2 Chronicles 20:15–17
A word to Judah in YHWH’s name: the war is not theirs, but Elohim’s
Study it word by word15and he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says YHWH to you: ‘You, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed before this great multitude, for the war is not yours, but Elohim’s.
16Tomorrow go down against them; look, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook, facing the wilderness of Jeruel.
17It is not for you to fight in this; present yourselves, stand and see the salvation of YHWH with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed; tomorrow go out before them, and YHWH will be with you.’”
In its context
13And all Judah was standing before YHWH, also their little ones, their wives and their sons.
14Then upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, the spirit of YHWH came in the midst of the assembly,
…
18Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before YHWH, to bow down to YHWH.
19The Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise YHWH, Elohim of Israel, with a voice exceedingly loud.
Its words in the original
- יֹּאמֶרyomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- הַקְשִׁיבוּhakshivu· pay attention, listen
To pay attention, to listen carefully, to prick up the ears. It is more than hearing: it is heeding what is said.
- יְהוּדָהyehuda· Judah
Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah; also the tribe that came from him and its land, and later the southern kingdom; King David came from it. The name sounds like "give thanks". Borne also by other Israelites.
- יֹשְׁבֵיyoshve· sit, dwell
Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.
- יְרוּשָׁלִַםyerushalaim· Jerusalem
Jerusalem: a city in the hill country that later became David's capital and the place of the temple.
- מֶּלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- יְהוֹשָׁפָטyehoshafat· Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat: the name of several men; among them David's recorder (2 Samuel 8:16) and a king of Judah (1 Kings 22). It means "YHWH has judged." It is also the name of a valley (Joel 3).
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- תִּירְאוּtiru· fear
Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.
- תֵּחַתּוּtechatu· be dismayed, be shattered
Be shattered, be dismayed: lose courage from fear; also to break.
- פְּנֵיpene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- הָמוֹןhamon· multitude
Multitude, a great crowd of people; also the noise it makes; abundance.
- רָבrav· many, great
Many, much, abundant, great; also "elder" or "chief".
- מִּלְחָמָהmilchama· war, battle
War, battle.
- אלֹהִיםlohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- מָחָרmachar· tomorrow, hereafter
Tomorrow; in time to come, in the future.
- רְדוּredu· go down, bring down
Go down, come down, descend. In the causative form, bring down, take down. Going from Canaan to Egypt is "going down".
- עֹלִיםolim· go up, offer up
Go up, ascend, climb. It is also used for "offering" a sacrifice (making it go up), and for coming up from Egypt.
- מַעֲלֵהmaale· ascent, rise
Ascent, a slope by which one goes up; also a raised place.
- צִּיץtsits· Ziz
Ziz: name of an ascent going up from the shore of the Dead Sea toward Judah.
- מְצָאתֶםmetsatem· find
Find, come upon; also obtain, reach; in the passive, be found, be present.
- סוֹףsof· end
End: where something finishes.
- נַּחַלnachal· valley, torrent
The bed of a stream that only carries water when it rains; the valley it runs through.
- מִדְבַּרmidbar· wilderness
Wilderness: in the Bible it is not only sand; it is dry, untilled land, where flocks can be led but people cannot live by sowing.
- יְרוּאֵלyeruel· Jeruel
Jeruel: name of an area of the wilderness of Judah, near Tekoa.
- הִלָּחֵםhilachem· fight; eat
Fight, wage war. In a few passages, another verb with the same letters: eat (Proverbs 23:1).
- הִתְיַצְּבוּhityatsvu· take one's stand
Take one's stand, stand firm in a place, present oneself.
- עִמְדוּimdu· stand
Stand; stay, remain, endure. "Stand before" someone is to serve him or be in his presence. In another form of the verb, set up, place, appoint.
- רְאוּreu· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- יְשׁוּעַתyeshuat· salvation
Salvation: the help with which God delivers from danger; also victory. The name "Jesus" (Yeshua) comes from the same root.
- צְאוּtseu· go out, bring out
Go out, come out. In the causative form, "make go out", "bring out", "lead out", "produce".