2 Chronicles 20:1-6

Context

The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success

20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,¹ attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2 Messengers² 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 Judah⁶ 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

20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem⁹ at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors,¹⁰ you are the God who lives in heaven¹¹ and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you.

[20:1] ¹tc 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] ²tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2] ³tn 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] ⁴tc 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] ³tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”

[20:4] ⁴tn 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] ⁵tn 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] ⁶tn Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).

[20:5] ⁵map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:6] ⁶tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).

[20:6] ⁷tn 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.