Chapter Fourteen

1–8. (Hebrew XIII, 23 – XIV, 1–7) The general character of Asa’s reign: pious zeal for the purity of the cult of Jehovah; the building of fortresses and Asa’s military strength. 9–15. (Hebrew 8–14) The invasion of Zerah and Asa’s brilliant victory over him.

2 Chronicles 14:1. And Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 Chronicles 14:2. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 2 Chronicles 14:3. For he removed the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the pillars, and cut down the Asherim. 2 Chronicles 14:4. And he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 2 Chronicles 14:5. Also he removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images. And the kingdom was quiet under him. 2 Chronicles 14:6. And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. 2 Chronicles 14:7. Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us peace on every side.” And they built and prospered. 2 Chronicles 14:8. And Asa had an army of shields and spears from the tribe of Judah, three hundred thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, two hundred and eighty thousand, mighty men of valor. The characterization of Asa’s internal policy given in these verses is in general similar, sometimes even literally, to the parallel account (1 Kgs 15:9-13); see, for example, verses 2–3 with verses 11–12 of 3 Kings. What high places were destroyed by Asa (verse 5) and what were left by him (2 Chr 15:17), see “Commentary on the Bible”, vol. II, p. 439. The account of Asa’s construction of new fortifications and strengthening of his army (verses 6–7) does not appear in 3 Kings, and in 2 Chronicles has a documentary character, analogous to the account (2 Chr 11:5-11) of the state activity of Rehoboam.

2 Chronicles 14:9. And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 2 Chronicles 14:10. And Asa went out against him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 2 Chronicles 14:11. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, saying, “Lord, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and those who have no strength. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You. 2 Chronicles 14:12. And the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 2 Chronicles 14:13. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell, so that none remained alive; for they were destroyed before the Lord and before His army. And the Judeans carried away very much spoil. 2 Chronicles 14:14. And they destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord fell upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 2 Chronicles 14:15. They also attacked the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. The name “Zerah the Ethiopian”, in Hebrew: Zerach Kuschi, LXX: Ζαρὲ ὁ Αἱθίοψ, Vulgate: Zara Aethiops, usually refers to Osorkon, the pharaoh of Egypt from the XXII dynasty, the successor of the well-known Susak or Shishak (1 Kgs 14:25-26; 2 Chr 12:2-12). That the Cushites and Zerah were from Egypt, in general from Africa, not from Asia, is evident from the fact that according to (2 Chr 16:8) they had Libyans participating in the campaign along with the Ethiopians now, as they did under Shishak (2 Chr 12:3), who had many military chariots (2 Chr 16:8). Egypt is indicated as the home of the enemy also by the fact that, according to verse 14, when the defeated enemy fled, they rushed through Gerar—a city on the southern border of Canaan (Gen 20:1), through which both Abraham and Isaac had journeyed to Egypt (compare Onomasticon, 344). The Egyptian monuments which preserved the account of the campaign of Shishak-Susak do not mention the campaign of Zerah-Osorkon. But the very name Osorkon (in Manetho—Osorton or Osorthos) was read on Egyptian monuments by Egyptologists Champollion, Lepsius and others, as the name of the pharaoh of the XXII dynasty, the son of Shishak. In favor of the identification of Osorkon and Zerah speaks not only the chronological coincidence, but also the Libyan origin of the XXII-named, so-called Bubastite, Egyptian dynasty: hence it is understandable the deliberate mention in (2 Chr 16:8) of the Libyans (verse 6). The decisive battle between the Judeans and the enemy took place at the fortified city of Mareshah (verses 9 and 10), which Rehoboam had strengthened (compare (2 Chr 11:8) and the comments to this passage, “Commentary on the Bible”, vol. III, p. 115), and ended, thanks to the miraculous help of God (verse 12), compare (2 Chr 13:15), in the complete defeat of the Egyptians; and the Judeans obtained rich plunder from this (verses 13–15). Zephathah—a valley near the city of Mareshah (Vulgate: in valle Sephata, quae est juxta Maresa). The LXX read differently, instead of the Hebrew Zephathah—another word Tsephona, to the north, and rendered: ἐν τῆ φάραγγι κατά Βορρᾶν Μαρησά, Slavonic: “in the defile to the north of Marisa”. It is possible that the LXX reading—which is a common noun—is closer to the meaning of the Hebrew original. In any case, the valley of Zephathah is entirely different from the city or Hormah of Zephath (Josh 12:14; Judg 1:17), which lay also within the territory of the tribe of Judah (Onomasticon, 445, 863; “Commentary on the Bible”, vol. II, pp. 76 and 154), now Sebet. * * * Notes In a different manner, and not without apparent validity, Zerah is discussed by Prof. Gulyaev, “Historical Books”, pp. 527–528.