2 Kronieken 14:9

9 En Zerah, de Moor, kwam tegen hen uit, met een heir van duizend maal duizend, en driehonderd wagenen; en hij kwam tot Maresa toe.

2 Kronieken 14:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 14:9

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with an
host of thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots
According to Josephus ^F2, this army consisted of 900,000 foot, and 100,000 horsemen, and certain it is there were horsemen among them, ( 2 Chronicles 16:8 ) some say these were not the Ethiopians in Africa, beyond Egypt, being, as is said, too far off for such an army to travel, and it would be hard to say what should induce them to it; and besides it is urged, the king of Egypt would never have suffered them to pass through his dominions, as they must to come to Judea; but that they were the Cushite Arabs, that inhabited Midian, part of Arabia Petraea, and Arabia Felix, near Judaea, (See Gill on Numbers 12:1), but since this great host consisted of Lubim or Libyans, inhabitants of Africa, as well as of Ethiopians, ( 2 Chronicles 16:8 ) , these Ethiopians seem to be rather those in Africa, who were masters of Egypt and Libya, as well as Ethiopia, quickly after the death of Shishak, or Sesostris, see ( 2 Chronicles 12:2 2 Chronicles 12:3 ) , which accounts for the size of this army, and their passage through Egypt: that there were two sorts of Ethiopians, the western and eastern ones, the one that dwelt in Africa, the other in Asia, appears clearly from Homer {c}, Herodotus ^F4, and Heliodorus ^F5, the former of which seem here meant; nor need this army be thought incredible, especially since they were joined by the Lubim or Libyans, and assisted by the Philistines, as appears by what follows; besides, the two armies of Israel and Judah we read of in the preceding chapter, when put together, exceed this; see also ( 2 Chronicles 17:14-18 ) , so the armies of Tamerlane and Bajazet, that of the former being 1,600,000, and that of the latter 1,400,000 ^F6:

and came unto Mareshah;
a city in the tribe of Judah, on the borders of it, ( 2 Chronicles 11:8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 1.
F3 Odyss. 1. ver. 23, 24.
F4 Polymnia, sive, l. 7. c. 69, 70.
F5 Ethiopic. l. 9. c. 6.
F6 Laonic. Chalcocond. de rebus Turc. l. 3. p. 98, 102.

2 Kronieken 14:9 In-Context

7 Want hij zeide tot Juda: Laat ons deze steden bouwen, en muren daarom trekken, en torens, deuren en grendelen, terwijl het land nog is voor ons aangezicht; want wij hebben den HEERE, onzen God, gezocht, wij hebben Hem gezocht, en Hij heeft ons rondom henen rust gegeven. Zo bouwden zij en hadden voorspoed.

8 Asa nu had een heir van driehonderd duizend uit Juda, rondas en spies dragende, en tweehonderd en tachtig duizend uit Benjamin, het schild dragende en den boog spannende; al dezen waren kloeke helden.

9 En Zerah, de Moor, kwam tegen hen uit, met een heir van duizend maal duizend, en driehonderd wagenen; en hij kwam tot Maresa toe.

10 Toen toog Asa tegen hem uit; en zij stelden de slagorde in het dal Zefatha bij Maresa.

11 En Asa riep tot den HEERE, zijn God, en zeide: HEERE, het is niets bij U, te helpen hetzij den machtige, hetzij den krachteloze; help ons, o HEERE, onze God! Want wij steunen op U, en in Uw Naam zijn wij gekomen tegen deze menigte; o HEERE! Gij zijt onze God; laat den sterfelijken mens tegen U niets vermogen.