2 Chronicles 25:22

And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

And Judah {H3063} was put to the worse {H5062} before {H6440} Israel {H3478}, and they fled {H5127} every man {H376} to his tent {H168}.

Y'hudah was defeated by Isra'el, and every man fled to his tent.

And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home.

And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.

Commentary

Context

2 Chronicles 25:22 describes the decisive defeat of the Kingdom of Judah under King Amaziah by the Kingdom of Israel, led by King Joash. This battle, fought at Beth-shemesh (2 Chronicles 25:21), was a direct consequence of Amaziah's spiritual decline. After a successful campaign against Edom, Amaziah brought back and began to worship Edomite idols, provoking God's wrath (2 Chronicles 25:14). Despite prophetic warnings, his pride led him to challenge Israel, a challenge God allowed to result in Judah's defeat as judgment for his idolatry and disobedience.

Key Themes

  • Consequences of Disobedience: The verse powerfully illustrates that even a king who started well can face severe consequences for turning away from God. Amaziah's idolatry and pride directly led to this humiliating defeat for the Kingdom of Judah.
  • Divine Judgment: The narrative explicitly states that this defeat was "of God" (2 Chronicles 25:20), emphasizing God's active involvement in the affairs of nations and His response to sin.
  • Inter-Kingdom Conflict: This verse highlights a period of significant tension and open warfare between the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel, a recurring theme in the historical books of the Old Testament.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "fled every man to his tent" is an ancient idiom signifying a complete and utter rout in battle. It means the soldiers scattered, abandoning the fight and returning to their homes or encampments, indicating a disorganized and decisive defeat. This phrase is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe similar situations of military collapse, such as in 1 Samuel 17:53 after David defeated Goliath, reinforcing the severity of Judah's loss.

Practical Application

2 Chronicles 25:22 serves as a timeless reminder of the importance of consistent faithfulness. King Amaziah's initial obedience brought victory, but his subsequent pride and idolatry brought ruin. This teaches us that past successes do not guarantee future blessings if we stray from God's path. It underscores the biblical principle that pride goes before destruction and that true security lies not in human strategy or military might, but in obedience and reliance on God. For believers today, it's a call to remain vigilant against spiritual complacency and to continually seek God's will, understanding that disobedience can have profound and undesirable consequences.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 1 Samuel 4:10

    ¶ And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:5

    Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought [them] to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

  • 2 Chronicles 28:6

    ¶ For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, [which were] all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

  • 1 Kings 22:36

    And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
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