Jehoshaphat was one of the most important kings of ancient Judah after the great King David, although he was also one of the most unknown by most Christians. Do you want to learn more about its history? 2 Chronicles 20 will help you with that!
Second Chronicles 20 of the Bible
Many books of the Bible tell the history of ancient Israel and are a fairly accurate source of information. accurate source of information about the civilization about the civilization that preceded the first Christians in the lands near Jerusalem.
This is the case of 2 Chronicles 20in which Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, defeats Moab and Ammon with the help of God’s great power. It is a very significant chapter with a very nice interpretation apart from its historical value. Are you going to miss it?
We start the article with a video in which you will be able to read and listen to 2 Chronicles 20 in its entiretyWe begin the article with a video in which you will be able to listen to the complete 2 Chronicles 20, calmly and quietly, thus creating an intimate moment with God that is very necessary in these days of such busy lives.
2 Chronicles 20 complete and in large print
Now it’s time to read the full text if you need and want to, so you can find it below in its version Reina Valera 1960. Did you know that this version is considered one of the most faithful translations to the original version of the Bible?
Victory over Moab and Ammon
1 And it came to pass after these things, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them others of the children of Ammon, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 And some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, and from Syria: and, behold, they are in Hazezon-tamar, which is En-gadi.
3 Then he was afraid; and Jehoshaphat humbled his face to inquire of the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And the men of Judah gathered themselves together to call upon the LORD for help; and they also from all the cities of Judah came to call upon the LORD for help.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court;
6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Is it not in your hand such strength and power, that there is no one who can resist you?
7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham your friend forever?
8 And they have dwelt in it, and have built thee a sanctuary in it for thy name, saying:
9 If evil come upon us, or the sword of punishment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee (for thy name is in this house), and because of our afflictions we will cry unto thee, and thou wilt hear us, and save us.
10 Now therefore, behold the children of Ammon and Moab, and the children of mount Seir, to whose land thou wouldest not have Israel to pass over, when he came out of the land of Egypt, but that he should turn away from them, and not destroy them;
11 Behold, they repay us by coming to cast us out of the inheritance which thou hast given us to possess.
12 O our God! won’t you judge them? For there is no strength in us against so great a multitude that comes against us; we do not know what to do, and to you we turn our eyes.
13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones and their wives and their children.
14 And Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, was there, upon whom the Spirit of the LORD came in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hear ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the LORD unto you: Fear ye not, nor be dismayed at this great multitude: for the war is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow you shall go down against them; behold, they shall come up by the ascent of Zis, and you shall find them by the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 There is no need for you to fight in this case; stand still, be still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you. O Judah and Jerusalem, fear not, nor be dismayed; go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD will be with you.
18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed himself with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, and worshiped the LORD.
19 And the Levites of the sons of Kohath and of the sons of Korah rose up, to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud and strong voice.
20 And when they arose in the morning, they went out into the desert of Tecoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be safe; believe his prophets, and you will prosper.
21 And he took counsel with the people, and appointed some to sing and praise the LORD, clothed in holy garments, as the people went out armed, and to say, Glorify the LORD, for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing songs of praise, the LORD set liers in ambush against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which came against Judah, and they slew one another.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab rose up against the children of Mount Seir to slay and destroy them; and when they had made an end of the children of Mount Seir, they helped every man in the destruction of his fellow.
24 And when Judah came to the tower in the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and, behold, they were lying dead on the ground; for none of them had escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to strip them, they found among the dead bodies much riches, both raiment and precious jewels, which they took for themselves, so much that they could not carry them away; and they were three days gathering the spoil, for it was very much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD, and therefore they called the name of that place the valley of Berachah unto this day.
27 And all Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem rejoicing, for the LORD had given them joy in delivering them from their enemies.
28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, harps, and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
29 And the fear of God fell upon all the kingdoms of the land, when they heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat had peace, because his God gave him peace on every side.
Summary of Jehoshaphat’s reign
31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah; he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azuba, daughter of Silhi.
32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.
33 Yet the high places were not taken away; for the people had not yet straightened out their hearts to the God of their fathers.
34 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the words of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.
35 After these things, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made friends with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was given to wickedness,
36 And he made a company with him to build ships to go to Tarshish; and they built the ships at Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast kept company with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy thy works. And the ships were broken, and they could not go to Tarshish.
Bible study of 2 Chronicles 20 with summary
As usual in our biblical commentaries, we are going to analyze this chapter by highlighting the key verses of this chapter. key verses and commenting on everything that surrounds them in their specific section. We’ll start whenever you want!
2 Chronicles 20:1
“And it came to pass after these things, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them others of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to war.”
The story of Jehoshaphat is already explained in the chapters prior to chapter 20, so the first sentence already refers to it. His last event was his departure in search of God, after almost perishing before the King Ahab of Israel.
Thus, the peoples of the kingdoms of Moab and Ammon decide to declare war on the fragile and weak kingdom of Judah ruled by Jehoshaphat.
2 Chronicles 20:7
“Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham your friend forever?”
Unlike the surrounding kingdoms such as Moab and Ammon, the kingdom of Judah was already openly professing its faith towards one and only true Godthe same God who guided Moses in the desert and gave him the tablets of the law and to whom David dedicated all his psalms.
In fact, Jehoshaphat recalls in his prayers how God gave to the people of Moses the promised land they now inhabited. If God had helped him in the past, why wouldn’t he help him now?
2 Chronicles 20:14
“And there stood there Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the LORD came in the midst of the congregation.”
The people sought God and, as they have always done when faith has united a people, God responded. In this case it was manifested in a man named Jahaziel, who acted as a prophet giving voice to the message of our Lord.
2 Chronicles 20:15
“And he said, Hear ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the LORD unto you: Fear ye not, nor be dismayed at this great multitude: for the war is not yours, but God’s.”
And here comes thehe best verse of all of all, in which God addresses the crowd with a message of hope and strength that only those who have truly sought the Lord can feel.
God said to them, “Fear not, it is not your war but God’s.” With these words he managed to instilling faith in a people that was about to be attacked in a situation of great inferiority before a very powerful enemy.
In life we should follow this example, seek God at all times and remember that it is our duty to keep our faith alive. to keep the faith alive. In this way, God will take care of us and ensure that nothing bad happens to us.
2 Chronicles 20:20
“And when they arose in the morning, they went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and ye shall be safe; believe his prophets, and ye shall prosper.”
In this verse, Jehoshaphat reiterates the message sent by God giving more strength to his people. The Lord had promised them a victory without a fight and they went out confidently following his orders to search for those who wanted to attack them.
2 Chronicles 20:21
“And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed some to sing and praise the LORD, clothed in holy garments, as the people went out armed, and to say, Glorify the LORD, for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Jehoshaphat believed and his only action in preparation for that battle was to order some people to glorify God. to glorify God on the battlefield with songs and music.
As it could not be otherwise, Judah defeated the kingdoms of Moab and Ammon, whose armies turned against each other breaking their alliance and leaving the kingdom of Judah in peace.
As you can see, this message also applies to ourselves. Those who go against God will fail, while those who believe in Him will have a life of peace. in peace and great happiness.
2 Chronicles 20:26
“And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord, and therefore they called the name of that place the valley of Berachah unto this day.”
After the victory, the inhabitants of Judah greatly increased their faith in God and came days of celebration in that humble land that had conquered with the power of faith.
Berachah means “blessing” in Hebrewso that the valley where they blessed the Lord, has remained with this name.
This has been our biblical commentary on 2 Chronicles 20, along with its context and anything else you may find useful to understand the meaning of the chapter. If you have any doubts you can always consult your trusted spiritual guide and pray a lot looking for answers in the Lord.
Context of 2 Chronicles 20
After reading the text, you may wonder where you should place 2 Chronicles 20 in the Bible and in the chronology of Israel. Israel’s chronology in general. Well, now let’s answer these questions and get to know the context of the chapter to make everything clearer.
If you look in the Bible, you will find the Second Book of Chronicles in the Old Testament, after the First Book of Chronicles (1 Chronicles), which is also preceded by 2 Kings. On the other hand, the next book to 2 Chronicles is Ezra, which is also a very historically charged book.
Although nowadays they are treated separately, the books of Books of Chronicles come from a single original volume that was later divided into two. Both narrate chronologically the history of Israel in a schematic way starting with Adam and ending with the liberation of the Jewish captivity in Babylon.
In them, there are also important characters such as Adam, Noah, Abraham and Davidall linked with a well-specified genealogy. Thus, you have in these books a list of all the kings of Israel, their origins and descendants.
Chapter 2 Chronicles 20, narrates a fragment of Jehoshaphat’s reign of Jehoshaphatthe sixth king of the house of David. His reign over Judah was around the time of 850 B.C., a period little known to most believers about the history of Israel.
For your reference, at that time David had reigned for about 200 years, unifying Israel and unifying Israel and it was also approximately 300 years before the destruction of the First Temple and the Jewish exile to Babylon that is narrated in books such as that of the prophet Jeremiah.
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