The top of the rock - Rather, "the height of Selah" (or, Petra), near which the battle was probably fought. On the cruel features of the Edomite wars, see 1 Kings 11:15; Ezekiel 25:12; Obadiah 1:14.

And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive,.... The rest of the army of the Edomites, which amounted to the same number, fell into their hands, and they took them, and carried them off:

and brought them unto the top of the rock; very probably the same on which the city Petra, the metropolis of Edom, was built, called also Selah, 2 Kings 14:7 both which names signify a rock. Josephus (g) calls it the great rock in Arabia; that is, Arabia Petraea:

and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they were broken all in pieces; burst asunder, bones broken, and limb from limb separated. This sort of punishment was inflicted by the Romans on various malefactors, by casting them down from the Tarpeian rock (h); and in Greece, according to the Delphian law, such as were guilty of sacrilege were led to a rock, and cast down headlong from thence (i): and now in Turkey, at a place called Constantine, a town situated on the top of a great rock, the usual way of executing great criminals is by pushing them from off the cliff (k); see Luke 4:29, but to use captives taken in war after this manner seems cruel and barbarous; and what should be the reason of such treatment of them is not easy to say.

(g) Antiqu. l. 9. c. 9. sect. 1.((h) Liv. Hist. l. 6. c. 20. Patercul. Hist. Roman. l. 2. Aurel. Victor. de Vir. Illustr. c. 27, 70. Vid, Rycquium de Capitol. Roman. c. 4. p. 45, &c. (i) Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 11. c. 5. (k) Pitt's Account of the Mahometans, ch. 1. p. 10.

And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the {i} rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.

(i) In 2Ki 14:7 this rock is called the city Sela.

25:1-13 Amaziah was no enemy to religion, but cool and indifferent friend. Many do what is good, but not with a perfect heart. Rashness makes work for repentance. But Amaziah's obedience to the command of God was to his honour. A firm belief of God's all-sufficiency to bear us out in our duty, and to make up all the loss and damage was sustain in his service, will make his yoke very easy, and his burden very light. When we are called to part with any thing for God and our religion, it should satisfy us, that God is able to give us much more than this. Convinced sinners, who have not true faith, always object to self-denying obedience. They are like Amaziah; they say, But what shall we do for the hundred talents? What shall we do if by keeping the sabbath holy we lose so many good customers? What shall we do without this gain? What shall we do if we lose the friendship of the world? Many endeavour to quiet their consciences by the pretence that forbidden practices are necessary. The answer is, as here, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. He makes up, even in this world, for all that is given up for his sake.