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2 Chronicles 14:13 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

13 And Asa and the people who were with him went after them as far as Gerar; and so great was the destruction among the Ethiopians that they were not able to get their army together again, for they were broken before the Lord and before his army; and they took away a great amount of their goods.

Cross Reference

Genesis 10:19 BBE

Their country stretching from Zidon to Gaza, in the direction of Gerar; and to Lasha, in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim.

Genesis 20:1 BBE

And Abraham went on his way from there to the land of the South, and was living between Kadesh and Shur, in Gerar.

Genesis 26:1 BBE

Then came a time of great need in the land, like that which had been before in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

Genesis 10:1 BBE

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: these are the sons which they had after the great flow of waters

Joshua 5:14 BBE

And he said, No; but I have come as captain of the armies of the Lord. Then Joshua, falling down with his face to the earth in worship, said, What has my lord to say to his servant?

1 Samuel 25:28 BBE

And may the sin of your servant have forgiveness: for the Lord will certainly make your family strong, because my lord is fighting in the Lord's war; and no evil will be seen in you all your days.

1 Chronicles 12:22 BBE

And from day to day more supporters came to David, till he had a great army like the army of God.

2 Chronicles 14:14 BBE

And they overcame all the towns round Gerar, because the Lord sent fear on them; and they took away their goods from the towns, for there were stores of wealth in them.

Job 6:9 BBE

If only he would be pleased to put an end to me; and would let loose his hand, so that I might be cut off!

Job 9:4 BBE

He is wise in heart and great in strength: who ever made his face hard against him, and any good came of it?

Psalms 108:11 BBE

Have you not sent us away from you, O God? and you go not out with our armies.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 BBE

Whose reward will be eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,

Commentary on 2 Chronicles 14 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 14

2Ch 14:1-5. Asa Destroys Idolatry.

1. In his days the land was quiet ten years—This long interval of peace was the continued effect of the great battle of Zemaraim (compare 1Ki 15:11-14).

2. Asa did that which was good and right—(compare 1Ki 15:14). Still his character and life were not free from faults (2Ch 16:7, 10, 12).

3. brake down the images—of Baal (see on 2Ch 34:4; Le 26:30).

cut down the groves—rather, "Asherim."

5. he took away … the high places—that is, those devoted to idolatrous rites.

took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images—All public objects and relics of idolatry in Jerusalem and other cities through his kingdom were destroyed; but those high places where God was worshipped under the figure of an ox, as at Beth-el, were allowed to remain (1Ki 15:14); so far the reformation was incomplete.

2Ch 14:6-8. Having Peace, He Strengthens His Kingdom with Forts and Armies.

6. he built fenced cities in Judah—(See on 1Ki 15:22).

7. while the land is yet before us—that is, while we have free and undisputed progress everywhere; no foe is near; but, as this happy time of peace may not last always and the kingdom is but small and weak, let us prepare suitable defenses in case of need. He had also an army of five hundred eighty thousand men. Judah furnished the heavily armed soldiers, and Benjamin the archers. This large number does not mean a body of professional soldiers, but all capable of bearing arms and liable to be called into service.

2Ch 14:9-15. He Overcomes Zerah, and Spoils the Ethiopians.

9. there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian—This could not have been from Ethiopia south of the cataracts of the Nile, for in the reign of Osorkon I, successor of Shishak, no foreign army would have been allowed a free passage through Egypt. Zerah must, therefore, have been chief of the Cushites, or Ethiopians of Arabia, as they were evidently a nomad horde who had a settlement of tents and cattle in the neighborhood of Gerar.

a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots—"Twenty camels employed to carry couriers upon them might have procured that number of men to meet in a short time. As Zerah was the aggressor, he had time to choose when he would summon these men and attack the enemy. Every one of these Cushite shepherds, carrying with them their own provisions of flour and water, as is their invariable custom, might have fought with Asa without eating a loaf of Zerah's bread or drinking a pint of his water" [Bruce, Travels].

10. Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array … at Mareshah—one of the towns which Rehoboam fortified (2Ch 11:8), near a great southern pass in the low country of Judah (Jos 15:44). The engagement between the armies took place in a plain near the town, called "the valley of Zephathah," supposed to be the broad way coming down Beit Jibrin towards Tell Es-Safren [Robinson].

11-13. Asa cried unto the Lord his God—Strong in the confidence that the power of God was able to give the victory equally with few as with many, the pious king marched with a comparatively small force to encounter the formidable host of marauders at his southern frontier. Committing his cause to God, he engaged in the conflict—completely routed the enemy, and succeeded in obtaining, as the reward of his victory, a rich booty in treasure and cattle from the tents of this pastoral horde.