But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to [his] destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
Ver. 16. But when he was strong.] See on 2 Chronicles 26:15 .
And went into the temple of the Lord.] Where none might come but priests. Perhaps he affected to be, as the kings of the heathens were, high priests also. His "pride," as a great swelling, "budded" Eze 7:10 and broke out into so many sores of ambition, presumption, pragmaticalness, pertinacy, &c., till it had undone him; so that on his tomb might well have been written, as was upon Funccius the chronologer's by his own appointment,
“ Disce meo exemplo propriis intendere rebus:
Et fuge ceu pestem την πολυπραγμοσυνην . ”