Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 18:31
When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “This is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Aramean chariot commanders, executing their king’s order to target only the ruler of Israel, spot Jehoshaphat and identify him as the objective. As they redirect their attack toward him, Jehoshaphat cries out to the LORD for deliverance.
The words — כִּרְאוֹת (ki/r.'Ot) translates “when/saw,” denoting the precise moment of visual recognition that triggers the commanders’ tactical shift. אָמְרוּ ('a.me.Ru) means “they said,” recording the commanders’ mistaken declaration that marks Jehoshaphat as the intended target.
The thread — The sequence begins in 2 Chronicles 18:30 with the Aramean king’s specific targeting command and resolves in 2 Chronicles 18:32 when the commanders realize their mistake and abandon pursuit. The pattern of desperate prayer meeting divine rescue echoes 2 Chronicles 13:14, Psalm 118:13, and Nehemiah 1:11.
Why it lands — The text states that God actively intervenes when a believer cries out under threat, physically turning enemy forces away without human maneuvering. It requires the reader to recognize that divine protection operates independently of human combat tactics or accurate self-identification.
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 it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 13:14 When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
- Psalms 118:13 I was pushed so hard I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
- Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
- Psalms 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
- Psalms 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Psalms 46:11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Psalms 94:17 Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
- Psalms 116:1 I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy.
- Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
- Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.