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THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 25:5

Amaziah organized Judah and sorted out Judah and Benjamin by families and by military units. Men twenty years and older had to register—they ended up with 300,000 judged capable of military service. In addition he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel in the north at a cost of about four and a half tons of silver.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Thompson Chain Reference - Amaziah;   Warriors;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Kings;   Shields;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amaziah;   Joash or Jehoash;   War;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Amaziah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Army;   Host;   Joktheel;   Salt, Valley of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Army;   Chronicles, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Alliance;   Chronicles, I;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amaziah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Army;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Armies;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amaziah;   Army;   Chronicles, Books of;   Judah, Kingdom of;   Make;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shield;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral families, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those twenty years old or more for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be three hundred thousand fit young men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield.
Hebrew Names Version
Moreover Amatzyah gathered Yehudah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Yehudah and Binyamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, who could handle spear and shield.
King James Version
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
English Standard Version
Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.
New Century Version
Amaziah gathered the people of Judah together. He grouped all the people of Judah and Benjamin by families, and he put commanders over groups of a thousand and over groups of a hundred. He counted the men who were twenty years old and older. In all there were three hundred thousand soldiers ready to fight and skilled with spears and shields.
New English Translation
Amaziah assembled the people of Judah and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age equipped with spears and shields.
Amplified Bible
Amaziah assembled [the men of] Judah and appointed them in accordance with their fathers' (ancestors') households under commanders of thousands and of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and above and found there to be 300,000 choice men fit for war and able to handle spear and shield.
New American Standard Bible
Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers' households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield.
World English Bible
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, who could handle spear and shield.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Amaziah assembled Iudah, and made them captaines ouer thousandes, and captaines ouer hundreths, according to the houses of their fathers, thorowout all Iudah & Beniamin: and he nombred them from twentie yeere olde and aboue, and founde among them three hundreth thousand chosen men, to goe foorth to the warre, and to handle speare and shield.
Legacy Standard Bible
Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers' households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go out for military duty, able to handle spear and large shield.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found there to be 300,000 choice men, able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.
Contemporary English Version
Amaziah sent a message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called together all the men who were twenty years old and older. Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields. Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put them under the command of his army officers.
Complete Jewish Bible
Amatzyahu assembled Y'hudah together and put them in order by clans under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds — all Y'hudah and Binyamin. He registered everyone twenty years old and older, and found that there were 300,000 select troops able to go to war, capable of using spears and shields.
Darby Translation
And Amaziah gathered Judah together and arranged them according to the fathers' houses, according to the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able for military service, that could handle spear and target.
Easy-to-Read Version
Amaziah gathered the people of Judah together. He grouped them by families and he put generals and captains in charge of these groups. The leaders were in charge of all the soldiers from Judah and Benjamin. All the men who were chosen to be soldiers were 20 years old and older. In all there were 300,000 skilled soldiers ready to fight with spears and shields.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Amaziah gathered Judah together and appointed over them commanders of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found that they were three hundred thousand young men, able to go forth to war, that could draw sword and handle shield.
Good News Translation
King Amaziah organized all the men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin into army units, according to the clans they belonged to, and placed officers in command of units of a thousand and units of a hundred. This included all men twenty years of age or older, 300,000 in all. They were picked troops, ready for battle, skilled in using spears and shields.
Lexham English Bible
Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by families under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. And he counted them from twenty years old and upward, and found them to be three hundred thousand chosen for going out to battle, able with spear and shield.
Literal Translation
And Amaziah gathered Judah, and made them stand, according to the house of their fathers, for commanders of the thousands, and for commanders of the hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from a son of twenty years and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand chosen ones, going forth to battle, holding spear and shield.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Amasias broughte Iuda together, and set them after the fathers houses, after the rulers ouer thousandes & ouer hundreds amonge all Iuda and BenIamin, and nombred them from twentye yeare olde & aboue, and founde of the thre hundreth thousande chosen men, which were able to go forth to the warre, and caryed speares and shyldes.
American Standard Version
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
Bible in Basic English
Then Amaziah got all Judah together and put them in order by their families, even all Judah and Benjamin, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds: and he had those of twenty years old and over numbered, and they came to three hundred thousand of the best fighting-men, trained for war and in the use of the spear and the body-cover.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Amaziahu gathered Iuda together, and made them captaynes ouer thousandes and ouer hundredes, according to the houses of their fathers throughout all Iuda and Beniamin: And he numbred them from twentie yeres olde and aboue, and found among them three hundred thousande chosen men, able to go to battell, and that could handle speare and shield.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
King James Version (1611)
Moreouer, Amaziah gathered Iudah together, and made them Captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Iudah and Beniamin: And he numbred them from twentie yeeres olde and aboue, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to goe foorth to warre, that could handle speare and shield.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Amasias assembled the house of Juda, and appointed them according to the houses of their families for captains of thousands and captains of hundreds in all Juda and Jerusalem: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield.
English Revised Version
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers’ houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Amasie gaderide togidere Juda, and ordeynede hem bi meynees and tribunes and centuriouns, in al Juda and Beniamyn; and he noumbride fro twenti yeer and aboue, and he foonde thritti thousynde of yonge men, that yeden out to batel, and helden spere and scheeld.
Update Bible Version
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of [their] fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice [men], [able] to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.
New King James Version
2 Kings 14:7">[xr] Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers' houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield.
New Living Translation
Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield.
New Life Bible
Then Amaziah gathered the men of Judah together. He put them, by their fathers' houses, under the rule of captains of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He numbered those who were twenty years old and older. And he found that they were 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war and fight with spear and battle-covering.
New Revised Standard
Amaziah assembled the people of Judah, and set them by ancestral houses under commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were three hundred thousand picked troops fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Amaziah gathered Judah together, and appointed them by their ancestral houses, as rulers of thousands and as rulers of hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin, - and he numbered them, from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, who could grasp spear and shield.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Amasias therefore gathered Juda together, and appointed them by families, and captains of thousands and of hundreds in all Juda, and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found three hundred thousand young men that could go out to battle, and could hold the spear and shield.
Revised Standard Version
Then Amazi'ah assembled the men of Judah, and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were three hundred thousand picked men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.
Young's Literal Translation
And Amaziah gathereth Judah, and appointeth them, according to the house of the fathers, for heads of the thousands, and for heads of the hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin; and he inspecteth them from a son of twenty years and upward, and findeth them three hundred thousand chosen ones, going forth to the host, holding spear and target.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers' households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield.

Contextual Overview

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem. He lived well before God , doing the right thing for the most part. But he wasn't wholeheartedly devoted to God. When he had the affairs of the kingdom well in hand, he executed the palace guard who had assassinated his father the king. But he didn't kill the sons of the assassins—he was mindful of what God commanded in The Revelation of Moses, that parents shouldn't be executed for their childrens' sins, nor children for their parents'. We each pay personally for our sins. 5Amaziah organized Judah and sorted out Judah and Benjamin by families and by military units. Men twenty years and older had to register—they ended up with 300,000 judged capable of military service. In addition he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel in the north at a cost of about four and a half tons of silver. 7A holy man showed up and said, "No, O King—don't let those northern Israelite soldiers into your army; God is not on their side, nor with any of the Ephraimites. Instead, you go by yourself and be strong. God and God only has the power to help or hurt your cause." 9 But Amaziah said to the holy man, "But what about all this money—these tons of silver I have already paid out to hire these men?" " God 's help is worth far more to you than that," said the holy man. 10 So Amaziah fired the soldiers he had hired from the north and sent them home. They were very angry at losing their jobs and went home seething. 11But Amaziah was optimistic. He led his troops into the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand men of Seir. They took another ten thousand as prisoners, led them to the top of the Rock, and pushed them off a cliff. They all died in the fall, smashed on the rocks. 13 But the troops Amaziah had dismissed from his army, angry over their lost opportunity for plunder, rampaged through the towns of Judah all the way from Samaria to Beth Horon, killing three thousand people and taking much plunder.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3177, bc 827

captains over thousands: Exodus 18:25, 1 Samuel 8:12, 1 Chronicles 13:1, 1 Chronicles 27:1

from twenty: Numbers 1:3

three: 2 Chronicles 11:1, 2 Chronicles 14:8, 2 Chronicles 17:14-18

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 12:8 - handle Ezekiel 38:4 - handling

Cross-References

Genesis 25:7
Abraham lived 175 years. Then he took his final breath. He died happy at a ripe old age, full of years, and was buried with his family. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, next to Mamre. It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried next to his wife Sarah. After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived at Beer Lahai Roi.
Genesis 25:12
This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.
Genesis 25:21
Isaac prayed hard to God for his wife because she was barren. God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. But the children tumbled and kicked inside her so much that she said, "If this is the way it's going to be, why go on living?" She went to God to find out what was going on. God told her, Two nations are in your womb, two peoples butting heads while still in your body. One people will overpower the other, and the older will serve the younger.
Matthew 11:27
Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
Matthew 28:18
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
Colossians 1:19
I, Paul, have been sent on special assignment by Christ as part of God's master plan. Together with my friend Timothy, I greet the Christians and stalwart followers of Christ who live in Colosse. May everything good from God our Father be yours! Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can't quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time. It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more. It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit. Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message. I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth. This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together,.... The inhabitants thereof:

and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; he divided the people, according to their families throughout his kingdom, into thousands and hundreds, and out of their respective families appointed captains over them:

and he numbered them from twenty years old and above; the usual age men were numbered at for war, to the fiftieth, according to Josephus; the Roman law a obliged none to be soldiers after fifty, nor might any be dismissed before b; the age of military men with the Romans was from seventeen to forty six, or, as some, forty five; but with the Persians from twenty as here to fifty c:

and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield; which shows that their number was greatly decreased since the times of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 17:14, occasioned by the wars under Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Joash; some copies of the Vulgate Latin d have only 30,000.

a Seneca de Brevitate Vitae, c. 20. b Liv. Hist. l. 42. c. 33. c Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 20. d Ed. of Sixtus V. the Lovain and MSS. in James's Corruption of the Fathers, p. 295.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Three hundred thousand - Asa’s army had been nearly twice as numerous, amounting to 580, 000 2 Chronicles 14:8. The diminution was due, in part, to wars 2Ch 21:8, 2 Chronicles 21:16; 2 Chronicles 24:23-24; in part, to the general decadence of the kingdom.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 25:5. Gathered Judah together — He purposed to avenge himself of the Syrians, but wished to know his military strength before he came to a rupture.


 
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