Keraia
2 Chronicles 14

2 Chronicles 14:13

Asa Reigns in Judah · 2 Chronicles 14:1–15
Read 2 Chronicles 14

Translations

Modern
Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder
Traditional
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.
Literal
And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as to Gerar, and there fell the Cushites, and there was no preservation for them, for they were broken before YHWH and His army. And they carried away exceedingly much plunder.
Latin
Et persecutus est eos Asa, et populus qui cum eo erat, usque Gerara: et ruerunt Æthiopes usque ad internecionem, quia Domino cædente contriti sunt, et exercitu illius præliante. Tulerunt ergo spolia multa,

Original

Hebrew
English
Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder

Notes

2 Chronicles 14:7–14

  • 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

Asa

Parallels

1 Kings 15:9–15

People

Asa: King of Judah, son of Abijah; father of Jehoshaphat

Places

Cush: Ancient region in Africa; associated with Egypt and Babylon Gerar: Philistine city; Abraham and Isaac's encounters with Abimelech

Glossary

Chronicles, Books of First and Second Genealogy Gerar

Topics

Ethiopia: Defeated by Asa Gerar: A City of the Philistines: Visited by Isaac God: Fighting the Battles of Israel God: Preserver: The Ethiopian Host Prayer: Answered: Asa, for Victory Over Zerah War: Frequently Sore and Bloody Zerah: King of Ethiopia