2 Chronicles 25:13

2Ch 25:13 But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

Ver. 13. From Samaria even to Bethhoron.] All along the breadth of Judah. Some will have this not to have been done till Amaziah’s return from the slaughter of Edom, for a punishment of his pride and idolatry. {a}

{a} Lyra. Mayer.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 25:13. The army which Amaziah sent back, fell upon the cities of Judah — Thus God chastised those cities of Judah for their idolatries, which were found most in the parts next to Israel. The men of Israel had corrupted them, and now are a plague to them. And thus Amaziah also was punished for having entered into an alliance with idolaters, though at the prophet’s reproof he broke it off: and perhaps, likewise, this calamity befell his subjects, because he had used his victory over the Edomites with so much cruelty.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, the hundred thousand of Israel.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(13) But the soldiers of the army.—Literally, Now the sons of the troop whom Amaziah had caused to return from marching with him to the war, they fell upon, &c.

Fell upon.—The verb used in 1Ch_14:9; 1Ch_14:13 : “Spread themselves.” Here it means attacked with a view to plunder (Job_1:17).

From Samaria even unto Beth-horon.—“Samaria” is probably corrupt. Otherwise we must suppose that the mercenaries first returned home, and then, by order of king Joash, started afresh from Samaria, and invaded the northern districts of the kingdom of Judah. For “Beth-horon,” see Note on 1Ch_7:24.

And smote . . . of them.—Of their inhabitants.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13 (no parallel in Kings). Outrages of the Ephraimite Mercenaries

13. the soldiers of the army] Heb., the sons of the troop.

the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon] This phrase is strange, for we expect the two names given to be names of cities belonging to the Southern Kingdom. Perhaps we should read for Samaria either Zemaraim (2Ch_13:4; Jos_18:22) or Ephrain (Ephron; 2Ch_13:19; cp. Jos_15:9). Both Zemaraim and Ephrain were border cities.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites,.... Instead of returning thanks to God for the victory obtained, and giving him the glory of it:

that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods; what were the gods of the Edomites is nowhere said in Scripture; only Josephus (l) speaks of the priests of Coze, which he says was a god of the Idumaeans:

and bowed himself before them, and burned incense unto them; which was the greatest piece of sottishhess and stupidity imaginable, to worship the gods of a nation conquered by him; for since they could not save them, what help could he expect from them?

(l) Antiqu. l. l5. c. 7. sect. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To revenge the insult 2Ch 25:10, the troops of Joash proceeded southward and ravaged all the Jewish towns and villages between the Israelite frontier and Bethboron. This invasion probably took place while Amaziah was still in Edom.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Samaria, the capital, where they had made their complaints to king Joas; and receiving no redress, began to plunder, as far as Bethhoron the lower, which Solomon had repaired, and his successors had retained, though it belonged to the territory of Ephraim, C. xiii. 5., and Josue xviii. 13. C.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Unto Beth-horon, to wit, Beth-horon the lower, which was in the tribe of Benjamin; and from thence to Samaria; either,

1. To the city of Samaria; for the kings of Judah had taken divers places within the kingdom of Israel. Or,

2. To the kingdom of Samaria; Beth-horon and all other places between that city and their own kingdom.

Smote, i.e. killed, as that word is generally understood.

Three thousand of them; not three thousand cities, but three thousand persons dwelling in them, who possibly opposed them in taking the spoil, which was the thing they sought.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The soldiers sent back fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. There is probably something to read between the lines here, to wit, that the soldiers returned to their master add king (Joash of Israel), and were by him remitted to this work. The mention of Samaria before Beth-horon (see map) indicates it, and the words "sent back" may be held to imply, at least, that they first went back that the disappointment of spoil was the chief part of their aggravations, so that now the rather they got their much spoil, and note made thereof, and that since not so much the instructive and so far forth more excusablerevenge on the part of the disappointed soldiers, but the deliberate plan and order of their king had brought about this devastation of Amaziah"s domains, in this fact we have the key of what we read in our vers. 17, 18, etc., and of the very cool manner in which Amaziah challenged Joash. The cities of Judah attacked were apparently those that once had belonged to Ephraim. Smote three thousand of them; i.e. of the people of them.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Cities of Judah - Thus God chastised those cities of Judah for their idolatries which were found most in the parts next to Israel. The men of Israel had corrupted them, and now are a plague to them.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the men of the army which Amaziah sent back

"the men of the army of Israel which Amaziah sent back to Israel"

Beth Horon

This was a village near Jerusalem in Ephraim. (See: How to Translate Names)

struck down

Here "struck down" is an idiom that means they killed them. AT: "killed" (See: Idiom)

three thousand of the people

"3,000 people"

took much plunder

"took away a great amount of valuable things"

translationWords

kingdom of Judah

Samaria

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon after they returned to their place, as above, “they were very angry with Judah and returned to their place.” For if it were not so, i.e., if they had raided the cities of Judah as soon as they left Amaziah, Scripture would have said, “and they raided the cities of Judah from Beth-Horon to Samaria,” [i.e., going from Judah to Samaria].

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.