The information in this chapter is all new, having been found nowhere else in the bible.
וַיָּשָׁב יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם לִירוּשָׁלִָם׃ 19:1
2Chr. 19:1 And Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
וַיֵּצֵא אֶל־פָּנָיו יֵהוּא בֶן־חֲנָנִי הַחֹזֶה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹשָׁפָט הֲלָרָשָׁע לַעְזֹר וּלְשֹׂנְאֵי יְהוָה תֶּאֱהָב 19:2
וּבָזֹאת עָלֶיךָ קֶּצֶף מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה׃
2Chr. 19:2 And Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, came out to his face and said to the king, “Jehoshaphat, should you be giving aid to a wicked man and therefore love to haters of the Lord? So because of this, wrath would be upon you out of the ‘face’ of the Lord,
אֲבָל דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים נִמְצְאוּ עִמָּךְ כִּי־בִעַרְתָּ הָאֲשֵׁרוֹת מִן־הָאָרֶץ וַהֲכִינוֹתָ לְבָבְךָ לִדְרֹשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים׃ 19:3
2Chr. 19:3 were it not that favorable things have been encountered with you, as you eliminated the Asheroth from the land and have made your heart firm to seek God.”
וַיֵּשֶׁב יְהֹושָׁפָט בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וַיָּשָׁב וַיֵּצֵא בָעָם מִבְּאֵר שֶׁבַע עַד־הַר אֶפְרַיִם וַיְשִׁיבֵם אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי 19:4
אֲבֹותֵיהֶם׃
2Chr. 19:4 And Jehoshaphat dwelled in Jerusalem, and he was restored, and he went out among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the Lord, God of their ancestors.
וַיַּעֲמֵד שֹׁפְטִים בָּאָרֶץ בְּכָל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבְּצֻרוֹת לְעִיר וָעִיר׃ 19:5
2Chr. 19:5 And he set judges for every city throughout the land in all the cities of Judah that were fortified.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הַשֹּׁפְטִים רְאוּ מָה־אַתֶּם עֹשִׂים כִּי לֹא לְאָדָם תִּשְׁפְּטוּ כִּי לַיהוָה וְעִמָּכֶם בִּדְבַר מִשְׁפָּט׃ 19:6
2Chr. 19:6 And he said to the judges, “Consider what you will be doing, for you will not be judging for humankind, but for the Lord, but the decision is with you in any matter.”
וְעַתָּה יְהִי פַחַד־יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם שִׁמְרוּ וַעֲשׂוּ כִּי־אֵין עִם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַוְלָה וּמַשֹּׂא פָנִים וּמִקַּח־שֹׁחַד׃ 19:7
2Chr. 19:7 “So now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; give heed and act, for there must be no injustice with the Lord, our God, or respecting of persons, or taking of bribes.”
וְגַם בִּירוּשָׁלִַם הֶעֱמִיד יְהוֹשָׁפָט מִן־הַלְוִיִּם וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וּמֵרָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפַּט יְהוָה וְלָרִיב 19:8
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃
2Chr. 19:8 And also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat set up some of the Levites and the priests and some of the heads of Israel's households for the judgment of the Lord and for dispute. And they returned to Jerusalem.
There’s disagreement over who the they are in the last part of this verse. Some scholars believe it refers to Jehoshaphat and his entourage. But notice that v. 19:4 says that Jehoshaphat was already in Jerusalem. Other scholars believe it refers to the Levites and priests who were set up. The latter interpretation seems questionable because the front part of the verse sounds as if they were already in Jerusalem.
I see it this way. The Levites and priests were not all in Jerusalem; some were in outlying cities. Jehoshaphat chose them from his place in Jerusalem. Then once they were chosen they returned to Jerusalem, where Jehoshaphat then commanded them in person (as in the rest of the verses in this chapter). So in my opinion, the pronoun they refers to those outlying Levites and priests.
וַיְצַו עֲלֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר כֹּה תַעֲשׂוּן בְּיִרְאַת יְהוָה בֶּאֱמוּנָה וּבְלֵבָב שָׁלֵם׃ 19:9
2Chr. 19:9 But he gave command to them saying, “Thus shall you do in reverence of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with a whole heart.”
וְכָל־רִיב אֲשֶׁר־יָבוֹא עֲלֵיכֶם מֵאֲחֵיכֶם הַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּעָרֵיהֶם בֵּין־דָּם לְדָם בֵּין־תּוֹרָה לְמִצְוָה לְחֻקִּים 19:10
וּלְמִשְׁפָּטִים וְהִזְהַרְתֶּם אֹתָם וְלֹא יֶאְשְׁמוּ לַיהוָה וְהָיָה־קֶצֶף עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל־אֲחֵיכֶם כֹּה תַעֲשׂוּן וְלֹא תֶאְשָׁמוּ׃
2Chr. 19:10 “When any dispute that will come to you from your brethren dwelling in their cities, between blood and blood, between the law, commandment, statutes, or ordinances, then you must warn them that they should not commit an offense to the Lord, or wrath would be upon you and upon your brethren. Thus you shall do and you will not be guilty.”
וְהִנֵּה אֲמַרְיָהוּ כֹהֵן הָרֹאשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם לְכֹל דְּבַר־יְהוָה וּזְבַדְיָהוּ בֶן־יִשְׁמָעֵאל הַנָּגִיד לְבֵית־יְהוּדָה לְכֹל 19:11
דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְשֹׁטְרִים הַלְוִיִּם לִפְנֵיכֶם חִזְקוּ וַעֲשׂוּ וִיהִי יְהוָה עִם־הַטּוֹב׃
2Chr. 19:11 “And behold, Amariah, the high priest, shall be over you for every matter of the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader for the house of Judah, for every matter of the king, and the Levites shall be officers before you. Be courageous and act effectively, as the Lord is with any who is good.”
[Return to 2Chronicles Chapters] [Prev.: 2Chr. 18] [Next: 2Chr. 20]
