2 Chronicles 14:9

Complete Jewish Bible

Asa went out to fight him, and the forces were arranged for battle in the Tz'fat Valley at Mareshah.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots. They came as far as Mareshah.

Hebrew Names Version
There came out against them Zerach the Kushite with an army of a million troops, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.

King James Version
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

English Standard Version
Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

New Century Version
Then Zerah from Cush came out to fight them with an enormous army and three hundred chariots. They came as far as the town of Mareshah.

New English Translation
Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah,

Amplified Bible
Now Zerah the Ethiopian (Cushite) came out against Judah with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came as far as Mareshah.

New American Standard Bible
Now Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

World English Bible
There came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a million troops, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And there came out against them Zerah of Ethiopia with an hoste of ten hundreth thousande, and three hundreth charets, and came vnto Mareshah.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with a military force of one million men and 300 chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah.

Contemporary English Version
Zerah from Ethiopia led an army of a million soldiers and three hundred chariots to the town of Mareshah in Judah.

Darby Translation
And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against him with a host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Zerah from Ethiopia came out against Asa's army. He had 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots in his army. His army went as far as the town of Mareshah.

George Lamsa Translation
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with a large army of a million men and thirty thousand chariots, and came to Mareshah.

Good News Translation
An Ethiopian named Zerah invaded Judah with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots and advanced as far as Mareshah.

Lexham English Bible
Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah.

Literal Translation
And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands, and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Serah the Moryan came out against the wt an hoost of a thousande times a thousande, and with thre hundreth charettes, and came vnto Maresa.

American Standard Version
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah.

Bible in Basic English
And Zerah the Ethiopian, with an army of a million, and three hundred war-carriages, came out against them to Mareshah.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there came out against them Zarah the blacke Morian with an hoast of ten hundred thousand, & three hundred charettes, & came as farre as Maresa.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephath at Mareshah.

King James Version (1611)
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred charets, and came vnto Mareshah.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Zare the Ethiopian went out against them, with a force of a million, and three hundred chariots; and came to Maresa.

English Revised Version
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Zara of Ethiop yede out ayens hem with his oost ten `sithis an hundrid thousynde, and with thre hundrid charis, and cam `til to Masera.

Update Bible Version
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.

Webster's Bible Translation
And there came out against them Zerah the Cushite, with a host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came to Mareshah.

New King James Version
Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

New Living Translation
Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,

New Life Bible
Zerah the Ethiopian came out to fight against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 war-wagons. He came as far as Mareshah.

New Revised Standard
Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with a force of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, - and he came as far as Mareshah.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Zara the Ethiopian came out against them with his army of ten hundred thousand men, and with three hundred chariots: and he came as far as Maresa.

Revised Standard Version
Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mare'shah.

Young's Literal Translation
And come out unto them doth Zerah the Cushite with a force of a thousand thousand, and chariots three hundred, and he cometh in unto Mareshah,

THE MESSAGE
Zerah the Ethiopian went to war against Asa with an army of a million plus three hundred chariots and got as far as Mareshah. Asa met him there and prepared to fight from the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. Then Asa prayed to God , "O God , you aren't impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O God ; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don't let mere mortals stand against you!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to Mareshah.

Contextual Overview

⁹ Asa went out to fight him, and the forces were arranged for battle in the Tz'fat Valley at Mareshah. ¹⁰ Asa cried out to Adonai his God, " Adonai , there is no one besides yourself, strong or weak, who can help. Help us, Adonai our God, because we are relying on you, and we are coming against this vast throng in your name. You are Adonai our God; don't let human beings stop you!" ¹¹ So Adonai struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Y'hudah, and the Ethiopians fled. ¹² Asa and the army with him pursued them to G'rar, and the Ethiopians were defeated beyond recovery; they were shattered before Adonai and his army, who carried off much spoil. ¹³ Then they attacked all the cities in the vicinity of G'rar, for a panic from Adonai had overcome them. They plundered all the cities, for they were full of spoil. ¹⁴ They also attacked the tents of those tending the livestock and carried off sheep and camels in abundance. Then they returned to Yerushalayim. ¹⁵ Asa did what was good and right from the perspective of Adonai his God; for he removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashing the standing-stones and chopping down the sacred poles. He ordered Y'hudah to seek Adonai , the God of their ancestors, and to obey the Torah and the mitzvah. He removed the high places and pillars for sun-worship from all the cities of Y'hudah, and under him the kingdom was quiet. Because the land was quiet, and he had no war during those years, since Adonai had given him rest, he built fortified cities in Y'hudah. "Let's build these cities," he said to Y'hudah; "we'll surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars. The land is there for us to use, because we have sought Adonai our God; we have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered. Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Y'hudah, equipped with shields and spears, and another 280,000 from Binyamin, with shields and bows; all were brave, strong men. Zerach the Ethiopian came out to attack them with an army of one million and three hundred chariots. When he arrived at Mareshah, Asa went out to fight him, and the forces were arranged for battle in the Tz'fat Valley at Mareshah. Asa cried out to Adonai his God, " Adonai , there is no one besides yourself, strong or weak, who can help. Help us, Adonai our God, because we are relying on you, and we are coming against this vast throng in your name. You are Adonai our God; don't let human beings stop you!" So Adonai struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Y'hudah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the army with him pursued them to G'rar, and the Ethiopians were defeated beyond recovery; they were shattered before Adonai and his army, who carried off much spoil. Then they attacked all the cities in the vicinity of G'rar, for a panic from Adonai had overcome them. They plundered all the cities, for they were full of spoil. They also attacked the tents of those tending the livestock and carried off sheep and camels in abundance. Then they returned to Yerushalayim.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3063, bc 941

Zerah: 2 Chronicles 12:2, 2 Chronicles 12:3, 2 Chronicles 16:8, 2 Kings 19:9, Isaiah 8:9, Isaiah 8:10, Ezekiel 30:5, Revelation 16:14

Mareshah: Joshua 15:44, Micah 1:15

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:7 - flee before Judges 7:12 - grasshoppers Judges 10:9 - passed 1 Kings 8:44 - shall pray 1 Chronicles 19:7 - hired 2 Chronicles 6:34 - they pray 2 Chronicles 13:3 - eight hundred 2 Chronicles 13:8 - a great multitude Psalms 33:16 - no king Psalms 46:6 - heathen Psalms 48:3 - General Isaiah 18:2 - to a people Isaiah 43:3 - I gave Jeremiah 21:2 - according

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with an host of thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots,.... According to Josephus b, this army consisted of 900,000 foot, and 100,000 horsemen, and certain it is there were horsemen among them, 2 Chronicles 16:8 some say these were not the Ethiopians in Africa, beyond Egypt, being, as is said, too far off for such an army to travel, and it would be hard to say what should induce them to it; and besides it is urged, the king of Egypt would never have suffered them to pass through his dominions, as they must to come to Judea; but that they were the Cushite Arabs, that inhabited Midian, part of Arabia Petraea, and Arabia Felix, near Judaea, 2 Chronicles 16:8- :, but since this great host consisted of Lubim or Libyans, inhabitants of Africa, as well as of Ethiopians, 2 Chronicles 16:8, these Ethiopians seem to be rather those in Africa, who were masters of Egypt and Libya, as well as Ethiopia, quickly after the death of Shishak, or Sesostris, see 2 Chronicles 12:2, which accounts for the size of this army, and their passage through Egypt: that there were two sorts of Ethiopians, the western and eastern ones, the one that dwelt in Africa, the other in Asia, appears clearly from Homer c, Herodotus d, and Heliodorus e, the former of which seem here meant; nor need this army be thought incredible, especially since they were joined by the Lubim or Libyans, and assisted by the Philistines, as appears by what follows; besides, the two armies of Israel and Judah we read of in the preceding chapter, when put together, exceed this; see also 2 Chronicles 17:14, so the armies of Tamerlane and Bajazet, that of the former being 1,600,000, and that of the latter 1,400,000 f:

and came unto Mareshah; a city in the tribe of Judah, on the borders of it, 2 Chronicles 11:8.

b Antiqu. l. 8. c. 12. sect. 1. c Odyss. 1. ver. 23, 24. d Polymnia, sive, l. 7. c. 69, 70. e Ethiopic. l. 9. c. 6. f Laonic. Chalcocond. de rebus Turc. l. 3. p. 98, 102.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Zerah the Ethiopian is probably Usarken (Osorkon) II, the third king of Egypt after Shishak, according to the Egyptian monuments. Osorkon II may have been by birth an Ethiopian, for he was the son-in-law, not the son, of the preceding monarch, and reigned in right of his wife. The object of the expedition would be to bring Judaea once more under the Egyptian yoke.

An host of a thousand thousand - This is the largest collected army of which we hear in Scripture; but it does not exceed the known numbers of other Oriental armies in ancient times. Darius Codomannus brought into the field at Arbela a force of 1,040, 000; Xerxes crossed into Greece with certainly above a million of combatants.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 14:9. Zerah the Ethiopian — Probably of that Ethiopia which lay on the south of Egypt, near to Libya, and therefore the Libyans are joined with them, 2 Chronicles 16:8.

A thousand thousand — If this people had come from any great distance, they could not have had forage for such an immense army.