2 Chronicles 20:31–37

20:31–34 The assessment of Jehoshaphat personally is commendatory, but his reign suffered from limitations in its effect. Mention of “high places . . . not taken away” is evidence that popular religion continued despite the extent of his reforms (17:6–19; 19:4–11) and alongside the people’s worship seen in 20:1–30. The Chronicler adds an explanation: “The people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.” The verb “set” (a form of kun, “establish, fix”) suggests constancy, as is the case positively for Jehoshaphat himself (19:3) or negatively for Rehoboam (12:14). As for all other kings, the records are associated with a court prophet, here “Jehu the son of Hanani” (cf. comment on 19:1–3).

20:35–37 The Chronicler leaves out some of the extra items in Kings and focuses on the alliance with Ahaziah, leading to details different from those found in 1 Kings 22:48–49. The die was set at the start: Jehoshaphat “joined with Ahaziah.” This as the issue is highlighted by the threefold “joined with” in 2 Chronicles 20:35–37, the final instances of ʻim, “with,” in the Jehoshaphat account (cf. Overview of 17:1–20:37). Jehoshaphat had previously made an alliance with Ahaziah’s father, Ahab, marrying his daughter (cf. comment on 18:1–3). It appears that the Chronicler has interpreted Ahaziah’s request in 1 Kings 22:49 as continuing that alliance, with shipbuilding clearly preceding the wrecking.¹ Ahaziah in this way “acted wickedly” (lit., “did wickedly to do”). The seriousness of “joining” to “make/do” is emphasized by the fourfold use in 2 Chronicles 20:35–37 of Hebrew ʻasah: “acted,” “building,” “built,” and “made.” The prophetic message, however, is that “the Lord will destroy,” the verb parats having been used previously when God “broke out” upon Uzziah (1 Chron. 13:11; 14:11). Jehoshaphat had his plans, but God brought them to an end.

Eliezer’s message functions similarly to the earlier message of Jehu (2 Chron. 19:2–3), showing God’s judgment upon the alliance in any form. The concluding summary of Jehoshaphat’s reign, like Jehu’s message, affirms both the wrongness of Jehoshaphat’s “joining” (the results after his death will be horrendous) and the positive actions in his reign that showed how he did “what was right in the sight of the Lord.”