Zerah (the Cushite)

Biblical Account

Zerah is named only in 2 Chronicles 14:9–15. The text introduces him as "the Ethiopian" (Hebrew: Cushite). In the Bible, Cush generally refers to the region of the upper Nile, south of Egypt.

According to the text, in the days of King Asa of Judah, Zerah came out with "an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots" as far as Mareshah, a town in southwestern Judah. Asa set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. He then offered a prayer that begins, "LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power" (2 Chronicles 14:11). The text reports that the LORD smote the Cushites and they fled. Asa's army pursued them as far as Gerar, struck the surrounding towns, and returned to Jerusalem with large numbers of sheep and camels. What became of Zerah himself afterward is not recorded.

Significance Within Scripture

In 2 Chronicles, this battle stands at the center of the account of Asa's faith and reforms. After the battle, the prophet Azariah urges Asa to seek God (2 Chronicles 15:1–7). Asa then removes the idols and makes a covenant with the people.

Later, Asa relies on Ben-hadad, king of Aram (Syria), to check Baasha, king of Israel. Hanani the seer then rebukes Asa: "Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host … yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand" (2 Chronicles 16:8). The battle with Zerah thus serves as a benchmark for contrasting reliance on God with reliance on human help. The New Testament does not mention Zerah.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Absence of a parallel account: This battle does not appear in the record of Asa in 1 Kings 15; it is found only in 2 Chronicles.
• Zerah's identity: Several views exist. Some identify him with a king of Egypt's Twenty-second Dynasty (such as Osorkon I). Others regard him as a Cushite commander serving an Egyptian king. Still others, noting that tents and camels appear among the spoils, see him as the chieftain of a nomadic tribe living near Gerar. None of these views has been established.
• The figure "a thousand thousand": Some read it as a literal number. Others read it as an expression for a very large multitude. Still others take the Hebrew eleph (usually translated "thousand") as a military unit and conclude that the actual number was far smaller.
• Others of the same name: The Bible mentions several people named Zerah, who must be distinguished from one another. Examples include the son of Judah (Genesis 38:30), an Edomite chief (Genesis 36:13), and the son of Simeon (Numbers 26:13).