2 Chronicles 25:8

8 You may think that they will make you stronger in battle, but it is God who has the power to give victory or defeat, and he will let your enemies defeat you."

2 Chronicles 25:8 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 25:8

But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle
An ironical expression; if thou wilt not be advised, take them with thee, and try what thou canst do; exert all thy courage, and use thy military skill, and mark the issue:

God shall make thee fall before the enemy;
notwithstanding the number of thy troops, and those of thy auxiliaries; though some take them to be spoken seriously, and read the words, "but go thou"; that is, alone, without the hired troops, and fight boldly and courageously; or otherwise "God shall make thee fall"

for God hath power to help and to cast down;
to help with a few, and to cast down with many; to help without the hired Israelites, and to cast down with them.

2 Chronicles 25:8 In-Context

6 In addition, he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel at a cost of about four tons of silver.

7 But a prophet went to the king and said to him, "Don't take these Israelite soldiers with you. The Lord is not with these people from the Northern Kingdom.

8 You may think that they will make you stronger in battle, but it is God who has the power to give victory or defeat, and he will let your enemies defeat you."

9 Amaziah asked the prophet, "But what about all that silver I have already paid for them?" The prophet replied, "The Lord can give you back more than that!"

10 So Amaziah sent the hired troops away and told them to go home. At this they went home, bitterly angry with the people of Judah.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Some ancient translations] You may . . . stronger; [Hebrew unclear.]