Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 20:10
And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt. So Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jehoshaphat addresses God while the Judahite assembly stands before the invading forces of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. He recalls God’s past restriction on Israel’s expansion into these specific territories.
The words — The Hebrew וְ/עַתָּ֡ה (ve./'a.Tah) means "and/therefore," marking the shift to the present crisis, while הִנֵּה֩ (hi.Neh) translates literally as "here!" to identify the immediate threat. These terms function as a direct pointer to the current military situation.
The thread — This reference to past divine restraint aligns with Deuteronomy 2:9, 2:19, and 2:4, which record God’s commands to spare Moab, Ammon, and the land of Seir during the wilderness journey. The verse explicitly ties the current battle to those earlier territorial prohibitions.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that present danger is not a sign of divine abandonment but a continuation of a known historical pattern. It requires the reader to evaluate current threats against established boundaries rather than assuming new divine intentions.
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 now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 2:4 and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.
- Deuteronomy 2:19 But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
- Deuteronomy 2:9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
- Numbers 20:17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”
- Judges 11:15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the Ammonites.
- 2 Chronicles 20:1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.