Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 13:12
Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Judahite commander addresses Jeroboam’s advancing forces during a military confrontation, warning them to halt their attack.
The words — הִנֵּה (hi.Neh) means behold or here, and בָ/רֹאשׁ (va./Rosh) translates to at the head. These terms frame the speaker’s declaration that God occupies the position of leadership over Judah’s ranks.
The thread — This warning against opposing divine authority echoes in Acts 5:39 and Romans 8:31, while the priestly trumpet signal fulfills the statute in Numbers 10:8.
Why it lands — The text states that fighting the God of Israel guarantees failure, so the reader must recognize that human military strategy cannot override divine sovereignty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
Cross-references
- Acts 5:39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
- Numbers 10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come.
- Romans 8:31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Zechariah 10:5 They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
- Numbers 14:41 But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
- Numbers 23:21 He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.
- Numbers 31:6 And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
- Deuteronomy 28:29 and at noon you will grope about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you.
- Joshua 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”