2 Chronicles 17

After the death of Asa in 2 Chronicles 16, this chapter and those that follow through 2 Chronicles 20 deal with the reign of his son Jehoshaphat. His accomplishments, mentioned only briefly in 1 Kings 22, are presented here in detail.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: Jehoshaphat succeeds to the throne and stations forces in the fortified cities of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa had taken.
• Verses 3–6: He walks in the first ways of David and does not seek Baal. The LORD establishes the kingdom, and Jehoshaphat has riches and honor in abundance. He removes the high places and the Asherah groves.
• Verses 7–9: In the third year of his reign he sends out five princes, nine Levites, and two priests. Carrying the book of the law of the LORD, they travel through all the cities of Judah and teach the people.
• Verses 10–13: The surrounding nations are afraid and do not make war against Judah. The Philistines bring presents and tribute silver, and the Arabians bring 7,700 rams and 7,700 he goats. The king builds fortresses and store cities.
• Verses 14–19: The chapter records the organization of the troops stationed in Jerusalem. The forces of Judah are commanded by Adnah (300,000), Jehohanan (280,000), and Amasiah (200,000); those of Benjamin are commanded by Eliada (200,000) and Jehozabad (180,000).

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 17:3: "he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim." This verse illustrates the standard by which Chronicles evaluates kings.
• 2 Chronicles 17:9: "And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them." This is a rare account of instruction in the Law undertaken at a king's initiative.

People and Places

• Jehoshaphat: The son of Asa and the fourth king of Judah.
• Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel, and Michaiah: The princes sent out to teach. They should be distinguished from other individuals of the same names.
• Elishama and Jehoram: The priests sent out with them.
• Adnah, Jehohanan, Amasiah, and Eliada: Military commanders. Amasiah is introduced as one "who willingly offered himself unto the LORD."
• Jehozabad (verse 18): A commander. Korean Bibles spell his name the same as the king's, but in the Hebrew text it is a different name (Jehozabad).
• Ephraim: A region of the northern kingdom of Israel, where the cities taken by Asa were located.

Points for Reflection

• Verse 6 states that the high places were removed, but 2 Chronicles 20:33 and 1 Kings 22:43 record that the high places remained. Several interpretations have been offered. Some distinguish between high places used for pagan worship and those used for the worship of the LORD; others see a difference between the early reforms and the later situation.
• The troop numbers in verses 14–18 total 1,160,000. Some scholars read the Hebrew word translated "thousand" as a term for a military unit. Those who emphasize biblical inerrancy either accept the numbers as they stand or attribute the difficulty to the transmission of the manuscripts.
• The itinerant teaching in verses 7–9 is often read in connection with the command in Deuteronomy 17:18–19 that the king keep the Law close at hand.