2 Chronicles 20:1-4

The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success

20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, ¹  attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2 Messengers ²  arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, ³  from the direction of Edom. ⁴  Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 20:3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice. ⁵  He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 20:4 The people of Judah ⁶  assembled to ask for the Lord’s help; ⁷  they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help. ⁸ 

[20:1]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some mss of the LXX, read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[20:2]  ² tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tc Most Hebrew mss read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this must be a corruption of “Edom,” which is the reading of the LXX and Vulgate.

[20:3]  ³ tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”

[20:4]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).

[20:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).