2 Chronicles20

King Jehoshaphat of Judah faced a vast invading army from Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir. Fearing, he proclaimed a fast and sought the Lord, receiving a prophetic word that the battle was God's. Judah went forth with singers praising God, and the Lord caused the enemy armies to destroy each other, resulting in a miraculous victory and abundant spoil for Judah.
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Jehoshaphat Faces a Great Coalition

1
It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. ​
2
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
3
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ​
4
And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

The King’s Prayer for Deliverance

5
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
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And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? ​
7
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? ​
8
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. ​
10
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
11
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. ​
13
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

The Prophet Jahaziel Gives Assurance

14
Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; ​
15
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. ​
16
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. ​
18
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
19
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

Faith Leads to Miraculous Victory

20
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. ​
21
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. ​
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And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. ​
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For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24
And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
25
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
26
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. ​
27
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.
29
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
30
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Later Reign

31
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.
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
Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers. ​
34
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.
35
And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: ​
36
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber.
37
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. ​

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 20

Verse 1

This coalition of traditional enemies (Moab, Ammon, and implied Edomites/Meunites) launched a massive invasion, presenting a threat far greater than Judah could handle militarily.

Verse 3

Jehoshaphat’s fear was not paralyzing, but productive: he immediately directed his focus and the nation's efforts toward seeking the Lord, establishing a model for responding to national crisis.

Verse 6

The prayer begins by affirming God’s universal sovereignty and power over all nations, establishing the theological premise that God alone is capable of defeating this great threat.

Verse 7

By recalling the promise of the land given to 'Abraham thy friend,' Jehoshaphat appeals to God’s covenant faithfulness and reputation.

Verse 9

This echoes Solomon's dedication prayer (2 Chr 6:28-30), asserting that the temple is the designated place where God promised to hear and respond to national distress.

Verse 12

This verse is the climax of the prayer, expressing complete human helplessness ('we have no might'; 'neither know we what to do') and total dependence ('our eyes are upon thee').

Verse 14

Jahaziel was a Levite, not a professional prophet, indicating that God may use anyone within the community of faith to deliver His word.

Verse 15

The core theological message: 'the battle is not yours, but God's.' This shifts the responsibility and the required resources for victory entirely to YHWH.

Verse 17

The command to 'stand ye still' is not passive inaction but a call to faith, trusting God to demonstrate His deliverance without Judah needing to resort to military force (cf. Exod 14:13).

Verse 20

Jehoshaphat links faith to stability and prosperity, urging the people to trust not only in God but also in His specific prophetic word, demonstrating genuine spiritual leadership.

Verse 21

Placing the unarmed singers at the front of the army was a radical act of faith, prioritizing worship over conventional military strategy and proclaiming God’s eternal mercy.

Verse 22

The miracle began precisely 'when they began to sing and to praise.' God set 'ambushments,' causing the enemy coalition to turn on itself, fulfilling the promise that Judah would not have to fight.

Verse 26

The Valley of Berachah (meaning 'Blessing') was named because the people assembled there specifically to bless and thank the Lord, transforming the place of victory into a place of worship.

Verse 33

Despite Jehoshaphat’s personal piety and reforms, he failed to eradicate the local high places, showing the difficulty in changing deeply ingrained popular religious practices.

Verse 35

This renewed alliance with the wicked Northern Kingdom (Ahaziah) demonstrates Jehoshaphat's persistent political failure to trust God fully, despite the divine warnings received earlier (2 Chr 19:2).

Verse 37

The prophecy confirms God's judgment against Jehoshaphat’s faithless alliance, resulting in the immediate destruction of the enterprise, illustrating that disobedience negates previous successes.

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