2 Tawarikh 5:11-14
Konteks5:11 The priests left the holy place. 1 All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented. 2 5:12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets. 5:13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly praised the Lord, singing: 3 “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!” Then a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 4 5:14 The priests could not carry out their duties 5 because of the cloud; the Lord’s splendor filled God’s temple.
2 Tawarikh 5:6
Konteks5:6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. 6
2 Tawarikh 14:1-15
Konteks14:1 (13:23) 7 Abijah passed away 8 and was buried in the City of David. 9 His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign 10 the land had rest for ten years.
14:2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved. 11 14:3 He removed the pagan altars 12 and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. 13 14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 14 and to observe his law and commands. 15 14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. 16
14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 14:7 He said to the people of Judah: 17 “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. 18 The land remains ours because we have followed 19 the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” 20 So they built the cities 21 and prospered.
14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 22 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
14:11 Asa prayed 23 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. 24 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. 25 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” 26 14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; 27 they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah 28 carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic. 29 The men of Judah 30 looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. 31 14:15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. 32 They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. 33
2 Tawarikh 20:15-30
Konteks20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, 34 residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 35 because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them as 36 they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. 20:17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, 37 O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 38 Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”
20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah 39 and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. 40 20:19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. 41
20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah 42 and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! 43 Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 20:21 He met 44 with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.” 45
20:22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked 46 the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir 47 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir 48 and annihilated them. 49 When they had finished off the men 50 of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. 51 20:24 When the men of Judah 52 arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at 53 the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! 20:25 Jehoshaphat and his men 54 went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing 55 and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. 56 There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off. 57
20:26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where 58 they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah 59 to this very day. 20:27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 20:28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 20:29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God 60 when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 20:30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side. 61
[5:11] 1 tn Heb “and when the priests went from the holy place.” The syntactical relationship of this temporal clause to the following context is unclear. Perhaps the thought is completed in v. 14 after a lengthy digression.
[5:11] 2 tn Heb “Indeed [or “for”] all the priests who were found consecrated themselves without guarding divisions.”
[5:13] 3 tn Heb “like one were the trumpeters and the musicians, causing one voice to be heard, praising and giving thanks to the
[5:13] 4 tn Heb “and the house was filled with a cloud, the house of the
[5:14] 5 tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”
[5:6] 6 tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”
[14:1] 7 sn Beginning with 14:1, the verse numbers through 14:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 14:1 ET = 13:23 HT, 14:2 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:3 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:15 ET = 14:14 HT. Beginning with 15:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[14:1] 8 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:1] 9 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[14:1] 10 tn Heb “in his days.”
[14:2] 11 tn Heb “and Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of the
[14:3] 12 tn Heb “the altars of the foreigner.”
[14:3] 13 sn Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[14:4] 15 tn Heb “the law and the command.”
[14:5] 16 tn Heb “before him.”
[14:7] 17 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[14:7] 18 tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.”
[14:7] 20 tn Heb “and he has given us rest all around.”
[14:7] 21 tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[14:9] 22 tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”
[14:11] 23 tn Heb “called out.”
[14:11] 24 tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”
[14:11] 25 tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”
[14:11] 26 tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”
[14:13] 27 tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.”
[14:13] 28 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 29 tn Heb “for the terror of the
[14:14] 30 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 31 tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”
[14:15] 32 tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.”
[14:15] 33 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:15] 34 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
[20:15] 35 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:17] 37 tn Heb “the deliverance of the
[20:17] 38 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:18] 39 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:18] 40 tn Heb “to worship the
[20:19] 41 tn Heb “arose to praise the
[20:20] 42 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:20] 43 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
[20:21] 45 tn Or “is eternal.”
[20:22] 46 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
[20:22] 47 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 48 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 49 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
[20:23] 50 tn Heb “residents.”
[20:23] 51 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
[20:24] 52 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:24] 53 tn Heb “turned toward.”
[20:25] 55 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fÿgarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew
[20:25] 56 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
[20:25] 57 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
[20:26] 58 tn Heb “for there.”
[20:26] 59 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
[20:29] 60 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
