2 Chronicles 20:1–30
20 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, 1 came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 20:2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, 2 from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). 3 20:3Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 20:4And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5 20:5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 20:6and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 20:7Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 20:8And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 20:9‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, 3 or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 20:10And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 20:11behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 20:12O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
13 20:13Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 20:14And the Spirit of the Lord came 4 upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 20:15And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 20:16Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 20:17You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
18 20:18Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 20:19And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 20:20And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 20:21And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
22 20:22And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 20:23For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
24 20:24When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there 5 were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 20:25When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 20:26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, 6 for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 20:27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 20:28They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 20:29And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 20:30So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
Section Overview
The long account of a battle with forces of Moab and Ammon is a rich tapestry of themes from throughout the OT.1 The introduction is a simple statement of looming attack by the coalition from the southeast and its being reported to Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:1–2), but what follows combines several features of temple worship, including a prophetic response and singing, with Judah doing nothing at the battlefront except singing and waiting for God to act.
Expressions of piety are prevalent throughout. Public prayer is prominent as Jehoshaphat responds by “setting his face to seek [darash] the Lord” (vv. 3–13; cf. 17:3–4), joined by the people (“seek,” biqqesh; twice in 20:4).2 God then answers with a Levitical prophet’s message that “the Lord will be with [ʻim] you” (vv. 14–17),3 with response of praise (before victory; vv. 18–19). Further, at the battle scene praise is again offered, led by appointed musicians (vv. 20–21), followed by a statement that the Lord gave victory as they were singing (vv. 22–23) and the gathering of plunder and further praise as they return to the temple (vv. 24–28). The result (vv. 29–30) is summarized with recurring motifs: “The fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries” (cf. 14:14; 17:10; 19:7),4 and the kingdom knew “quiet” (shaqat, also translated “rest”; 1 Chron. 22:9; 2 Chron. 14:1, 5, 6; 23:21) and “rest” (nuakh, also translated “peace”; 1 Chron. 22:9, 18; 23:25; 2 Chron. 14:6, 7; 15:15). Various themes are woven together with repeated praise of the Lord.5
The importance of this narrative is enhanced by the way each aspect is intensified: the enemy was a “great multitude/horde” (20:2, 12, 15, 24); “all Judah” was involved, including “their little ones, their wives, and their children” (vv. 4, 13); praise was “with a very loud voice” (v. 19); afterward, “none [of the enemy] had escaped” (v. 24) and the bounty was such that “they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much” (v. 25); and, finally, “Fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries” (v. 29).6 God-given victory is emphatically linked with piety, centered in trusting praise.
Kings told of another battle against Moab, initiated by King Jehoram of Israel, a son of Ahab, with Jehoshaphat asked to join (2 Kings 3). The Chronicler has chosen a different battle, which probably resulted from the perceived weakness of both Israel and Judah, but he is less interested in the details. (Second Kings 13:20 notes that “bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.”) Various local names (2 Chron. 20:2, 20, 36) point to the Chronicler’s using an earlier written tradition,7 but his focus is on God’s provision of the land to live in and the temple as the place for corporate petition and praise. Such worship is based on his past actions and promise.8 Prayer and praise is also heard at the place of battle: there too God acts to protect his people and land.
Previously the Chronicler had told how, during Abijah’s reign, orthodox worship, regular offering of sacrifices by Aaronic priests assisted by Levites, and priests’ giving the battle call had all led to victory, since “God is with us at our head” (13:8–12). In contrast, in this battle Judah pursues no military activity other than praise and trust in the prophetic word. The dramatic result (20:29–30) is the opposite of the preceding disastrous defeat when Jehoshaphat had joined with Ahab, going to battle despite prophetic warning (18:1–19:1). The importance of obeying the word of prophets is affirmed through the contrast.
Section Outline
- III.C. Jehoshaphat: Religious and Judicial Reforms, and Battles (17:1–20:37) . . .
- 4. Prayer and Praise in Battle, and God Gives the Victory (20:1–30)
Response
Battles then and now are a part of human life. The Scriptures convey a constant message that security and victory depend not on military might or fortifications but on loyalty to God, seen in trusting worship and prayer (cf. Ps. 20:6–9). God may give victory in surprising ways.15 For the postexilic audience, without an army, this passage points the way forward: their best defense is reliance on the words of the prophets and the praise of the temple choirs (cf. 1 Chron. 16:31–33 and anticipation of universal reign). Centuries later, Mary was to see in the announcement that she was to give birth to the Messiah God’s acting in fulfillment of his promises to “bring down the mighty from their thrones,” matched by Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, praising God’s acting to “deliver from the hand of our enemies” (Luke 1:46–55, 68–79; sung traditionally in many churches as the Magnificat and the Benedictus). This deliverance was to come in an unexpected manner (cf. Luke 7:18–23; John 18:10–11, 33–38): God was to give victory not through military might but through the death and resurrection of his Son. In facing opposition, Christ gives the command to “love your enemies” (Matt. 5:43–48), which Paul repeats, adding that we are to leave it to God to act in his own way (Rom. 12:14–21). We pray by starting with what God has done and said; such is the basis for our pleas.
The passage points to the nations’ coming to see God through the victory given to a “powerless” people (2 Chron. 20:12). Elsewhere from the postexilic period, the prophet Zechariah speaks concerning the power of the Holy Spirit over against human might (Zech. 4:7). The NT follows the pattern of the Spirit working through human vulnerability: mission is the work of the Spirit through human weakness (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:18–31; 2 Cor. 13:3b–4; Phil. 3:10).16
Praise is often anticipatory: it sings of God’s ultimate victory. The statement at the Last Supper “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26) is often read as simply a factual statement (commonly interpreted as similar to the later Passover tradition of singing the Hallel psalms, 113–118). But it could also point to an ongoing tradition of Christian singing that looks to what is ahead. We read of Paul and Silas in prison in Philippi “praying and singing hymns to God” before their dramatic release (Acts 16:25). Above all, the book of Revelation is full of songs (Rev. 4:8, 11; 5:12, 13; 7:10, 12; 11:17–18; etc.). Praise is an affirmation of a reality that is more than that claimed by human pretensions or analyzed by commentators; it cries out that, despite human pretensions, God is ruler over all nations. This is our hope.
1 Selman, 2 Chronicles, 421.
2 For the use of both darash and biqqesh throughout 2 Chronicles, cf. comment on 7:13–16.
3 For “with” (ʻim), cf. Overview of 17:1–20:37.
4 Cf. comment on 1 Chronicles 29:26–30.
5 Kleinig, The Lord’s Song, 170–180.
6 Japhet, I & II Chronicles, 783.
7 Williamson, 1 and 2 Chronicles, 291–293.
8 Előd Hodossy-Takács, “On the Battlefield and Beyond: The Reinterpretation of the Moabite-Israelite Encounters in 2 Chronicles 20,” in Rewritten Bible after Fifty Years: Texts, Terms, or Techniques? A Last Dialogue with Geza Vermes, ed. József Zsengellér, JSJSup (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 167–180.
9 Cf. Introduction: Theology of 1–2 Chronicles: “All Israel,” and Introduction: Relationship to the Rest of the Bible and to Christ: Looking Forward: “All Israel,” Its “Assembly,” and the Church.
10 Dillard, 2 Chronicles, 157.
11 Allen, “First and Second Books,” 561; Selman, 2 Chronicles, 426. In v. 17 Hebrew ʻimmakem is repeated: ESV “on your behalf,” “with you.”
12 Kleinig, The Lord’s Song, 176. Here the MT has the preposition le- “to, for” (elsewhere be- “with”), which following hillel, “praise,” denotes the object of praise (cf. 29:30; 30:21; 1 Chron. 16:4, 36; 23:5, 30; 29:13; HALOT, s.v. הָלַל).
13 Selman, 2 Chronicles, 428.
14 On “joy,” cf. Introduction: Theology of 1–2 Chronicles: Temple, Levites, and Worship.
15 Konkel discusses this passage and “War in Chronicles” in 1 & 2 Chronicles, 340–342, 481–485.
16 See Michael Parsons and David J. Cohen, eds., On Eagles’ Wings: An Exploration of Strength in the Midst of Weakness (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2008).