Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 19:5

And he was diligent in appointing judges in the land—each of the fortress cities had its judge. He charged the judges: "This is serious work; do it carefully. You are not merely judging between men and women; these are God 's judgments that you are passing on. Live in the fear of God —be most careful, for God hates dishonesty, partiality, and bribery."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Jehoshaphat;   Judge;   Thompson Chain Reference - Cities;   Fenced Cities;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Judges of Israel;   The Topic Concordance - Judges;   Judgment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities;   Courts of Justice;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Justice;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   King;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Judge (Office);   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Government;   King;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chronicles, Books of;   Jehoshaphat (2);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Judge;   Patriotism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He appointed judges in all the fortified cities of the land of Judah, city by city.
Hebrew Names Version
He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Yehudah, city by city,
King James Version
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,
English Standard Version
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
New Century Version
Jehoshaphat appointed judges in all the land, in each of the strong, walled cities of Judah.
New English Translation
He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
Amplified Bible
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
New American Standard Bible
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.
World English Bible
He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
Geneva Bible (1587)
And hee set iudges in the lande throughout all the strong cities of Iudah, citie by citie,
Legacy Standard Bible
And he appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, in each city.
Berean Standard Bible
He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
Contemporary English Version
He assigned judges to each of the fortified cities in Judah
Complete Jewish Bible
He appointed judges throughout the land in all the fortified cities of Y'hudah, city by city,
Darby Translation
And he set judges in the land throughout the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.
Easy-to-Read Version
Jehoshaphat went from town to town and appointed judges in each of the fortresses of Judah.
George Lamsa Translation
And he appointed judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah and the great cities.
Good News Translation
He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah
Lexham English Bible
And he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.
Literal Translation
And he placed judges in the land, in all the fortified cities of Judah, for every city;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he set Iudges thorow out the londe, in all the stronge cities of Iuda, and a certayne in euery cite.
American Standard Version
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
Bible in Basic English
And he put judges through all the land, in every walled town of Judah,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he set iudges in the lande throughout all the strong cities of Iuda, citie by citie:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
King James Version (1611)
And he set Iudges in the land, throughout all the fenced cities of Iudah, city by city,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he appointed judges in all the strong cities of Juda, city by city.
English Revised Version
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he ordeynede iugis of the lond in alle the strengthid citees of Juda, bi ech place.
Update Bible Version
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
Webster's Bible Translation
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
New King James Version
Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
New Living Translation
He appointed judges throughout the nation in all the fortified towns,
New Life Bible
He chose judges in the land in all the strong cities of Judah, city by city.
New Revised Standard
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he stationed judges in the land, throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he set judges of the land in all the fenced cities of Juda, in every place.
Revised Standard Version
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
Young's Literal Translation
And he establisheth judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah, for every city,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.

Contextual Overview

5And he was diligent in appointing judges in the land—each of the fortress cities had its judge. He charged the judges: "This is serious work; do it carefully. You are not merely judging between men and women; these are God 's judgments that you are passing on. Live in the fear of God —be most careful, for God hates dishonesty, partiality, and bribery." 8In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also appointed Levites, priests, and family heads to decide on matters that had to do with worship and mediating local differences. He charged them: "Do your work in the fear of God ; be dependable and honest in your duties. When a case comes before you involving any of your fellow citizens, whether it seems large (like murder) or small (like matters of interpretation of the law), you are responsible for warning them that they are dealing with God . Make that explicit, otherwise both you and they are going to be dealing with God 's wrath. Do your work well or you'll end up being as guilty as they are. 11 "Amariah the chief priest is in charge of all cases regarding the worship of God ; Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, is in charge of all civil cases; the Levites will keep order in the courts. Be bold and diligent. And God be with you as you do your best."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Chronicles 19:8, Deuteronomy 16:18-20, Romans 13:1-5, 1 Peter 2:13, 1 Peter 2:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:21 - such as Leviticus 14:42 - General 1 Samuel 8:1 - made his 2 Chronicles 20:1 - after this also 2 Chronicles 20:4 - the cities Ezra 10:14 - our rulers Micah 3:1 - Is it

Cross-References

Genesis 19:23
The sun was high in the sky when Lot arrived at Zoar.
Genesis 19:24
Then God rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah—a river of lava from God out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground.
Genesis 19:26
But Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:27
Abraham got up early the next morning and went to the place he had so recently stood with God . He looked out over Sodom and Gomorrah, surveying the whole plain. All he could see was smoke belching from the Earth, like smoke from a furnace.
Leviticus 18:22
"Don't have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent.
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man has sex with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is abhorrent. They must be put to death; they are responsible for their own deaths.
Judges 19:22
They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him."
Ezekiel 16:49
"‘The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury—proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives. And you know what happened: I did away with them.
Ezekiel 16:51
"‘And Samaria. Samaria didn't sin half as much as you. You've committed far more obscenities than she ever did. Why, you make your two sisters look good in comparison with what you've done! Face it, your sisters look mighty good compared with you. Because you've outsinned them so completely, you've actually made them look righteous. Aren't you ashamed? But you're going to have to live with it. What a reputation to carry into history: outsinning your two sisters!
1 Corinthians 6:9
Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,.... Inferior judges in lesser courts of judicature than that at Jerusalem, and that in every city, that judgment and justice might be executed everywhere; such were appointed by David, but had been neglected, and now restored, see 1 Chronicles 26:29.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What exact change Jehoshaphat made in the judicial system of Judah Deu 16:18; 1 Chronicles 23:4, it is impossible to determine. Probably he found corruption widely spread 2 Chronicles 19:7, and the magistrates in some places tainted with the prevailing idolatry. He therefore made a fresh appointment of judges throughout the whole country; concentrating judicial authority in the hands of a few, or creating superior courts in the chief towns (“fenced cities”), with a right of appeal to such courts from the village judge.


 
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