2 Chronicles 20:7
in 2 Chronicles 20Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
KJV
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?
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAbraham - To whom thou hast engaged thyself by covenant to be his friend, and the friend of his seed forever. The sword - Or rather, the sword of judgement or of vengeance, that is, war, whereby thou punisheth thy people for their sins.
This site's exposition
in front of the new courtyard
on 2 Chronicles 20:5-9
Jehoshaphat prays in the temple court and quotes Solomon's dedication back to God. Verse 9 restates Solomon's petition at 6:28-30: if disaster comes, the people will stand before the temple, and God will hear and save. He calls Abraham “Your friend”, a title Isaiah 41:8 and James 2:23 repeat.
This site's exposition
give it forever to the descendants of Abraham
The second plea rests on history: God drove out the land's former inhabitants and gave it to Abraham's descendants forever. Matthew Henry reads this as Judah's title to the land, a title God himself had granted. Wesley adds that God bound himself by covenant to be the friend of Abraham.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Whom should we seek to, whom should we trust to, for relief, but to the God we have chosen and served?" (3.) He shows the title they had to this good land they were now in possession of; an indisputable title it was: " Thou gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend. He was thy friend (this is referred to, James ii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Art not thou our God,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Jehoshaphat stood . . . in the house of the Lord, before the new court--that is, the great or outer court (2Ch 4:9) called the new court, probably from having been at that time enlarged or beautified.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
And said, O Lord God of our fathers--This earnest and impressive prayer embraces every topic and argument which, as king and representative of the chosen people, he could urge.
Art not thou our God - “Hast not thou, by thy Word, driven out.” - Targum.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֲלֹ֣א׀ | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אַתָּ֣ה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | ʾeloheinu | O God our | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הוֹרַ֙שְׁתָּ֙ | horashta | did you dispossess | H3423 → | 231 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵי֙ | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הָאָ֣רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| הַזֹּ֔את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| מִלִּפְנֵ֖י | milifnei | from to before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| עַמְּךָ֣ | ʾamekha | people your | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַֽתִּתְּנָ֗הּ | vatitenah | and you gave it | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְזֶ֛רַע | lezera' | to [the] offspring of | H2233 → | |
| אַבְרָהָ֥ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | |
| אֹֽהַבְךָ֖ | ʾohavkha | friend your | H157 → | 211 times |
| לְעוֹלָֽם׃ | leolam | for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
הֲלֹ֣א׀¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
אַתָּ֣הyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּO God our
ʾeloheinuH430 →2601 times
הוֹרַ֙שְׁתָּ֙did you dispossess
horashtaH3423 →231 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יֹשְׁבֵי֙[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
הָאָ֣רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
הַזֹּ֔את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
מִלִּפְנֵ֖יfrom to before
milifneiH6440 →2123 times
עַמְּךָ֣people your
ʾamekhaH5971 →1873 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַֽתִּתְּנָ֗הּand you gave it
vatitenahH5414 →2011 times
לְזֶ֛רַעto [the] offspring of
lezera'H2233 →
אַבְרָהָ֥םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →
אֹֽהַבְךָ֖friend your
ʾohavkhaH157 →211 times
לְעוֹלָֽם׃for ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 2:23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
it leads to
- Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
- Isaiah 41:8
“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend—
- Galatians 3:6
So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
- Romans 4:22–24
This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
- Genesis 15:6
Through
Isaiah 41:8“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend—
it leads to
- James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
- Deuteronomy 14:2
for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the…
- Exodus 19:5–6
Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.
- James 2:23
Through
Genesis 12:7Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
it leads to
- Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
- Genesis 17:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of the Chronicles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.