Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 16:7

Just after that, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said, "Because you went for help to the king of Aram and didn't ask God for help, you've lost a victory over the army of the king of Aram. Didn't the Ethiopians and Libyans come against you with superior forces, completely outclassing you with their chariots and cavalry? But you asked God for help and he gave you the victory. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. Now you're in trouble—one round of war after another."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Backsliders;   Confidence;   False Confidence;   God Continued...;   Hanani;   Preaching;   Reproof;   Thompson Chain Reference - Asa;   Hanani;   Leaders;   Prophets;   Religious;   Seers;   The Topic Concordance - Reliance;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Prophets;   Reproof;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Hanani;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Artaxerxes;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Asa;   Hanani;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Asa;   Hanani;   Hezekiah;   Jehu;   Numbers, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Asa;   Hanani;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Hanani;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hanani ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Hana'ni;   Je'hu;   Judah, Kingdom of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Preaching;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Asa;   Teach;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Alliances;   Asa;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jehu;   Seer;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
Hebrew Names Version
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Yehudah, and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Aram, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore is the host of the king of Aram escaped out of your hand.
King James Version
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
English Standard Version
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
New Century Version
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "You depended on the king of Aram to help you and not on the Lord your God. So the king of Aram's army escaped from you.
New English Translation
At that time Hanani the prophet visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
Amplified Bible
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram (Syria) and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram (Syria) has escaped out of your hand.
New American Standard Bible
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, for that reason the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
World English Bible
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on Yahweh your God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of your hand.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And at that same time Hanani the Seer came to Asa King of Iudah, and saide vnto him, Because thou hast rested vpon the king of Aram, and not rested in the Lorde thy God, therefore is the hoste of the King of Aram escaped out of thine hande.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.
Berean Standard Bible
At that time, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
Contemporary English Version
Soon after that happened, Hanani the prophet went to Asa and said: You depended on the king of Syria instead of depending on the Lord your God. And so, you will never defeat the Syrian army.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was around then that Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Y'hudah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram and didn't rely on Adonai your God, the king of Aram's army has escaped from your power.
Darby Translation
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore has the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
Easy-to-Read Version
At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, "Asa, you depended on the king of Aram to help you and not the Lord your God. That's why the king's army has escaped from you.
George Lamsa Translation
And at that time Hanan the prophet came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of Aram will flee.
Good News Translation
At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said, "Because you relied on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Israel has escaped from you.
Lexham English Bible
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "On account of your reliance upon the king of Aram, and since you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the troops of the king of Aram escaped from your hand.
Literal Translation
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa the king of Judah and said to him, Because you leaned on the king of Syria, and you have not leaned on Jehovah your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
At the same tyme came Hanani the Seer vnto Asa the kynge of Iuda, and sayde vnto him: Because thou hast trusted vnto the kynge of Syria, and not put thy trust in the LORDE thy God, therfore is the power of the kynge of Syria escaped thy hade.
American Standard Version
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
Bible in Basic English
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, Because you have put your faith in the king of Aram and not in the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has got away out of your hands.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
At that time Hanani the sear came to Asa king of Iuda, and saide vnto him: Because thou hast trusted in the king of Syria, and not rather put thy trust in the Lord thy God, therfore is the hoast of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hande.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him: 'Because thou hast relied on the king of Aram, and hast not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Aram escaped out of thy hand.
King James Version (1611)
And at that time Hanani the Seer came to Asa king of Iudah, and said vnto him, Because thou hast relyed on the king of Syria, and not relyed on the Lord thy God, therefore is the hoste of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And at that time came Anani the prophet to Asa king of Juda, and said to him, Because thou didst trust on the king of Syria, and didst not trust on the Lord thy God, therefore the army of Syria is escaped out of thy hand.
English Revised Version
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In that tyme Anany, the profete, cam to Asa, kyng of Juda, and seide to hym, For thou haddist trist in the kyng of Sirie, and not in `thi Lord God, herfor the oost of `the kyng of Sirie aschapide fro thin hond.
Update Bible Version
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and haven't relied on Yahweh your God, therefore the host of the king of Syria has escaped out of your hand.
Webster's Bible Translation
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore hath the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
New King James Version
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: "Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
New Living Translation
At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.
New Life Bible
At that time Hanani the man of God came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, "You have put your trust in the king of Syria and not in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Syria got away from you.
New Revised Standard
At that time the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah, and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Aram, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped you.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, at that time, came Hanani the seer, unto Asa the king of Judah, - and said unto him, Because thou hast leaned upon the king of Syria, and hast not leaned upon Yahweh thy God, for this cause, hath the force of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
Douay-Rheims Bible
At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Juda, and said to him: Because thou hast had confidence in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord thy God, therefore hath the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
Revised Standard Version
At that time Hana'ni the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
Young's Literal Translation
And at that time hath Hanani the seer come in unto Asa king of Judah, and saith unto him, `Because of thy leaning on the king of Aram, and thou hast not leaned on Jehovah thy God, therefore hath the force of the king of Aram escaped from thy hand.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.

Contextual Overview

7Just after that, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said, "Because you went for help to the king of Aram and didn't ask God for help, you've lost a victory over the army of the king of Aram. Didn't the Ethiopians and Libyans come against you with superior forces, completely outclassing you with their chariots and cavalry? But you asked God for help and he gave you the victory. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. Now you're in trouble—one round of war after another." 10 At that, Asa lost his temper. Angry, he put Hanani in the stocks. At the same time Asa started abusing some of the people. 11A full account of Asa is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa came down with a severe case of foot infection. He didn't ask God for help, but went instead to the doctors. Then Asa died; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. They buried him in a mausoleum that he had built for himself in the City of David. They laid him in a crypt full of aromatic oils and spices. Then they had a huge bonfire in his memory.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hanani: 2 Chronicles 19:2, 2 Chronicles 20:34, 1 Kings 16:1

Because: Psalms 146:3-6, Isaiah 31:1, Isaiah 32:2, Jeremiah 17:5, Jeremiah 17:6, Ephesians 1:12, Ephesians 1:13

relied on: 2 Chronicles 13:18, 2 Chronicles 32:7, 2 Chronicles 32:8, 2 Kings 18:5, 1 Chronicles 5:20

the host: 2 Chronicles 16:3

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 9:9 - a Seer 1 Kings 15:11 - Asa 1 Kings 22:43 - he turned 2 Kings 20:14 - What said 2 Chronicles 15:17 - the heart of Asa 2 Chronicles 16:8 - because 2 Chronicles 20:32 - departed not 2 Chronicles 25:15 - a prophet 2 Chronicles 26:18 - withstood Uzziah Psalms 118:12 - in the name Psalms 141:5 - the righteous Isaiah 22:11 - ye have Isaiah 36:7 - We trust Isaiah 39:3 - came Isaiah Hosea 14:3 - Asshur Amos 7:14 - neither

Cross-References

Genesis 20:1
Abraham traveled from there south to the Negev and settled down between Kadesh and Shur. While he was camping in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She's my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream that night and told him, "You're as good as dead—that woman you took, she's a married woman." Now Abimelech had not yet slept with her, hadn't so much as touched her. He said, "Master, would you kill an innocent man? Didn't he tell me, ‘She's my sister'? And didn't she herself say, ‘He's my brother'? I had no idea I was doing anything wrong when I did this." God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family." Abimelech was up first thing in the morning. He called all his house servants together and told them the whole story. They were shocked. Then Abimelech called in Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What have I ever done to you that you would bring on me and my kingdom this huge offense? What you've done to me ought never to have been done." Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?" Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'" Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and along with her sent sheep and cattle and servants, both male and female. He said, "My land is open to you; live wherever you wish." And to Sarah he said, "I've given your brother a thousand pieces of silver—that clears you of even a shadow of suspicion before the eyes of the world. You're vindicated." Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Genesis 21:17
Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying. The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in. Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight. I'm going to make of him a great nation."
Genesis 22:11
Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes, I'm listening."
Genesis 22:15
The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: "I swear— God 's sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I'll bless you—oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me."
Exodus 15:22
Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn't drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That's why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, "So what are we supposed to drink?"
1 Samuel 15:7
Then Saul went after Amalek, from the canyon all the way to Shur near the Egyptian border. He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive. Everyone else was killed under the terms of the holy ban. Saul and the army made an exception for Agag, and for the choice sheep and cattle. They didn't include them under the terms of the holy ban. But all the rest, which nobody wanted anyway, they destroyed as decreed by the holy ban.
Proverbs 15:3
God doesn't miss a thing— he's alert to good and evil alike.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah,.... Being sent by the Lord to reprove him:

and said unto him, because thou hast relied on the king of Syria; on the covenant he made with him, on the promises the Syrian king made to him upon receiving his money, and so trusted to an arm of flesh, and even an Heathen king:

and not relied on the Lord thy God; his promises, power, and providence, which he had reason to believe would have been engaged on his behalf, had he placed his confidence in him as he ought to have done: the Targum is,

"and not relied on the Word of the Lord thy God:''

therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand; which otherwise would have fallen into it, had he left him to continue in league with the king of Israel, and not solicited him to break it; for then he would have come with him against Asa, and the Lord would have delivered him to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The rebuke of Hanani and his imprisonment by Asa, omitted by the writer of Kings, are among the most important of the additions to Asa’s history for which we are indebted to the author of Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 16:7

Escaped out of thine hand - Hanani means, “Hadst thou been faithful, and opposed in arms the joint host of Israel and Syria, instead of bribing the Syrian king to desert to thy side, the entire host would have been delivered into thy hand, as was Zerah’s. But now it is escaped from thee. Thou hast lost a glorious opportunity.”

2 Chronicles 16:9

From henceforth thou shalt have wars - As peace had been the reward of Asa’s earlier faith 2Ch 14:5; 2 Chronicles 15:5, so his want of faith was now to be punished by a period of war and disturbance.

2 Chronicles 16:10

In a prison house - Or, “in the stocks.” Compare 1 Kings 22:26-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 16:7. Escaped out of thine hand. — It is difficult to know what is here intended. Perhaps the Divine providence had intended to give Asa a grand victory over the Syrians, who had always been the inveterate enemies of the Jews; but by this unnecessary and very improper alliance between Asa and Ben-hadad, this purpose of the Divine providence was prevented, and thus the Syrians escaped out of his hands.


 
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