2 Chronicles 14:12

Modern

So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.

Traditional

So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

Literal

And YHWH struck the Cushites before Asa, and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.

Latin

Exterruit itaque Dominus Æthiopes coram Asa et Juda: fugeruntque Æthiopes.

Hebrew

English

So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.

Solomon prayed for the Lord to hear his people when they went into battle (2 Chronicles 6:34). In the battle against Zerah, God answered this prayer.
The term Cushite might refer to someone from southern Egypt (Nubia) or a Midianite area northeast of Aqabah (see Numbers 12:1; Habakkuk 3:7). However, several things suggest that Zerah was Egyptian:
- The mention of Libya in 2 Chronicles 16:8
- The battle's size (similar to Shishak's attack on Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 12:3)
- Mareshah's location in western Judah suggest Zerah
He is otherwise unknown. He might have been a Nubian general sent by Osorkon I, the Libyan pharaoh who ruled Egypt between the tenth and fourteenth years of Asa, around 900 to 897 BC. Another view is that Shishak created a buffer state around Gerar, supported by Nubian mercenaries who invaded Judah. The account, however, only states that Asa and his armies chased the enemy south to Gerar and took a large amount of plunder, especially from the herdsmen living in tents around the cities.

Theme notes and profiles

2 Chronicles 13:15
…and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
Psalm 60:12
With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.
Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
Deuteronomy 28:7
The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
Exodus 14:25
He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”
1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Psalm 136:17–18
He struck down great kings His loving devotion endures forever.
1 Corinthians 9:26
Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
Joshua 10:10
And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
2 Chronicles 20:22
The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.

Asa: King of Judah, son of Abijah; father of Jehoshaphat Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Cush: Ancient region in Africa; associated with Egypt and Babylon