Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 13:18
Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of Abijah’s battle against Jeroboam, placing the statement directly after the casualty report and before the account of territorial capture. The text addresses the historical moment when the northern army of Israel was defeated and the southern army of Judah secured victory.
The words — וַיִּכָּנְעוּ (va-yikkānə‘û) literally means "they were subdued" or "humbled," while וַיֶּאֱמֹצוּ (va-yēʾĕmōṣû) literally means "they were strengthened" or "prevailed." These parallel verbs structurally contrast the fate of the men of Israel with the fate of the men of Judah.
The thread — The causal link between trusting Yahweh and receiving military deliverance runs through 1 Chronicles 5:20, 2 Chronicles 14:11, and Nahum 1:7. Each reference explicitly ties survival and victory to reliance on God rather than human power.
Why it lands — The text states that Judah’s success resulted from their reliance on Yahweh, not from tactical superiority. It requires the reader to acknowledge that outcomes in conflict are determined by allegiance to God, demanding a clear assessment of where their own trust is placed.
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
Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 5:20 And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers.
- 2 Chronicles 14:11 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. 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. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”
- Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
- 2 Kings 18:5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.
- 2 Chronicles 16:8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
- 2 Chronicles 20:20 Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”
- Psalms 22:4 In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.
- Psalms 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
- Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
- Ephesians 1:12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.