2 Chronicles 25:20
in 2 Chronicles 25But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.
KJV
But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 25
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
But Amaziah would not listen
Verse 20 has no counterpart in Kings. Amaziah’s refusal “had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom”. The clause ties the defeat to the idolatry, and it frames the disaster as a sentence already passed.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Is not sin also punishment for sin where Amaziah, king of Judah, did not wish to hear the good advice of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, not to go to war? We read, "Amaziah would not listen to him because it was the Lord's will that he should be delivered into their hands, because they sought the god of Edom." We can recount many other events clearly showing that from a hidden judgment of God comes perversity of heart, with the result that refusal to hear the truth leads to commission of sin, and this sin is also punishment for preceding sin. For to believe a lie and not believe the truth is indeed sin, but it comes from the blindness of heart that by a hidden but just judgment of God is also punishment for sin.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): It was of the Lord; he left him to himself to act thus foolishly, that he and his people might be delivered into the hands of their enemies, because they had forsaken God and sought after the gods of Edom.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But Amaziah would not hear,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
and your heart has made you haughty to pursue glory, and you wish to be glorified also on my account. In II Kings (14:10), the reading is: “Retain your honor by staying home.”
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמַ֣ע | shama' | he listened | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֲמַצְיָ֔הוּ | ʾamatzyahu | Amaziah | H558 → | 40 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מֵהָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ | mehaelohim | [was] from <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הִ֔יא | hi' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לְמַ֖עַן | lemaan | so as | H4616 → | 272 times |
| תִּתָּ֣ם | titam | to give them | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּיָ֑ד | beyad | in a hand | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| דָֽרְשׁ֔וּ | dareshu | they had sought | H1875 → | 164 times |
| אֵ֖ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֥י | ʾelohei | [the] gods of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֱדֽוֹם׃ | ʾedom | Edom | H123 → | 99 times |
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמַ֣עhe listened
shama'H8085 →1159 times
אֲמַצְיָ֔הוּAmaziah
ʾamatzyahuH558 →40 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
מֵהָֽאֱלֹהִים֙[was] from <the> God
mehaelohimH430 →2601 times
הִ֔יאit
hi'H1931 →1879 times
לְמַ֖עַןso as
lemaanH4616 →272 times
תִּתָּ֣םto give them
titamH5414 →2011 times
בְּיָ֑דin a hand
beyadH3027 →1618 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
דָֽרְשׁ֔וּthey had sought
dareshuH1875 →164 times
אֵ֖ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
אֱלֹהֵ֥י[the] gods of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
אֱדֽוֹם׃Edom
ʾedomH123 →99 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
1 Peter 2:8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.
it leads to
- Isaiah 8:14
And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
- 1 Peter 2:7
To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
- Romans 9:32–33
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
- Romans 9:22
What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
- Isaiah 8:14
Through
1 Kings 12:15So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 10:15
So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 2:30
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as…
- 1 Kings 12:24
that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’” So they…
- 2 Chronicles 10:15
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST JULIAN 5.3.12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.