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2 Chronicles 17

The TorahRooted Bible (TRB), translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek.

Jehoshaphat king of Judah

1 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. 3 And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the Elohim of his father and walked in His commandments, and not according to the deeds of Israel. 5 Therefore Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. 6 His heart was lifted up in the ways of Yahweh; and moreover he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

Teaching the Torah in Judah

7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram the priests. 9 They taught in Judah, and had the book of the Torah of Yahweh with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

Jehoshaphat's strength

10 And the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabians also brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats. 12 So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, exceedingly; and he built in Judah fortresses and store cities. 13 He had much work in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.

14 And this was their muster by their fathers' houses: of Judah, the commanders of thousands, Adnah the commander, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered himself for Yahweh, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty thousand equipped for war. 19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king had put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Notes

  • 17:4 "Seek" (darash) runs through these chapters: Asa at the end "did not seek Yahweh" (16:12), but Jehoshaphat "did not seek the Baals, but sought the Elohim of his father." "The former ways of David his father" probably points to David's early years, before his sin; the Greek translation lacks "David" and reads "the first ways of his father," which would mean the good early years of Asa. "The deeds of Israel" are those of the northern kingdom under Ahab.
  • 17:6 "His heart was lifted up" (vayyigbah libbo) usually means pride (26:16; 32:25), but here, "in the ways of Yahweh," it means a heart made bold and courageous. Yet 20:33 and 1 Kings 22:43 say that the high places were not removed in his days. Many think he removed the high places used for the worship of other gods while the people still kept the local altars to Yahweh, or that he removed them and the people built them again; the text does not explain.
  • 17:9 Teaching the Torah was given to the priests and Levites: "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your Torah" (Deuteronomy 33:10; see Leviticus 10:11). Azariah had warned that Israel had long been without a teaching priest and without Torah (15:3); now officials, Levites and priests go out together with "the book of the Torah of Yahweh" to every city of Judah. Chronicles places the strength of the kingdom (verses 10-19) right after this teaching. Long afterward, Levites again taught the people from the book of the Torah in the days of Ezra (Nehemiah 8:7-8).
  • 17:14 The numbers in verses 14-18 add up to one million one hundred and sixty thousand, very large for Judah and Benjamin. As with other large numbers, elef, "thousand," can also name a military unit, and numbers were easily confused in copying (see the note on 1 Chronicles 19:18); the text does not resolve it.

2 Chronicles 16 · 2 Chronicles 18

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