And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.
Ver. 16. And after them.] See the force of good example; and that there were not a few of these that thus fled, though Jeroboam way laid them. Hos 5:1 See Trapp on " Hos 5:1 " Augustine gathereth from hence, that in those most corrupt times of king Ahab there were found seven thousand that had not bowed their knees to Baal.
Such as set their hearts.] Qui tradiderunt cor suum, who delivered up their hearts to seek the Lord; to run any hazard rather than to violate their consciences. Such were the English exiles in Queen Mary's days, from whom Stephen Gardiner vowed so to stop the sending of all supplies, that for very hunger they should eat their own nails, and then feed on their fingers' ends: but ‘threatened folk live long'; and before these banished men were brought to that short bill of fare, the bishop was first all eaten up of worms himself. a These exiles of Israel had harbour and maintenance from Rehoboam, whose kingdom was not a little strengthened and settled by the coming of these good men.
a Fuller's Church Hist.