2 Chronicles 17:1
in 2 Chronicles 17Asa’s son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.
KJV
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Jehoshaphat ascended the throne in the fourth year of Ahab 1Ki 22:41, probably after that monarch had contracted his alliance with the royal family of Sidon, and before he was engaged in war with Syria. It was thus not unnatural that Jehoshaphat should begin his reign by strengthening himself against a possible attack on the part of his northern neighbor.
This site's exposition
strengthened himself against Israel
on 2 Chronicles 17:1-2
Jehoshaphat succeeds Asa and strengthens himself against Israel, which the bench reads as defense rather than invasion: he garrisons the fenced cities of Judah and holds the cities of Ephraim his father had taken from the northern kingdom at 15:8. The reign opens on the border his father drew, and Chronicles will measure it by the same verb it measures every reign by, whether the king seeks the Lord.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead,.... In the stead of Asa his father: and strengthened himself against Israel; the ten tribes, by fortifying his cities, building castles, raising and keeping a large standing army, as the latter part of this chapter shows, and the next verse.
Jehoshaphat strengthened himself not to act offensively against Israel or invade them, but only to maintain his own, which he did by fortifying the cities that were on his frontiers, and putting garrisons, stronger than had been, in the cities of Ephraim, which he was master of,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Jehoshaphat . . . strengthened himself against Israel--The temper and proceedings of the kings of Israel rendered it necessary for him to prepare vigorous measures of defense on the northern frontier of his kingdom.
Jehoshaphat - and strengthened himself against Israel - The kingdoms of Israel and Judah were rivals from the beginning; sometimes one, sometimes the other, prevailed. Asa and Baasha were nearly matched; but, after Baasha’s death, Israel was greatly weakened by civil contentions, and Jehoshaphat got the ascendancy. See 1Ki 16:16-23.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ | vaiyimlokh | and he became king | H4427 → | 348 times |
| יְהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט | yehoshafat | Jehoshaphat | H3092 → | 84 times |
| בְּנ֖וֹ | beno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| תַּחְתָּ֑יו | tachtav | in place of him | H8478 → | 505 times |
| וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֖ק | vaiyitchazek | and he strengthened himself | H2388 → | 291 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְand he became king
vaiyimlokhH4427 →348 times
יְהוֹשָׁפָ֥טJehoshaphat
yehoshafatH3092 →84 times
בְּנ֖וֹson his
benoH1121 →4930 times
תַּחְתָּ֑יוin place of him
tachtavH8478 →505 times
וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֖קand he strengthened himself
vaiyitchazekH2388 →291 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 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
Ephesians 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
it leads to
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- 1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
- 1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish…
- Philippians 4:13
Through
2 Chronicles 32:5Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 25:23
There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from…
- 2 Chronicles 25:23
Through
1 Kings 15:24And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
it leads to
- Matthew 1:8
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.
- Matthew 1:8
Through
Matthew 1:8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 3:11
Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,
- 1 Chronicles 3:11
About 2 Chronicles

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
