2 Chronicles 14:9

2 Chronicles 14:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
• New International Version (NIV)Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

Context of 2 Chronicles 14:9

7Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion. 8King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men. Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah, 10so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah. 11Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”

2 Chronicles 14:9 word by word

וַיֵּצֵ֨א אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם זֶ֣רַח הַכּוּשִׁ֗י בְּחַ֙יִל֙ אֶ֣לֶף אֲלָפִ֔ים וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת וַיָּבֹ֖א עַד־מָרֵשָֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And there came outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• against them Zerahזֶ֫רַחzerach · ZerahH2226
• the Ethiopianכּוּשִׁיkûshîy · EthiopianH3569
• with an hostחַ֫יִלchayil · armyH2428
• of a thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• and threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
• chariotsמֶרְכָּבָהmerkâbâh · chariotH4818
• and cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• unto Mareshahמָרֵשָׁהmar'êshâh marêshâh · MareshahH4762

Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 14:9

• 2 Chronicles 12:2Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign.
• 2 Chronicles 16:8Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you.
• 2 Kings 19:9Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:
• Isaiah 8:9“Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified. Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!
• Ezekiel 30:5Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia, and all their other allies will be destroyed in that war.
• Revelation 16:14They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.
• Joshua 15:44Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah—nine towns with their surrounding villages.
• Micah 1:15O people of Mareshah, I will bring a conqueror to capture your town. And the leaders of Israel will go to Adullam.

Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 14:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Zerah the Ethiopian - Probably of that Ethiopia which lay on the south of Egypt, near to Libya, and therefore the Libyans are joined with them, 2 Chronicles 16:8. A thousand thousand - If this people had come from any great distance, they could not have had forage for such an immense army.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Zerah the Ethiopian is probably Usarken (Osorkon) II, the third king of Egypt after Shishak, according to the Egyptian monuments. Osorkon II may have been by birth an Ethiopian, for he was the son-in-law, not the son, of the preceding monarch, and reigned in right of his wife. The object of the expedition would be to bring Judaea once more under the Egyptian yoke. An host of a thousand thousand - This is the largest collected army of which we hear in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-14Solomon prayed for the Lord to hear his people when they went into battle (2 Chronicles 6:34). In the battle against Zerah, God answered this prayer. The term Cushite might refer to someone from southern Egypt (Nubia) or a Midianite area northeast of Aqabah (see Numbers 12:1; Habakkuk 3:7). However, several things suggest that Zerah was Egyptian: The mention of Libya in 2 Chronicles 16:8 The battle's size (similar to Shishak's attack on Rehoboam in 2…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Chronicles 14:9

• Ethiopia
• Mareshah
• Zerah

In the dictionaries

• Ethiopian
• Ethiopia, Ethiopian
• Zerah (the Ethiopian)
• Mareshah
• Quiet
• Zephathah
• Zerah
• Army
• Chronicles, Books of
• Egypt

Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings