2 Chronicles 19 2

2 Chronicles 19:2 kjv

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

2 Chronicles 19:2 nkjv

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you.

2 Chronicles 19:2 niv

Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is on you.

2 Chronicles 19:2 esv

But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.

2 Chronicles 19:2 nlt

Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. "Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD?" he asked the king. "Because of what you have done, the LORD is very angry with you.

2 Chronicles 19 verses

2 Chronicles 19 2 Meaning

This verse conveys God's immediate judgment upon King Jehoshaphat through the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani. The core issue is Jehoshaphat's ill-advised alliance and aid given to the wicked King Ahab of Israel, who hated the Lord. This action is identified as a direct transgression that incurs divine wrath, emphasizing God's intolerance for compromising faith with unrighteousness and those hostile to Him.

2 Chronicles 19 2 Context

Verse Context: This verse directly follows King Jehoshaphat's military alliance with the wicked King Ahab of Israel, an act detailed in 2 Chronicles 18 (and its parallel in 1 Kings 22). Jehoshaphat narrowly escaped death in the battle at Ramoth-gilead due to divine intervention. Upon his return to Jerusalem, exhausted but alive, the prophet Jehu confronts him, pronouncing God's displeasure and the ensuing wrath due to this unholy alliance.

Chapter Context: Chapter 19 then transitions into Jehoshaphat's response to this prophetic rebuke. While facing God's wrath, he responds positively, initiating further reforms in Judah. He sets up judges throughout the land and instructs them to rule with integrity and fear of the Lord, aiming to establish righteousness within his kingdom after his personal misstep. The chapter demonstrates God's mercy in delivering the rebuke through a prophet rather than immediate destruction, and Jehoshaphat's willingness to listen and amend his ways.

Historical Context: The Kingdom of Judah, ruled by Jehoshaphat, was generally faithful to Yahweh, especially in comparison to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had long embraced idolatry and corrupt kings like Ahab. The alliance between Judah and Israel was politically motivated, aiming to regain territory, but it violated a core tenet of the Mosaic Law: not to make covenants or mingle with idolatrous nations (Deut 7:1-6). Such alliances implicitly sanctioned their idolatry and threatened Judah's spiritual purity. The immediate "wrath" implies divine judgment that often manifested as natural disasters, military defeat, or internal strife, as seen in subsequent events (e.g., Moabite and Ammonite invasion in 2 Chr 20).

2 Chronicles 19 2 Word analysis

• Jehu the son of Hanani:

  • Word Analysis: "Jehu" (יֵהוּא - Yehú), meaning "The Lord is He" or "Yahweh is He." His father, "Hanani" (חֲנָנִי - Ḥǎnānî), means "gracious" or "my grace." This Jehu is also mentioned in 1 Ki 16:7-12 as prophesying against Baasha of Israel. The son of a prophet continuing his father's role against powerful kings underscores the continuity of prophetic warnings.
  • Significance: God raises up a prophet specifically to confront the king, demonstrating His active oversight and accountability for leadership. The familial connection to a past prophet strengthens the legitimacy and weight of the message.

• went out to meet him:

  • Significance: This indicates a divinely directed, immediate, and direct confrontation. It wasn't an accidental encounter but a purposeful, formal address of judgment and warning. It highlights God's initiative in dealing with His people's sin, even their leaders'.

• and said to King Jehoshaphat:

  • Significance: The prophet speaks directly to the highest authority, fearless in delivering God's message. This exemplifies prophetic boldness (cp. Nathan confronting David, 2 Sam 12:7-9).

• "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?":

  • Word Analysis: "wicked" (לָרָשָׁע - lārāšāʿ) derived from rāšāʿ, meaning unrighteous, guilty, criminal, lawless. "Hate" (לְשֹׂנְאֵי - ləśōněʾê) from śānēʾ, meaning to hate, be an enemy. "The Lord" (יְהוָה - YHWH), the covenant name of God.
  • Significance: This rhetorical question serves as a powerful divine accusation. "Help" implies military support, but also legitimizing their actions. "Love" denotes close affection, alliance, or affinity. The question identifies the core sin: Jehoshaphat has aligned himself with and shown affinity for those explicitly identified as "haters of Yahweh" (Ahab and his house were notorious idolaters and persecutors of Yahweh's prophets). It presents a stark dichotomy between fidelity to God and association with His enemies. God takes offense when His anointed ally with His spiritual adversaries.

• "Therefore wrath is upon you from the Lord.":

  • Word Analysis: "Therefore" (וְלָכֵן - wəḷāḵēn): Consequence, "for that reason." "Wrath" (קֶצֶף - qeṣeph): outburst, indignation, anger. This is divine, holy displeasure against sin.
  • Significance: This declares the direct, inevitable consequence of Jehoshaphat's action. God's holiness demands a response to such flagrant disregard for His covenant principles. The "wrath" (Qetseph) indicates a specific, impending judgment that follows from specific disobedience, contrasting with generalized sin. It signals that even a generally righteous king is not exempt from the consequences of his direct disobedience and compromise.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?": This phrase encapsulates the central theological tension. It points to a moral blurring by Jehoshaphat, who, despite his devotion to the Lord, acted contrary to God's character by aiding His enemies. It highlights that an act of political expediency (helping Ahab) was simultaneously a spiritual betrayal (loving God's enemies). God's identity is intrinsically linked to His people's choices of association.
  • "Therefore wrath is upon you from the Lord.": This connection between the "should you" question and the "therefore" statement clearly articulates a divine causal link: sin leads to divine displeasure and its consequences. It reveals God's unyielding standard and His nature as a God who justly responds to covenant breaking, even from His chosen king.

2 Chronicles 19 2 Bonus section

While "wrath" (קֶצֶף - qeṣeph) indicates God's displeasure, it is often understood in the Old Testament as a judicial expression of His holiness against sin, rather than an arbitrary outburst of temper. In Jehoshaphat's case, this wrath was not destructive but corrective, prompting him to deepen his reliance on God (2 Chr 20) and enact further reforms (2 Chr 19:4-11). The subsequent miraculous deliverance from the Ammonites and Moabites in chapter 20 could be seen as God's grace abounding even after judgment, demonstrating His long-suffering when genuine repentance follows His rebuke (cp. Rom 5:20). This specific "wrath" emphasizes a boundary that the righteous should not cross, marking the serious consequences of blurred spiritual lines for individuals and nations.

2 Chronicles 19 2 Commentary

2 Chronicles 19:2 presents a foundational principle of biblical faith: the incompatibility of devotion to God with active alliance or affection for those who oppose Him. Jehoshaphat, a king commended for seeking the Lord and removing pagan practices (2 Chr 17), made a grievous error by forging a military and personal alliance with Ahab, a king epitomizing wickedness and hatred for Yahweh in Israel. This verse reveals that God does not overlook such compromises, even from well-intentioned leaders. The prophet Jehu's direct and probing question, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?" cuts to the heart of the matter. It exposes Jehoshaphat's moral blindness or spiritual miscalculation. To "help the wicked" is not merely a political maneuver but an act of shared purpose with God's adversaries; to "love those who hate the Lord" suggests an embrace of their values or a disregard for their enmity toward God. This spiritual breach demands divine attention, leading to the pronouncement of "wrath... upon you from the Lord." This wrath, though often depicted as immediate and severe, also serves a redemptive purpose—to warn, correct, and bring about repentance, which Jehoshaphat thankfully embraced (as seen in the following verses and his reforms). It teaches that fidelity to God requires discernment in choosing alliances, both personal and national, and separation from the corrupting influence of ungodliness.