2 Chronicles 14:8-15

8 King Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, armed with shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin, armed with shields and bows. All of them were brave, well-trained men.

9 An Ethiopian named Zerah invaded Judah with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots and advanced as far as Mareshah.

10 Asa went out to fight him, and both sides took up their positions at Zephathah Valley near Mareshah.

11 Asa prayed to the Lord his God, "O Lord, you can help a weak army as easily as a powerful one. Help us now, O Lord our God, because we are relying on you, and in your name we have come out to fight against this huge army. Lord, you are our God; no one can hope to defeat you."

12 The Lord defeated the Ethiopian army when Asa and the Judean army attacked them. They fled,

13 and Asa and his troops pursued them as far as Gerar. So many of the Ethiopians were killed that the army was unable to rally and fight. They were overpowered by the Lord and his army, and the army took large amounts of loot.

14 Then they were able to destroy the cities in the area around Gerar, because the people there were terrified of the Lord. The army plundered all those cities and captured large amounts of loot.

15 They also attacked the camps of some shepherds, capturing large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 14:8-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 14

This chapter relates the death of Abijah, and the succession of Asa in his stead, 2Ch 14:1, gives a good character of the latter for his reformation in religion, and for the care he took for the safety and protection of his subjects, 2Ch 14:2-8, and an account is given of a large army of Ethiopians that came against him, over whom he crying to the Lord, and trusting in him, by his help obtained a complete victory, 2Ch 14:9-15.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Hebrew] Cushite(s): [Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).]
• [b]. [Hebrew] Cushite(s): [Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).]
• [c]. [Hebrew] Cushite(s): [Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).]
• [d]. So many of the Ethiopians . . . fight; [or] The Ethiopians were completely defeated; not one of them was left alive.