Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 20

Verse 1

It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

The children of Moab ... Ammon, and with them other besides the Ammonites - supposed to be rather the name of a certain people called Mohammonim or Mehunim (2 Chronicles 26:7) [Septuagint, ek toon Minaioon], of the Moabites or Mehunim (see Robinson's 'Physical Geography'), who dwelt in mount Seir-either a branch of the old Edomite race, or a separate tribe who were settled there.

Verse 2

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is Engedi.

From beyond the sea on this side Syria. Instead of Syria, some versions read 'Edom,' and many able critics prefer this reading, both because the nomad tribes here mentioned were far from Syria, and because express mention is made of mount Seir, i:e., Edom. The meaning then is, that this confederate horde was composed of the different tribes that inhabited the far-distant regions bordering on the northern and eastern coasts of the Red Sea. Their progress was apparently by the southern point of the Dead Sea as far as En-gedi, which, more anciently, was called Hazazon-tamar (Genesis 14:7).

This the ascent of En gedi is the uniform route taken by the Arabs in their marauding expeditions at the This, the ascent of En-gedi, is the uniform route taken by the Arabs in their marauding expeditions at the present day; and in coming round the southern end of the Dead Sea, they can penetrate along the low-lying Ghor far north, without letting, their movements be known to the tribes and villages west of the mountain chain. Thus, anciently, the invading horde in Jehoshaphat's time had marched as far north as En-gedi before intelligence of their advance was conveyed to the court.

En-gedi is recognized in the modern Ain-jidy, and is situated at a point of the western shore nearly equidistant from both extremities of the lake. 'Below the falls at Ain-jidy, in the center of the plain, is a group of ruins of some extent, built of unbeveled square stones of fair size, but nothing megalithic, and all very much weathered. These crumbled walls carry us with a mighty stride across the history of man. They are all that remains to tell of a city as old as the oldest in Syria, perhaps in the world - "Hazazon-tamar (the felling of the palm trees), which is En-gedi" - the contemporary of Sodom and Gomorrah, an existing city when Hebron first arose. Through it passed the Assyrian hordes of Chedorlaomer. The plain around is now as desolate as the old city of the Amorites, though once a forest of palms' (Tristram).

Verse 3

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat ... proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Alarmed by the intelligence, and conscious of his total inability to repel this host of invaders, Jehoshaphat felt his only refuge was at the horns of the altar. He resolved to implore the aid of his God, and, in conformity with this resolution, summoned his whole subjects to observe a solemn fast at the sanctuary. It was customary with the Hebrew kings to proclaim fasts in perilous circumstances, either in a city, a district, or throughout the entire kingdom, according to the greatness of the emergency. On this occasion it was a universal fast, which extended to infants (2 Chronicles 20:13: see also Joel 2:15-16; Jonah 3:7).

Verse 4

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 5

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

Jehoshaphat stood in the ... house of the Lord, before the new court - i:e., the great or outer court (2 Chronicles 4:9), called the new court, probably from having been at that time enlarged or beautified.

Verse 6

And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

And said, Lord God of our fathers. This earnest and impressive prayer embraces every topic and argument which, as king and representative of the chosen people, he could urge; and then concludes with an earnest appeal to the justice of God to protect those who, without provocation, were attacked, and who were unable to defend themselves against overwhelming numbers.

Verses 7-12

Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

No JFB commentary on these verses.

Verse 13

And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

All Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones ... [ Tapaam (H2945), a collective noun in the singular, which as used here, includes the women as well as the children (cf. Genesis 47:12).]

Verse 14

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

Then upon Jahaziel ... came the Spirit of the Lord. This prophet is not elsewhere mentioned, but his claim to the inspiration of a prophetic spirit was verified by the calm and distinct announcement he gave, both of the manner and the completeness of the deliverance predicted.

Verse 15

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 16

To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

They come up by the cliff of Ziz. This seems to have been nothing else than the present pass, which leads northwards, by an ascent from Engedi, to Jerusalem, issuing a little below Tekoa. The wilderness of Jeruel was, probably, the large flat district adjoining the desert of Tekoa, called el-Husasah, from a wady on its northern side (Robinson's 'Biblical Researches,' 2:,p. 215).

Verse 17

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 18

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

Jehoshaphat bowed his head ... and all Judah ... This attitude was expressive of reverence to God and His word, of confidence in His promise, and thankfulness for so extraordinary a favour.

Verse 19

And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

The Levites ... stood up to praise the Lord - doubtless by the king's command; and their anthem was sung with such a joyful acclaim as showed that they universally regarded the victory as already obtained.

Verse 20

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

As they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood - probably in the gate of Jerusalem, the place of general rendezvous; and as the people were on the eve of setting out, he exhorted them to repose implicit trust in the Lord and His prophet, not to be timid or desponding at sight of the enemy, but to remain firm, in the confident assurance of a miraculous deliverance without their striking a single stroke.

Verse 21

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

He appointed sinners ... that should praise ... as they went out before the army. Having arranged the line of procession, gave the signal to move forward, when the Levites, leading the van with their musical instruments, and singing Psalms 136:1-26, the people went on, not as an army marching against an enemy, but returning in joyful triumph after a victory.

Verse 22

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments. Some think that this was done by angels in human form, whose sudden appearance diffused an uncontrollable panic; others entertain the more probable opinion that, in the camp of this vast horde, composed of different tribes, jealousies and animosities had sprung up, which led to widespread dissensions and fierce feuds, in which they drew the sword against each other. The consequence was, that as the mutual strife commenced when the Hebrew procession set out from Jerusalem, the work of destruction was completed before Jehoshaphat and his people arrived at the battlefield. Thus easy is it for God to make the wrath of man to praise Him, to confound the counsels of His enemies, and employ their own passions in defeating the machinations they have devised for the overthrow of His Church and people.

Verse 23

For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 24

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

When Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness - most probably the conical hill, Jebel Fereidis, or Frank Mountain, from the summit of which they obtained the first view of rise scene of slaughter. Jehoshaphat and his people found the field strewed with dead bodies, so that they had not to fight at all, but to take possession of an immense booty, the collection of which occupied three days. On the fourth they set out on their return to Jerusalem in the same order and joyful mood as they came. The place where they mustered previous to departure was, from their public thanksgiving service, called 'the valley of Berachah' (benediction), now Wady Bereikut.

Verses 25-30

And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

Verse 31

And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah - (see 2 Chronicles 24:1. )

Verse 32

And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

Walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it. He was more stedfast and consistently religious (cf. 2 Chronicles 15:18).

Verse 33

Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

The high places were not taken away. Those on which idolatry was practiced were entirely destroyed (2 Chronicles 17:6), but those where the people, notwithstanding the erection of the temple, continued to worship the true God, prudence required to be slowly and gradually abolished, in deference to popular prejudice.

Verse 34

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

No JFB commentary on this verse.

Verse 35

And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

After this did Jehoshaphat ... join himself with Ahaziah ...

Verse 36

And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber.

To make ships. A combined fleet was built at Ezion-geber, the destination of which was to voyage to Tartessus, but it was wrecked. Jehoshaphat's motive for entering into this partnership was to secure a free passage through Israel, because the vessels were to be conveyed across the Isthmus of Suez, and to sail to the west of Europe from one of the ports of Palestine on the Mediterranean. Eliezer, a prophet, denounced this unholy alliance, and foretold, as a divine judgment, the total wreck of the whole fleet. The consequence was, that although Jehoshaphat broke off in obedience to the divine will, his league with Ahaziah, he formed a new scheme of a merchant fleet, and Ahaziah wished to be admitted a partner. The proposal of the Israelite king was respectfully declined. The destination of this new fleet was to Ophir, because the Israelite seaports were not accessible to him for the Tartessus trade; but the ships, when just for the docks, were wrecked in the rocky creek of Ezion-geber.