2 Chronicles 17:18

Study note

Setting — The Chronicler documents King Jehoshaphat’s military organization immediately after detailing the forces from Benjamin. The narrator lists commanders and troop numbers to catalog the operational strength of Judah before noting their assignment to fortified cities.

The words — The Hebrew term חֲלוּצֵי (cha.lu.Tzei) literally means “equipped” or “prepared,” describing the 180,000 men under Jehozabad. The phrase וְ/עַל\־ יָדוֹ (ve./'al- ya.D/o) translates to “next to his hand,” marking Jehozabad’s position in the sequential roster.

The thread — This roster format continues in 2 Chronicles 17:19, which summarizes these troops as those who served the king. The same structural pattern for recording military musters appears in 2 Chronicles 26:13 and 2 Chronicles 25:5.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that national strength is recorded as a matter of administrative fact rather than poetic triumph. It asks the reader to note how military capacity is systematically tied to the king’s governance and the maintenance of fortified positions.

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.