareshah could not have escaped the Pen of so great and so judicious a Writer. From hence we are to conclude, that the Historians are ignorant of the Affairs of Asia, though this Part of the World, as we have observed before, was full of Grecian Colonies along the Sea-shore, and in Inland Places of this Country. This Digression appeared to me to be necessary, to evince the Truth of the History of the Jewish Nation, though standing upon its own Authority, and that of the Religion of the People that composed it, as a celebrated Author2 has very well observed.
Tho’ the Causes of the War of Zerah against Asa are unknown to us, yet I shall venture to propose my Conjectures, since the Commentators have not attempted it. Asa might have drawn it upon himself upon two Accounts, which to me appear very probable, and almost convincing. The sacred Author seems to suggest them himself, when he says, Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke down the images, and cut down the groves. And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law, and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images; and the kingdom was quiet before him for ten Years. Was not this a sufficient Reason for a Quarrel with a neighbouring People, whom before they looked upon as their Allies, when they overthrew the Temples of their common Gods? These Principles and Motives are no new ones; and in those Days, as well as in ours, they did not look upon such as unjust Wars. God himself always commanded them, against People that had such ridiculous Objects of Worship; and the World was at that time so full of them, that the Supreme Being was known and served only in a small Corner of the Earth: He that had done so many Prodigies in favour of his People, which yet so often fell into Idolatry. Can we therefore be surprized at those dreadful Chastisements with which he so severely punished them?
A second Reason that might have occasioned this War, was purely Political; and even at this Day our Casuists and Military Lawyers allow it to be lawful, as indeed it is. ‘Tis an Instruction to Princes to be upon their guard, to take the Advantage of Opportunities for securing themselves against the Attempts of their Enemies, and to provide for War in time of Peace.
Ibid. 7.For the sacred Author goes on; Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side: So they built, and prospered.
Asa easily foresaw, that by pulling down the Temples and Altars of false Gods in his Country, he should provoke and enrage his Enemies against him, especially his Neighbours that made Profession of Idolatry; and that when any one undertakes a Reformation of this kind, he must be upon his guard, and in a Condition to maintain a War. Therefore he took all the necessary Precautions, and prepared himself for what might happen. He fortified his Frontier Towns, to oppose the first Attacks of his Enemies, and to give him Time, if it should be necessary, of raising a good Army to withstand their Progress, and to defeat their Projects by some notable Action.
Father Calmet says, that Interpreters are divided about the Territories of this King, whom the Scripture calls a King of Ethiopia; nor am I surprized at it. Yet I am not a little surprized that some Interpreters should think that this formidable Army came out of Egypt; except Zerah had first begun by making a Conquest of that Country, which does not at all appear from Profane History, which carries us much higher than the Reign of Asa: Nor indeed has any one of the Learned advanced this yet as an Opinion, which would be liable to great Absurdity.
The Name of Ethiopia is not perhaps so ambiguous as is commonly said: This Empire was so formidable, and of so vast an Extent, that it might even stretch out into Arabia, and Zerah might come out of this Country to make War with Judah. This Conjecture to me seems probable: But it may be asked, how could an Army of a Million of Men pass through the Desarts between Arabia and Judea, where neither Provision, nor Forage, nor Water, nor Trees, were to be found? in a word, nothing but Sands and Rocks? But I shall ask again, How could Alexander the Great pass over those immense Desarts, in some Places, at least, which lie between Persia and the Indies? It will be replied, that this may be true, but great Allowances must be made, if we compare the Forces of Alexander the Great with those of this King of Ethiopia. But I say, not; since, by the way of Caravans, every one might provide his own Victuals, Water, Forage, &c. as much as was required for travelling through those Desarts. Let us come nearer our own Times: The Army of Timurbec, or Tamerlain, was not much less numerous than that here mentioned in Scripture; yet with an incredible Diligence it passed through the Desarts of Segestin, and a great many others, that were more than twenty Marches in extent.
Asa, who in time of Peace had provided for War, was not at all surprized. He even went out to meet the Enemy; so bold and intrepid is a Prince who is upon his guard, and is ready armed. The sacred Author says, Asa went out against him, and they set the battel in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. He was at the head of an army of men that bore targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand, and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: All these were mighty men of valour. Here are Troops well armed, stout and resolute, led on by a Prince of great Courage and Prudence, as may easily be perceived by the Situation he put himself in. For the Apprehension of being surrounded by such a Multitude of Enemies, made him post his Army in the Valley, supporting the Wings of his Army by the two sides of the neighbouring Mountains; so that the Enemy could not fight but in a Front of the same extent. This is what always renders an Army useless, when too much incumbered with Multitudes.
As the People of Asia used to fight in Phalanx, and in a very great Depth, I can hardly be mistaken in the Disposition of the two Armies. I am persuaded that the Ethiopians observed the same Method as the Jews.
Zerah had three hundred Chariots of War; they were generally ranged at the head of the Line. But I could never find that they were of any great Service in a Battel. It appears here, on the contrary, that the Hebrews were not much terrified by them, but easily knew how to avoid them. In this place the Scripture takes no notice of any Cavalry; yet it mentions 2 Chron. xvi. 8.them elsewhere. But the chief Forces of the People of Asia consisted in Infantry. In an Army of sixty thousand Men, it was rare to find six thousand Horse. The Greeks and Romans, those great Masters in the Art Military, seldom had more. The over great number of Cavalry was introduced in barbarous times, and of all Armies is the most ruinous to a State, and seldom decides the Fate of an Action. For this I appeal to the skilful in these Matters.
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