Valley of Berachah

Biblical Text

The Valley of Berachah appears in 2 Chronicles 20. When the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, together with the people of Mount Seir, advanced toward En-gedi, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and prayed in the temple (2 Chronicles 20:1–12). Then Jahaziel, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, prophesied, "the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).

The next day the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go before the army and sing, "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chronicles 20:21). When they began to sing, the LORD set ambushments, and the enemy forces struck one another down and were destroyed (2 Chronicles 20:22–23). The people of Judah spent three days gathering the spoil, and on the fourth day they assembled in a valley and blessed the LORD. The text therefore records, "the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day" (2 Chronicles 20:26). Afterward the people returned to the temple in Jerusalem with psalteries, harps, and trumpets (2 Chronicles 20:27–28).

Background and Name

"Berachah" (berakah) means "blessing" or "praise" in Hebrew. It shares its root with the verb barak, meaning "to bless" or "to praise." The text itself explains that the name arose from the people's blessing of the LORD at that place.

The valley is generally thought to lie near the wilderness of Tekoa, where the battle took place. One well-known view identifies it with the modern site of Bereikut, between Bethlehem and Hebron and west of Tekoa, though this identification is not certain. First Chronicles 12:3 also mentions a Benjamite named Berachah among those who came to David; this is a personal name unrelated to the valley.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The account illustrates the theme that salvation depends not on human strength but on God. Jahaziel's words, "stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you" (2 Chronicles 20:17), echo the words Moses spoke at the Red Sea in Exodus 14:13–14. The people's blessing of God on the very spot of their deliverance, and their commemoration of the event in a place name, are read as a model of thanksgiving and remembrance.

The Valley of Berachah does not appear directly in the New Testament. It is often read, however, in connection with Hebrews 13:15–16, which speaks of praise as a sacrifice offered to God, and with Ephesians 6:10–18, which presents the initiative in the battle as belonging to God.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The relationship between praise and victory: Some sermons emphasize that praise brought about the victory. Another interpretation holds that the focus of the text is not on the efficacy of praise but on God himself fighting the battle. This interpretation cautions against treating praise as a method for obtaining victory.
• Relationship to the Valley of Jehoshaphat: Joel 3 mentions the "valley of Jehoshaphat," where the nations are judged. Some connect it with the events of 2 Chronicles 20, but the text does not say that the two places are the same. Traditionally, the Valley of Jehoshaphat has been associated with the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem.