Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: 2 Chronicles 20:31 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
2Ch 20:31	Strong Concordance	And Jehoshaphat [03092] reigned [04427] over Judah [03063]: he was thirty [07970] and five [02568] years [08141] old [01121] when he began to reign [04427], and he reigned [04427] twenty [06242] and five [02568] years [08141] in Jerusalem [03389]. And his mother's [0517] name [08034] was Azubah [05806] the daughter [01323] of Shilhi [07977].
	King James	And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
HIS REIGN. (Ch2 20:31-37) Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah--(See Ch2 24:1).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

HIS REIGN. (Ch2 20:31-37)

Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah--(See Ch2 24:1).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Concluding notes on Jehoshaphat's reign, which are found also in Kg1 22:41-51, where they, supplemented by some notes (Kg1 22:45, Kg1 22:48, and Kg1 22:49) which are wanting in the Chronicle, form the whole account of his reign. In the statements as to Jehoshaphat's age at his accession, and the length and character of his reign, both accounts agree, except that the author of the Chronicle has, instead of the stereotyped formula, "and the people still sacrificed and offered incense upon the high places," a remark more significant of the state of affairs: "and the people had not yet determinedly turned their heart to the God of their fathers" (Ch2 20:33). The notice that Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel (Kg1 22:45) is not found in the Chronicle, because that would, as a matter of course, follow from Jehoshaphat's having joined affinity with the royal house of Ahab, and had been already sufficiently attested by the narrative in 2 Chron 18, and is so still further by the undertaking spoken of in Ch2 20:35. For the same reason, the clause introduced in Kg1 22:46 about the valiant acts and the wars of Jehoshaphat is omitted in the Chronicle, as these acts have been specially narrated here. As to Jehu's speeches, which were put into the book of Kings, see the Introduction. Further, the remark on the driving out of the remaining Sodomites (קדשׁ) from the land, Kg1 22:47, which refers back to Kg1 15:12, is wanting here, because this speciality is not mentioned in the case of Asa. Finally, the remark that Edom had no king, but only a viceroy or deputy, serves in Kg1 22:48 only as an introduction to the succeeding account of Jehoshaphat's attempt to open up anew the sea traffic with Ophir. But on that subject the author of the Chronicle only recounts in Ch2 20:35-37 that Jehoshaphat allied himself with the godless Ahaziah the king of Israel to build in Ezion-gaber ships to go to Tarshish, was censured for it by the prophet Eliezer, who announced to him that Jahve would destroy his work, and that thereupon the ships were broken, doubtless by a storm, and so could not go upon the voyage. אהרי־כן does not definitely fix the time (cf. Ch2 20:1), but only states that the alliance with Ahaziah took place after the victory over the Ammonites and Moabites. Ahaziah ascended the throne in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, and reigned scarcely two years, and the enterprise under discussion falls in that period. אתחבּר is an Aramaic form for התחבּר. The last clause of v. 38, "he did wickedly," Bertheau refers to Jehoshaphat: he did wrong; because the context shows that these words are intended to contain a censure on Jehoshaphat for his connection with the king of the northern kingdom. But this remark, though substantially correct, by no means proves that הוּא refers to Jehoshaphat. The words contain a censure on Jehoshaphat on account of his alliance with Ahaziah, even if they describe Ahaziah's conduct. We must, with the older commentators, take the words to refer to Ahaziah, for הרשׁיע is much too strong a word for Jehoshaphat's fault in the matter. The author of the Chronicle does indeed use the word הרשׁיע of Jehoshaphat's grandson Ahaziah, Ch2 22:3, in the clause, "his mother, a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was for הרשׁיע his counsellor," but only that he may characterize the acts of the Ahabic house. Jehoshaphat allied himself with the wicked Ahaziah to build ships תּרשׁישׁ ללכת, to go to Tarshish; and they built ships at Ezion-gaber, i.e., on the Red Sea. Instead of this, we have in Kg1 22:49 : Jehoshaphat built Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold. Hence it is manifest that in both passages the same undertaking is spoken of, and the expression "Tarshish ships" is paraphrased in the Chronicle by "ships to go to Tarshish." This periphrasis is, however, a mistake; for Tarshish ships are merely ships which, like those going to Tarshish, were built for long sea voyages, for Jehoshaphat merely desired to renew the voyages to Ophir. With the exception of this erroneous interpretation of the words, Tarshish ships, the two narratives agree, if we only keep in mind the fact that both are incomplete extracts from a more detailed account of this enterprise. The Chronicle supplies us with an explanatory commentary on the short account in Kg1 22:49, both in the statement that Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah of Israel for the preparation of the ships, and also in communicating the word of the prophet Eliezer as to the enterprise, which makes clear to us the reason for the destruction of the ships; while in Kg1 22:49 merely the fact of their destruction is recorded. Of the prophet Eliezer nothing further is known than the saying here communicated. His father's name, Dodavahu, is analogous in form to Hodavya, Joshavya (see on Ch1 3:24), so that there is no good ground to alter it into דּודיּהוּ, friend of Jahve, after the Doodi'a of the lxx. As to Mareshah, see on Ch2 11:8. The perfect פּרץ is prophetic: Jahve will rend thy work asunder. The words which follow record the fulfilment. עצר as in Ch2 13:20; Ch2 14:10. With this the chronicler's account of this enterprise concludes; while in Kg1 22:50 it is further stated that, after the destruction of the ships first built, Ahaziah called upon Jehoshaphat still to undertake the Ophir voyage in common with him, and to build new ships for the purpose, but Jehoshaphat would not. The ground of his refusal may easily be gathered from Ch2 20:37 of the Chronicle.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

Concluding notes on Jehoshaphat's reign, which are found also in Kg1 22:41-51, where they, supplemented by some notes (Kg1 22:45, Kg1 22:48, and Kg1 22:49) which are wanting in the Chronicle, form the whole account of his reign. In the statements as to Jehoshaphat's age at his accession, and the length and character of his reign, both accounts agree, except that the author of the Chronicle has, instead of the stereotyped formula, "and the people still sacrificed and offered incense upon the high places," a remark more significant of the state of affairs: "and the people had not yet determinedly turned their heart to the God of their fathers" (Ch2 20:33). The notice that Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel (Kg1 22:45) is not found in the Chronicle, because that would, as a matter of course, follow from Jehoshaphat's having joined affinity with the royal house of Ahab, and had been already sufficiently attested by the narrative in 2 Chron 18, and is so still further by the undertaking spoken of in Ch2 20:35. For the same reason, the clause introduced in Kg1 22:46 about the valiant acts and the wars of Jehoshaphat is omitted in the Chronicle, as these acts have been specially narrated here. As to Jehu's speeches, which were put into the book of Kings, see the Introduction. Further, the remark on the driving out of the remaining Sodomites (קדשׁ) from the land, Kg1 22:47, which refers back to Kg1 15:12, is wanting here, because this speciality is not mentioned in the case of Asa. Finally, the remark that Edom had no king, but only a viceroy or deputy, serves in Kg1 22:48 only as an introduction to the succeeding account of Jehoshaphat's attempt to open up anew the sea traffic with Ophir. But on that subject the author of the Chronicle only recounts in Ch2 20:35-37 that Jehoshaphat allied himself with the godless Ahaziah the king of Israel to build in Ezion-gaber ships to go to Tarshish, was censured for it by the prophet Eliezer, who announced to him that Jahve would destroy his work, and that thereupon the ships were broken, doubtless by a storm, and so could not go upon the voyage. אהרי־כן does not definitely fix the time (cf. Ch2 20:1), but only states that the alliance with Ahaziah took place after the victory over the Ammonites and Moabites. Ahaziah ascended the throne in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, and reigned scarcely two years, and the enterprise under discussion falls in that period. אתחבּר is an Aramaic form for התחבּר.

The last clause of v. 38, "he did wickedly," Bertheau refers to Jehoshaphat: he did wrong; because the context shows that these words are intended to contain a censure on Jehoshaphat for his connection with the king of the northern kingdom. But this remark, though substantially correct, by no means proves that הוּא refers to Jehoshaphat. The words contain a censure on Jehoshaphat on account of his alliance with Ahaziah, even if they describe Ahaziah's conduct. We must, with the older commentators, take the words to refer to Ahaziah, for הרשׁיע is much too strong a word for Jehoshaphat's fault in the matter. The author of the Chronicle does indeed use the word הרשׁיע of Jehoshaphat's grandson Ahaziah, Ch2 22:3, in the clause, "his mother, a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, was for הרשׁיע his counsellor," but only that he may characterize the acts of the Ahabic house. Jehoshaphat allied himself with the wicked Ahaziah to build ships תּרשׁישׁ ללכת, to go to Tarshish; and they built ships at Ezion-gaber, i.e., on the Red Sea. Instead of this, we have in Kg1 22:49 : Jehoshaphat built Tarshish ships to go to Ophir for gold. Hence it is manifest that in both passages the same undertaking is spoken of, and the expression "Tarshish ships" is paraphrased in the Chronicle by "ships to go to Tarshish." This periphrasis is, however, a mistake; for Tarshish ships are merely ships which, like those going to Tarshish, were built for long sea voyages, for Jehoshaphat merely desired to renew the voyages to Ophir. With the exception of this erroneous interpretation of the words, Tarshish ships, the two narratives agree, if we only keep in mind the fact that both are incomplete extracts from a more detailed account of this enterprise. The Chronicle supplies us with an explanatory commentary on the short account in Kg1 22:49, both in the statement that Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahaziah of Israel for the preparation of the ships, and also in communicating the word of the prophet Eliezer as to the enterprise, which makes clear to us the reason for the destruction of the ships; while in Kg1 22:49 merely the fact of their destruction is recorded. Of the prophet Eliezer nothing further is known than the saying here communicated. His father's name, Dodavahu, is analogous in form to Hodavya, Joshavya (see on Ch1 3:24), so that there is no good ground to alter it into דּודיּהוּ, friend of Jahve, after the Doodi'a of the lxx. As to Mareshah, see on Ch2 11:8. The perfect פּרץ is prophetic: Jahve will rend thy work asunder. The words which follow record the fulfilment. עצר as in Ch2 13:20; Ch2 14:10. With this the chronicler's account of this enterprise concludes; while in Kg1 22:50 it is further stated that, after the destruction of the ships first built, Ahaziah called upon Jehoshaphat still to undertake the Ophir voyage in common with him, and to build new ships for the purpose, but Jehoshaphat would not. The ground of his refusal may easily be gathered from Ch2 20:37 of the Chronicle.

Top

¹ Joash [03101] was seven [07651] years [08141] old [01121] when he began to reign [04427], and he reigned [04427] forty [0705] years [08141] in Jerusalem [03389]. His mother's [0517] name [08034] also was Zibiah [06645] of Beersheba [0884].

³¹ And Jehoshaphat [03092] reigned [04427] over Judah [03063]: he was thirty [07970] and five [02568] years [08141] old [01121] when he began to reign [04427], and he reigned [04427] twenty [06242] and five [02568] years [08141] in Jerusalem [03389]. And his mother's [0517] name [08034] was Azubah [05806] the daughter [01323] of Shilhi [07977].
³² And he walked [03212] in the way [01870] of Asa [0609] his father [01], and departed [05493] not from it, doing [06213] that which was right [03477] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068].
³³ Howbeit the high places [01116] were not taken away [05493]: for as yet the people [05971] had not prepared [03559] their hearts [03824] unto the God [0430] of their fathers [01].
³⁴ Now the rest [03499] of the acts [01697] of Jehoshaphat [03092], first [07223] and last [0314], behold, they are written [03789] in the book [01697] of Jehu [03058] the son [01121] of Hanani [02607], who is mentioned [05927] in the book [05612] of the kings [04428] of Israel [03478].
³⁵ And after [0310] this did Jehoshaphat [03092] king [04428] of Judah [03063] join [02266] himself with Ahaziah [0274] king [04428] of Israel [03478], who did [06213] very wickedly [07561]:
³⁶ And he joined [02266] himself with him to make [06213] ships [0591] to go [03212] to Tarshish [08659]: and they made [06213] the ships [0591] in Eziongeber [06100].
³⁷ Then Eliezer [0461] the son [01121] of Dodavah [01735] of Mareshah [04762] prophesied [05012] against Jehoshaphat [03092], saying [0559], Because thou hast joined [02266] thyself with Ahaziah [0274], the LORD [03068] hath broken [06555] thy works [04639]. And the ships [0591] were broken [07665], that they were not able [06113] to go [03212] to Tarshish [08659].

³⁷ Then Eliezer [0461] the son [01121] of Dodavah [01735] of Mareshah [04762] prophesied [05012] against Jehoshaphat [03092], saying [0559], Because thou hast joined [02266] thyself with Ahaziah [0274], the LORD [03068] hath broken [06555] thy works [04639]. And the ships [0591] were broken [07665], that they were not able [06113] to go [03212] to Tarshish [08659].

⁵⁰ And Jehoshaphat [03092] slept [07901] with his fathers [01], and was buried [06912] with his fathers [01] in the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01]: and Jehoram [03088] his son [01121] reigned [04427] in his stead.

¹⁰ Then Asa [0609] went out [03318] against [06440] him, and they set the battle [04421] in array [06186] in the valley [01516] of Zephathah [06859] at Mareshah [04762].

²⁰ Neither did Jeroboam [03379] recover [06113] strength [03581] again in the days [03117] of Abijah [029]: and the LORD [03068] struck [05062] him, and he died [04191].

⁸ And Gath [01661], and Mareshah [04762], and Ziph [02128],

²⁴ And the sons [01121] of Elioenai [0454] were, Hodaiah [01939], and Eliashib [0475], and Pelaiah [06411], and Akkub [06126], and Johanan [03110], and Dalaiah [01806], and Anani [06054], seven [07651].

⁴⁹ Then said [0559] Ahaziah [0274] the son [01121] of Ahab [0256] unto Jehoshaphat [03092], Let my servants [05650] go [03212] with thy servants [05650] in the ships [0591]. But Jehoshaphat [03092] would [014] not.

³ He also walked [01980] in the ways [01870] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256]: for his mother [0517] was his counsellor [03289] to do wickedly [07561].

¹ It came to pass after this [0310] also, that the children [01121] of Moab [04124], and the children [01121] of Ammon [05983], and with them other beside the Ammonites [05984], came [0935] against Jehoshaphat [03092] to battle [04421].

³⁵ And after [0310] this did Jehoshaphat [03092] king [04428] of Judah [03063] join [02266] himself with Ahaziah [0274] king [04428] of Israel [03478], who did [06213] very wickedly [07561]:
³⁶ And he joined [02266] himself with him to make [06213] ships [0591] to go [03212] to Tarshish [08659]: and they made [06213] the ships [0591] in Eziongeber [06100].
³⁷ Then Eliezer [0461] the son [01121] of Dodavah [01735] of Mareshah [04762] prophesied [05012] against Jehoshaphat [03092], saying [0559], Because thou hast joined [02266] thyself with Ahaziah [0274], the LORD [03068] hath broken [06555] thy works [04639]. And the ships [0591] were broken [07665], that they were not able [06113] to go [03212] to Tarshish [08659].

⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat [03092] made [06213] [06240] ships [0591] of Tharshish [08659] to go [03212] to Ophir [0211] for gold [02091]: but they went [01980] not; for the ships [0591] were broken [07665] at Eziongeber [06100].

¹² And he took away [05674] the sodomites [06945] out of the land [0776], and removed [05493] all the idols [01544] that his fathers [01] had made [06213].

⁴⁷ There was then no king [04428] in Edom [0123]: a deputy [05324] was king [04428].

⁴⁶ And the remnant [03499] of the sodomites [06945], which remained [07604] in the days [03117] of his father [01] Asa [0609], he took [01197] out of the land [0776].

³⁵ And after [0310] this did Jehoshaphat [03092] king [04428] of Judah [03063] join [02266] himself with Ahaziah [0274] king [04428] of Israel [03478], who did [06213] very wickedly [07561]:

⁴⁵ Now the rest [03499] of the acts [01697] of Jehoshaphat [03092], and his might [01369] that he shewed [06213], and how he warred [03898], are they not written [03789] in the book [05612] of the chronicles [01697] [03117] of the kings [04428] of Judah [03063]?

³³ Howbeit the high places [01116] were not taken away [05493]: for as yet the people [05971] had not prepared [03559] their hearts [03824] unto the God [0430] of their fathers [01].

⁴¹ And Jehoshaphat [03092] the son [01121] of Asa [0609] began to reign [04427] over Judah [03063] in the fourth [0702] year [08141] of Ahab [0256] king [04428] of Israel [03478].
⁴² Jehoshaphat [03092] was thirty [07970] and five [02568] years [08141] old [01121] when he began to reign [04427]; and he reigned [04427] twenty [06242] and five [02568] years [08141] in Jerusalem [03389]. And his mother's [0517] name [08034] was Azubah [05806] the daughter [01323] of Shilhi [07977].
⁴³ And he walked [03212] in all the ways [01870] of Asa [0609] his father [01]; he turned not aside [05493] from it, doing [06213] that which was right [03477] in the eyes [05869] of the LORD [03068]: nevertheless the high places [01116] were not taken away [05493]; for the people [05971] offered [02076] and burnt incense [06999] yet in the high places [01116].
⁴⁴ And Jehoshaphat [03092] made peace [07999] with the king [04428] of Israel [03478].
⁴⁵ Now the rest [03499] of the acts [01697] of Jehoshaphat [03092], and his might [01369] that he shewed [06213], and how he warred [03898], are they not written [03789] in the book [05612] of the chronicles [01697] [03117] of the kings [04428] of Judah [03063]?
⁴⁶ And the remnant [03499] of the sodomites [06945], which remained [07604] in the days [03117] of his father [01] Asa [0609], he took [01197] out of the land [0776].
⁴⁷ There was then no king [04428] in Edom [0123]: a deputy [05324] was king [04428].
⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat [03092] made [06213] [06240] ships [0591] of Tharshish [08659] to go [03212] to Ophir [0211] for gold [02091]: but they went [01980] not; for the ships [0591] were broken [07665] at Eziongeber [06100].
⁴⁹ Then said [0559] Ahaziah [0274] the son [01121] of Ahab [0256] unto Jehoshaphat [03092], Let my servants [05650] go [03212] with thy servants [05650] in the ships [0591]. But Jehoshaphat [03092] would [014] not.
⁵⁰ And Jehoshaphat [03092] slept [07901] with his fathers [01], and was buried [06912] with his fathers [01] in the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01]: and Jehoram [03088] his son [01121] reigned [04427] in his stead.
⁵¹ Ahaziah [0274] the son [01121] of Ahab [0256] began to reign [04427] over Israel [03478] in Samaria [08111] the seventeenth [07651] [06240] year [08141] of Jehoshaphat [03092] king [04428] of Judah [03063], and reigned [04427] two years [08141] over Israel [03478].