Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 17:11
Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The chronicler records the geopolitical aftermath of Jehoshaphat's reign, immediately following the divine dread that paralyzed surrounding nations and preceding his domestic fortification projects. This account occurs during a period of external pacification and internal consolidation under Judah's king.
The words — The Hebrew מִנְחָה (minchah) denotes a formal tribute or gift, while מַשָּׂא (masa) literally means a burden or load carried as payment. These terms frame the Philistine silver and Arab livestock as compulsory acknowledgments of Judah's elevated regional standing.
The thread — Parallel tribute patterns appear when Ammonites pay Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:8 and Arabian governors bring revenue to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 9:14. These references establish a recurring biblical pattern where foreign submission validates a ruler's divinely sanctioned prosperity.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to identify the direct causal link between divine judgment on enemies and Judah's material accumulation. Observers must evaluate whether their own security rests on geopolitical advantage or on covenant fidelity when external threats recede.
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
Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he goats.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 26:8 The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he had become exceedingly powerful.
- 2 Chronicles 9:14 not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
- 2 Kings 3:4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams.
- 2 Chronicles 17:5 So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an abundance of riches and honor.