2 Kings 3:7 kjv
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
2 Kings 3:7 nkjv
Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
2 Kings 3:7 niv
He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" "I will go with you," he replied. "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
2 Kings 3:7 esv
And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?" And he said, "I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
2 Kings 3:7 nlt
On the way, he sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in battle against him?" And Jehoshaphat replied, "Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses."
2 Kings 3 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ki 1:1 | Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. | Initial mention of Moab's rebellion. |
| 2 Ki 3:4-5 | Mesha king of Moab... sent unto the king of Israel a hundred thousand... but when Ahab was dead, the king of Moab rebelled. | Specifics of Moab's tribute and rebellion. |
| 1 Ki 22:4 | Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth Gilead? | Jehoshaphat's prior alliance with Ahab. |
| 2 Chr 18:3 | Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, I am as you are, and my people as your people, and my horses as your horses. | Jehoshaphat's willingness for alliances. |
| 2 Chr 19:2 | Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate the Lord? | Rebuke for Jehoshaphat's alliance. |
| 2 Chr 20:35-37 | After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel... to make ships... for which the Lord broke your works. | Jehoshaphat's later, continued problematic alliance. |
| Psa 118:8 | It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. | Caution against relying on human alliances. |
| Isa 31:1 | Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help... and rely on chariots. | Condemnation of seeking foreign aid over God. |
| Jer 17:5 | Cursed is the man that trusts in man... | General warning against human trust. |
| Prov 20:18 | Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war. | Need for counsel in warfare. |
| Prov 24:6 | For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. | Importance of seeking multiple counsels. |
| Rom 13:1 | Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers... | Submission to governing authorities. |
| Tit 3:1 | Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities... | Encouragement for civic obedience. |
| Prov 28:16 | A prince who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness will prolong his days. | On righteous vs. rebellious rule. |
| Isa 1:2-3 | The children have rebelled against me... Israel does not know. | Israel's rebellion against God's authority. |
| Num 21:29 | Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! | Moab's association with their god, Chemosh. |
| Jdg 11:24 | Will you not possess what Chemosh your god gives you to possess? | Chemosh as Moab's god. |
| Deut 20:1-4 | When you go out to battle against your enemies... for the Lord your God is with you. | God's role in Israel's warfare. |
| Judg 4:14 | Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera... | Divine directive for military action. |
| Isa 25:10-11 | For in this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest, and Moab shall be trampled... | Prophetic downfall of Moab. |
| Jer 48:42 | And Moab shall be destroyed as a people because she has defied the Lord. | Moab's ultimate destruction by God. |
| Hos 8:4 | They set up kings, but not by me... | Ungodly alliances and choices. |
| Psa 146:3 | Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. | Reliance should be on God alone. |
2 Kings 3 verses
2 Kings 3 7 Meaning
This verse details King Jehoram of Israel's direct appeal to King Jehoshaphat of Judah for military aid. Facing the rebellion of Mesha, the king of Moab, who had ceased paying tribute, Jehoram requests that Jehoshaphat join him in a punitive expedition against Moab. It signifies a strategic alliance formed out of necessity for the dominant northern kingdom to quell a significant regional uprising, reflecting the geopolitical realities and family ties between the two Hebrew monarchies.
2 Kings 3 7 Context
The verse immediately follows Jehoram (Joram) becoming king of Israel, succeeding his brother Ahaziah and his father Ahab. Upon Ahab's death (2 Ki 1:1, 3:5), Mesha, the king of Moab, ceased paying his significant tribute of lambs and rams to Israel, thus openly rebelling. Facing this economic and military challenge, Jehoram, not entirely given to Ahab's idolatry but still ungodly, turned to Jehoshaphat, the generally righteous king of Judah. This call to Jehoshaphat leveraged existing alliances and familial ties; Jehoshaphat had previously allied with Jehoram's father, Ahab, against Syria (1 Ki 22, 2 Chr 18), albeit disastrously. Jehoram's desperate request initiates the military campaign recounted in the rest of 2 Kings chapter 3, which notably involves the prophet Elisha, ultimately highlighting divine intervention over mere human strategy.
2 Kings 3 7 Word analysis
- And he sent: "He" refers to King Jehoram (Joram) of Israel, Ahab's son and Ahaziah's brother, who began his reign in Samaria. "Sent" (Hebrew: shalach) implies an official communication or delegation, initiating diplomatic contact for a specific purpose. This act reflects a recognition of Jehoshaphat's military strength and past cooperative history.
- to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: Jehoshaphat, despite his personal piety and general obedience to the Lord (1 Ki 22:43), was prone to forming alliances with the wicked kings of Israel, as seen in his association with Ahab (1 Ki 22), Ahaziah (2 Chr 20:35-37), and now Jehoram. His participation in such alliances often drew divine rebuke and brought negative consequences, highlighting a repeated compromise of faith for political expediency.
- saying, Indicates the direct communication of Jehoram's message to Jehoshaphat, laying out the reason and the request.
- The king of Moab: This refers to Mesha, who is specifically named in 2 Kings 3:4. The rebellion of Moab after Ahab's death is a key historical event, also corroborated by the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone), providing extra-biblical evidence for the biblical account.
- hath rebelled: The Hebrew word used here is pasha (פָּשַׁע), meaning "to transgress," "revolt," or "rebel." It signifies a breaking of trust or an established covenant, often used in a moral or religious sense (e.g., sin against God) but here applied to breaking vassal obligations. It implies more than just a general uprising; it's a defiant act against an overlord. Mesha's rebellion specifically involved withholding the promised annual tribute of livestock.
- against me: Jehoram takes the rebellion personally, indicating a direct challenge to his authority and kingdom's economic interests.
- now therefore come up with me: "Now therefore" acts as a logical consequence, linking the rebellion to the need for immediate military action. "Come up" (Hebrew: alah) suggests a military ascent, often associated with a campaign into enemy territory or higher ground, which applies geographically to Moab. Jehoram's request for Jehoshaphat to "come up with me" signifies a call for an immediate, united military offensive.
- against Moab to battle: Specifies the target and the objective. "To battle" (Hebrew: milchamah) indicates the aim of full-scale warfare to subdue the rebellious vassal.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And he sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah,": This phrase establishes the diplomatic contact between the northern (Israel) and southern (Judah) kingdoms. It highlights Jehoram's initiative and reliance on a foreign (though allied) power, showcasing the political landscape where spiritual allegiance often took a back seat to geopolitical alliances.
- "saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me:": This sets forth the casus belli, the primary reason for the proposed military action. Mesha's rebellion signifies a rupture of the long-standing tribute relationship, a direct affront to Israelite dominance. The use of "rebelled" (pasha') underscores the perceived breach of an established political and perhaps economic treaty.
- "now therefore come up with me against Moab to battle.": This constitutes the direct plea and proposed course of action. Jehoram appeals to shared interests, strategic necessity, or possibly kinship obligation to garner military support from Jehoshaphat, setting the stage for a joint offensive aimed at restoring Israel's authority over Moab by force.
2 Kings 3 7 Bonus section
The immediate and positive response of Jehoshaphat to Jehoram's appeal, which is implied by the events that follow in the chapter, further highlights a pattern in Jehoshaphat's reign. While a righteous king, he struggled with consistently upholding a "separated" identity for Judah, frequently compromising by forming political and economic alliances with the ungodly Omride dynasty (Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram). This chapter, starting with this crucial request, thus subtly poses a question about seeking help from the world or from the Lord in times of trouble. The fact that divine counsel (from Elisha) is eventually sought and provides a miraculous solution (the provision of water) points to the deeper theological message: God's power and sovereignty transcend human military strategies and alliances, especially those formed without consulting Him.
2 Kings 3 7 Commentary
This verse opens a significant episode revealing the intertwined political and spiritual lives of the kings of Israel and Judah. Jehoram, despite discarding some of Ahab's egregious idolatry, did not wholeheartedly seek the Lord, as evidenced by his pragmatic turning to Jehoshaphat for help, rather than consulting a prophet of God initially. His primary concern was a worldly military problem: reasserting control over a profitable vassal state. Jehoshaphat's readiness to comply ("I am as you are, and my people as your people, and my horses as your horses" - as seen in the earlier Ramoth-Gilead account and echoing here by his agreement) consistently demonstrated his willingness to enter problematic alliances, often despite God's clear disapproval. The "rebellion" of Moab was an act of political defiance by Mesha against his overlord. This diplomatic overture between two kings sets the stage for a military campaign that will later crucially involve divine intervention through the prophet Elisha, implicitly critiquing a purely human-centric approach to warfare and demonstrating God's ultimate sovereignty.