Discovery Box2 Chronicles 16:1
Context16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 1
2 Chronicles 16:1-14
Context16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 2 16:2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 16:3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 3 See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 4 16:4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 5 They conquered 6 Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, 7 and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 16:5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 8 Ramah and abandoned the project. 9 16:6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 10 He used the materials to build up 11 Geba and Mizpah.
16:7 At that time Hanani the prophet 12 visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 16:8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 16:9 Certainly 13 the Lord watches the whole earth carefully 14 and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. 15 You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war. 16:10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. 16 Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
16:11 The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 17 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease. 18 Though his disease was severe, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. 19 16:13 Asa passed away 20 in the forty-first year of his reign. 16:14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David. 21 They laid him to rest on a bier covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him. 22
2 Chronicles 20:1-37
Context20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, 23 attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2 Messengers 24 arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, 25 from the direction of Edom. 26 Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 20:3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice. 27 He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 20:4 The people of Judah 28 assembled to ask for the Lord’s help; 29 they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help. 30
20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem 31 at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors, 32 you are the God who lives in heaven 33 and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 20:7 Our God, you drove out 34 the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession 35 to the descendants of your friend 36 Abraham. 20:8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple 37 to honor you, 38 saying, 20:9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, 39 judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. 40 We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will 41 hear and deliver us.’ 20:10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! 42 When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. 43 They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 20:11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.” 44
20:13 All the men of Judah 45 were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 20:14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, 46 residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 47 because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them as 48 they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. 20:17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, 49 O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 50 Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”
20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah 51 and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. 52 20:19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. 53
20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah 54 and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! 55 Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 20:21 He met 56 with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.” 57
20:22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked 58 the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir 59 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir 60 and annihilated them. 61 When they had finished off the men 62 of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. 63 20:24 When the men of Judah 64 arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at 65 the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! 20:25 Jehoshaphat and his men 66 went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing 67 and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. 68 There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off. 69
20:26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where 70 they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah 71 to this very day. 20:27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 20:28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 20:29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God 72 when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 20:30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side. 73
20:31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. 74 His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 20:32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. 75 20:33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors. 76
20:34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani which are included in Scroll of the Kings of Israel. 77
20:35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who 78 did evil. 20:36 They agreed 79 to make large seagoing merchant ships; 80 they built the ships in Ezion Geber. 20:37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because 81 you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea. 82
[16:1] 1 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[16:1] 2 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[16:3] 3 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[16:3] 4 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[16:4] 4 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[16:4] 5 tn Heb “They struck down.”
[16:4] 6 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
[16:5] 6 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
[16:6] 6 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[16:6] 7 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
[16:9] 9 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[16:9] 10 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
[16:10] 9 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”
[16:11] 10 tn Heb “Look, the events of Asa, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[16:12] 11 tn Heb “became sick in his feet.”
[16:12] 12 tn Heb “unto upwards [i.e., very severe [was] his sickness, and even in his sickness he did not seek the
[16:13] 12 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers, and he died.”
[16:14] 13 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[16:14] 14 tn Heb “and they burned for him a large fire, very great.”
[20:1] 14 tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some
[20:2] 15 tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:2] 16 tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT).
[20:2] 17 tc Most Hebrew
[20:3] 16 tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the
[20:4] 17 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[20:4] 18 tn Heb “to seek from the
[20:4] 19 tn Heb “to seek the
[20:5] 18 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:6] 19 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
[20:6] 20 tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
[20:7] 20 tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
[20:7] 21 tn Heb “permanently.”
[20:7] 22 tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
[20:8] 22 tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you
[20:9] 23 tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the
[20:9] 24 tn Or “so that you may.”
[20:10] 23 tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
[20:10] 24 tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
[20:12] 24 tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
[20:13] 25 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:15] 26 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
[20:15] 27 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:17] 28 tn Heb “the deliverance of the
[20:17] 29 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:18] 29 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:18] 30 tn Heb “to worship the
[20:19] 30 tn Heb “arose to praise the
[20:20] 31 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:20] 32 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
[20:21] 33 tn Or “is eternal.”
[20:22] 33 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
[20:22] 34 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 34 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 35 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
[20:23] 36 tn Heb “residents.”
[20:23] 37 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
[20:24] 35 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:24] 36 tn Heb “turned toward.”
[20:25] 37 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fÿgarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew
[20:25] 38 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
[20:25] 39 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
[20:26] 37 tn Heb “for there.”
[20:26] 38 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
[20:29] 38 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
[20:30] 39 tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
[20:31] 40 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:32] 41 tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the
[20:33] 42 tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
[20:34] 43 tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
[20:35] 44 tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[20:36] 45 tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
[20:36] 46 tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
