What was happening when Jehoshaphat prayed, “we have no might against this great company”?

Jehoshaphat had just been told that a huge army from Moab, Ammon, and people from mount Seir were already close, at Engedi. This threat came after he had tried to lead Judah in the right way, so it was very serious and frightening. Instead of rushing to fight, he called everyone in Judah to fast and stand before God at the temple. His words, “we have no might” and “neither know we what to do,” show he saw clearly that they could not save themselves. Their only hope was God, so “our eyes are upon thee” became the center of their prayer.

What does “the battle is not yours, but God’s” mean in this passage?

When Jahaziel speaks by the Spirit, he tells Judah not to be afraid because the fight they face does not rest on their strength or skill. God is taking this conflict as His own. They still must go out and face the enemy, but they are told they will not need to fight. Their role is to trust, obey, stand firm, and watch what God will do. The phrase shows that some struggles are settled by God’s power alone, so His people should rest their hearts on Him instead of their own plans.

Why were singers sent in front of the army, and what did they sing?

Jehoshaphat put singers ahead of the soldiers as they marched out. This was an act of trust, showing they believed God’s promise before seeing any result. Instead of shields and swords leading the way, praise did. The singers blessed God for His holy beauty and kept saying, “Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.” As they began to sing and praise, God caused confusion among the enemy armies so they turned on each other. The praise was not magic, but a clear sign that Judah was leaning on God’s mercy and not on their own strength.

How did God defeat Moab, Ammon, and mount Seir without Judah fighting?

God acted in a hidden but powerful way. As Judah came with singers in front, the Lord “set ambushments” against the enemies. The men of Ammon and Moab turned against the people of mount Seir and destroyed them. After that, they turned on one another until no one was left. By the time Judah came to the lookout point, they saw only dead bodies and no one had escaped. Judah did not strike a blow. Their part was to go where God sent them, stand firm, and watch. The victory showed clearly that God Himself had fought for them.

What is the valley of Berachah, and why did the people name it that?

After the battle, it took Judah three days to gather all the riches and jewels left among the dead, there was so much. On the fourth day they met in a valley nearby. There they stopped to bless and thank the Lord for what He had done. Because that place became a special spot of blessing and gratitude, they called it the valley of Berachah, which means “blessing.” The new name reminded everyone that what had been a place of fear and danger became a place to remember God’s help and kindness to His people.

What does this passage teach about how to respond when you feel overwhelmed?

Jehoshaphat’s example gives a simple pattern. First, he admits his fear. Then he “sets himself to seek the Lord” and calls others to join him. He does not pretend to be strong; instead he confesses, “we have no might” and “neither know we what to do.” He fixes his eyes on God, remembers who God is and what He has done before, and trusts God’s promises. Then, even before the answer is seen, he bows in worship and leads the people in praise. When you feel overwhelmed, this story encourages honest prayer, shared dependence, and thankful worship.

Who is Jahaziel, and what is the importance of his message to Judah?

Jahaziel is a Levite from the family of Asaph, one of the families involved with temple music. While Judah is gathered at the temple in fear and prayer, the Spirit of the Lord comes on him in the middle of the assembly. His message brings God’s answer: do not fear, the battle belongs to God, and they will not need to fight. He also gives clear instructions on where to go and what to do. His words turn the people from terror to worship. They trust that God has spoken, and that trust shapes everything that follows.

Why did God later break Jehoshaphat’s ships, and what does that show?

Near the end of the chapter, Jehoshaphat joins with Ahaziah, a king described as doing very wickedly, to build ships to go to Tarshish. A man named Eliezer brings a word from God saying, “Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works.” Then the ships are ruined and cannot sail. This shows that even a generally faithful king can make poor alliances, and God cares about whom His people join themselves with. It is a warning that trusting in partnerships with those who oppose God can bring loss instead of gain, even after past victories.

2Chr.20.1

2 Chronicles 20:1

KJV

It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

War against Jehoshaphat

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

5 ¶ And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

The Prophecy of Jahaziel

14 ¶ Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not your’s, but God’s.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

The Enemies Destroy Themselves

20 ¶ And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 ¶ And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

The Joyful Return

26 ¶ And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

31 ¶ And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

Jehoshaphat’s Fleet Is Wrecked

35 ¶ And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.

37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.