2 Chronicles 20:23

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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) Stood up against.—‘Amad ‘al, a late usage. (So 1Chronicles 21:1.)

Utterly to slay.—To exterminate (hacharîm), devote to destruction.

Made an end of.—Finished with. (See on 2Chronicles 20:22, “begin with,” and compare Genesis 44:12.)

Every one helped . . . another.—Literally, they helped, each against (or, in the case of) his fellow, for destruction (mashchîth, 2Chronicles 22:4; Ezekiel 5:16).

Benson Commentary

2 Chronicles 20:23-24. The children of Ammon and of Moab, &c. — These fell foul upon the Edomites, and cut them off; and then fell out with one another, and cut one another off. Thus God often makes wicked people instruments of destruction to one another. When Judah came toward the watch-tower — Which stood upon the cliff of Ziz, mentioned 2 Chronicles 20:16, and looked toward the wilderness, where their enemies lay encamped, whose numbers, and order, and condition, they could descry from thence. They looked unto the multitude, and behold they were dead bodies — When they came to the view of this vast army, instead of finding living men to fight with, they found them all dead men, and their carcasses spread as dung upon the face of the earth. And none escaped — Or rather, none remained, because those who were not killed, made the best of their way home; for it cannot be supposed that they were absolutely all killed.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

20:20-30 Jehoshaphat exhorted his troops to firm faith in God. Faith inspires a man with true courage; nor will any thing help more to the establishing of the heart in shaking times, than a firm belief of the power, and mercy, and promise of God. In all our trust in the Lord, and our praises of him, let us especially look at his everlasting mercy to sinners through Jesus Christ. Never was an army so destroyed as that of the enemy. Thus God often makes wicked people destroy one another. And never was a victory celebrated with more solemn thanksgivings.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Lord set ambushments - These liers in wait have been regarded as angels employed by God to confuse the host and cause its destruction, so that the Moabites and Ammonites first united to destroy the Edomites, and then turned upon each other.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2Ch 20:22-30. The Overthrow of His Enemies.

22. when they began to sing and to praise the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—Some think that this was done by angels in human form, whose sudden appearance diffused an uncontrollable panic. Others entertain the more probable opinion that, in the camp of this vast horde, composed of different tribes, jealousies and animosities had sprung up, which led to widespread dissensions and fierce feuds, in which they drew the sword against each other. The consequence was, that as the mutual strife commenced when the Hebrew procession set out from Jerusalem, the work of destruction was completed before Jehoshaphat and his people arrived at the battlefield. Thus easy is it for God to make the wrath of man to praise Him, to confound the counsels of His enemies and employ their own passions in defeating the machinations they have devised for the overthrow of His Church and people.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir,.... Supposing that they had acted a treacherous part by them, and took on the side of their enemies:

utterly to slay and destroy them; as they did:

and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir; so that there were none left of them:

everyone helped to destroy one another; in their confusion mistook one another, either for Edomites or Jews, like the Midianites in the times of Gideon.

Geneva Study Bible

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 {p} destroy another.

(p) Thus the Lord according to Jehoshaphat's prayer declared his power, when he delivered his by causing their enemies to kill one another.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

23. For the children of Ammon] Render, And the children of Ammon. The sudden attack of the ambushed Judæans created a panic and a suspicion of treachery among the allies; so at Gideon’s surprise of Midian every man turned his sword against his fellow (Jdg 7:22).

utterly to slay] Lit. to devote; cp. Leviticus 27:28-29.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 23. - This verse proceeds to explain how this resulted in a kind of triangular duel on large scale. 2 Chronicles 20:23

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

And at the time when they (having come into the neighbourhood of the hostile camp) began with singing and praising, Jahve directed liers in wait against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were come against Judah, and they were smitten. מארבים denotes liers in wait, men hidden in ambush and lying in wait (Judges 9:25). Who are here meant cannot be ascertained with certainty. Some of the older commentators, Ew. and Berth., think it refers to powers, angels sent by God, who are called insidiatores, because of the work they had to do in the army of the hostile peoples. But the passages where the interposition of heavenly powers is spoken of are different (cf. 2 Kings 6:17; 2 Kings 19:35), and it is not probable that heavenly powers would be called מארבים. Most probably earthly liers in wait are meant, who unexpectedly rushed forth from their ambush upon the hostile army, and raised a panic terror among them; so that, as is narrated in 2 Chronicles 20:23., the Ammonites and Moabites first turned their weapons against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, and after they had exterminated them, began to exterminate each other. But the ambush cannot have been composed of men of Judah, because they were, according to 2 Chronicles 20:15 and 2 Chronicles 20:17, not to fight, but only to behold the deliverance wrought by the Lord. Probably it was liers in wait of the Seirites, greedy of spoil, who from an ambush made an attack upon the Ammonites and Moabites, and by the divine leading put the attacked in such fear and confusion, that they turned furiously upon the inhabitants of Mount Seir, who marched with them, and then fell to fighting with each other; just as, in Judges 7:22., the Midianites were, under divine influence, so terrified by the unexpected attack of the small band led by Gideon, that they turned their swords against and mutually destroyed each other. שׂ בּיושׁבי וּככלּותם, and when they had come to an end (were finished) among the inhabitants of Seir, when they had massacred these, they helped the one against the other to destruction (משׁחית is a substantive, as 2 Chronicles 22:4; Ezekiel 5:16, etc.).