2 Chronicles 14 KJV
Asa's Reforms
2 Chronicles Chapter 14: Asa's Reforms
Asa's prayer invokes God's ability to save 'whether with many, or with them that have no power,' framing the battle as a contest between divine sovereignty and human presumption rather than mere numbers.
1o Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:
3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.
7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.
9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.
14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.
15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
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Did You Know?
Asa's prayer invokes God's ability to save 'whether with many, or with them that have no power,' framing the battle as a contest between divine sovereignty and human presumption rather than mere numbers.
The victory over Zerah's Cushite forces extends Asa's pursuit all the way to Gerar, implying that the campaign reached deep into Philistine territory and temporarily reversed earlier territorial losses from the united monarchy era.
Chronicles alone records this Cushite invasion, presenting it as an early test of Asa's faithfulness that results in ten years of rest, a motif that echoes the Deuteronomic pattern of obedience yielding security but foreshadows his later failure to trust God against Baasha.
The detail that Benjamin supplied archers and shield-bearers while Judah supplied spearmen reflects tribal specialization in warfare, underscoring the chapter's emphasis on the reunited southern kingdom's combined military identity after the schism.
By destroying the cities around Gerar and seizing their spoil, Asa converts a defensive victory into an offensive reclamation of border regions, illustrating how covenant obedience in Chronicles translates into expanded geopolitical influence.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain In his days the land was quiet ten years โ This long interval of peace was the continued effect of the great battle of Zemaraim (compare 1Ki 15:11-14).
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on 2 Chronicles 14 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Asa destroys idolatry; Having peace, he strengthens his kingdom with forts and armies; He overcomes zerah, and spoils the ethiopians.
- 1
- In his days the land was quiet ten years โ This long interval of peace was the continued effect of the great battle of Zemaraim (compare 1Ki 15:11-14).
- 2
- Asa did that which was good and right โ (compare 1Ki 15:14). Still his character and life were not free from faults (2Ch 16:7, 10, 12).
Read all 9 notes on 2 Chronicles 14 โ