2 Chronicles 20:1–12
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The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success
20:1Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,1 attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2Messengers2 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).” 20:3Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice.5 He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 20:4The 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
20:5Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem9 at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6He 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. 20:7Our God, you drove out12 the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession13 to the descendants of your friend14 Abraham. 20:8They settled down in it and built in it a temple15 to honor you,16 saying, 20:9‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack,17 judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple.18 We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will19 hear and deliver us.’ 20:10Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming!20 When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands.21 They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 20:11Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 20:12Our 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.”22
Footnotes
- 1 The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some of the , read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so , , ).
- 2 Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 3 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. , ).
- 4 Most Hebrew read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this must be a corruption of “Edom,” which is the reading of the and .
- 5 Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”
- 6 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.
- 7 Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
- 8 Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
- 9 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
- 10 Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
- 11 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.
- 12 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.
- 13 Heb “permanently.”
- 14 Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
- 15 Or “sanctuary.”
- 16 Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).
- 17 Heb “sword.”
- 18 Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
- 19 Or “so that you may.”
- 20 Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
- 21 Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
- 22 Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
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