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.

after this: i.e. after Ahab's death (2 Kings 3:5 ).
children = sons.

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 Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

behold. Figure of speech Asterismos, App-6 .

3.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

himself = his face.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

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.

to ask = to seek. Supply "counsel" here.

5.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

stood. On the platform provided for such purposes as this (2 Kings 11:14 ; 2 Kings 23:3 ).
congregation = assembly. Hebrew. kahal. See note on "multitude" (Genesis 28:3 ).
and. Some codices, with one early printed edition, Septuagint, and Syriac, read "in".
the new court. The court of the priests, built by Solomon (2 Chronicles 4:9 ; 2 Chronicles 15:8 ).

6.

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?

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
art not . . . rulest not . . . is there not? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
heathen = nations (Daniel 4:34 , Daniel 4:35 ).
in Thine hand. The words of David were accessible to Jehoshaphat (1 Chronicles 29:12 ). See App-47 .
so that none = and there is none.

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?

Abraham Thy friend. Three times so called: here, Isaiah 41:8 , quoted in James 2:23 . Compare Moses (Exodus 33:11 ).

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.

evil. Hebrew. raa'. App-44 .
sword. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the execution done by it. Compare 1 Kings 8:37 . 1 Kings 6:28 .
Thy name = Thy presence.
affliction = distress. Some codices, with two early printed editions, read "distresses".

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;

mount Seir. The Edomite Mehunim. See 2 Chronicles 20:1 .
wouldest not, &c. Compare Deuteronomy 2:9 .

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.

wilt Thou not . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
judge = bring judgments. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for the judgments themselves.
company = rout.

13.

And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

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;

Jahaziel . . . Asaph. Probably Psalms 83 written at that time.
Spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .
of: or from. Genitive of Origin: i.e. spiritual power from Jehovah.

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.

Be not afraid = "Be not [ye] afraid".

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.

cliff = ascent.
brook = valley.

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.

stand ye still. Compare Exodus 14:13 .

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.

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.

the beauty of holiness = in His glorious sanctuary. See note on 1 Chronicles 16:29 .
Praise the LORD = Praise Jehovah. App-4 .
mercy = lovingkindness, or grace.

22.

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.

the LORD. Some think the "Yod" (= J) was an abbreviation for "Judah".
ambushments = liers in wait. The Targum interprets them of angelic powers.

23.

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.

the dead bodies. Some codices, with five early printed editions and Vulgate, read "apparel".
stripped off = raked together.

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.

Berachah = Blessing.

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.

fear = dread, as in 2 Chronicles 19:7 (not as in 2 Chronicles 19:9 ). Genitive of Character = a great dread.

30.

So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

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.

Asa his father. Some codices, with six early printed editions, read "his father Asa".

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.

not taken away. See note on 2 Chronicles 17:6 .

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.

book = words.
Jehu. Compare 2 Chronicles 19:2 .

35.

And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

after this. In the twentieth or twenty-first year of his reign. Compare 1 Kings 22:51 . See App-50 . "After" this wonderful deliverance. "After" the solemn warning of 2 Chronicles 19:2 . "After" his experience in 2 Chronicles 18:31 .
join himself. This was the third alliance (Commercial). See note on 2 Chronicles 18:1 . Note the Figure of speech Repetitio ( App-6 ), by which great emphasis is laid on these words by their repetition in verses: 2 Chronicles 20:36 and 2 Chronicles 20:37 .
who did very wickedly. This is added to show that the reason against such an alliance was just as strong with Ahaziah as with Ahab.
wickedly = lawlessly. App-44 .

36.

And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.

to make ships to go to Tarshish. This was prior to the similar event recorded in 1 Kings 22:48 , 1 Kings 22:49 , where he made (himself) "Tarshish ships to go to Ophir". Ahaziah again sought to implicate Jehoshaphat. But he failed in the attempt, for we there read "Jehoshaphat would not" ( 2Ch 20:49 ). And the ships "did not go", for they were "broken" ( 2Ch 20:48 ). The marginal note in Authorized Version is neither correct nor necessary.

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.

Eliezer. Sent by Jehovah, just as Jehu had been sent (2 Chronicles 19:2 ).
broken. A Homonym. Hebrew. paraz, to break. Rightly so rendered here. Its other meaning, to increase, as rightly given in Genesis 30:43 .Exodus 1:12 .