Bible Strands
2 Kings 14:12
And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his home.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jehoash king of Israel and Amaziah king of Judah confront each other at Beth-shemesh after Amaziah ignores Jehoash’s warning. The verse records the immediate aftermath of their clash, noting Judah’s defeat and the subsequent flight of its soldiers.
The words — וַ/יִּנָּ֥גֶף (va/i.yi.Na.gef) translates literally as “and it was defeated,” describing Judah’s rout. וַ/יָּנֻ֖סוּ (va/i.ya.Nu.su) means “and they fled,” detailing the soldiers’ retreat to their tents.
The thread — This pattern of routed armies fleeing to their tents or cities recurs in 1 Samuel 4:10, 1 Kings 22:36, and 2 Samuel 18:17. Each reference uses the same flight motif to mark military collapse and divine judgment.
Why it lands — The text states that Judah’s forces broke and scattered to their homes after facing Israel’s advance. It demands recognition that military failure follows the refusal to heed warning, leaving no room for recovery.
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 Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 18:17 They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
- 1 Samuel 4:10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
- 1 Kings 22:36 As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army: “Every man to his own city, and every man to his own land!”