Then Zerah the Cushite
The name "Zerah" in Hebrew means "rising" or "dawning," which can symbolize a formidable force or a new challenge rising against the people of God. The term "Cushite" refers to a person from Cush, an ancient region often associated with modern-day Sudan or Ethiopia. Historically, Cushites were known for their military prowess and strength. This introduction sets the stage for a significant confrontation, highlighting the formidable nature of the enemy that King Asa of Judah faced. The Cushites, being a distant and powerful nation, emphasize the magnitude of the threat and the need for divine intervention.

came against them
This phrase indicates a direct confrontation or attack. In the context of ancient warfare, such movements were often preceded by strategic planning and were intended to intimidate or overpower the opponent. Theologically, this can be seen as a test of faith for Asa and the people of Judah, challenging them to rely on God's strength rather than their own.

with an army of a million men
The mention of "a million men" underscores the overwhelming odds against Judah. In ancient times, such a large number would have been seen as nearly insurmountable, emphasizing the human impossibility of victory without divine assistance. This hyperbolic figure serves to magnify the power of God, who can deliver His people regardless of the size of the enemy.

and three hundred chariots
Chariots were the advanced military technology of the time, often giving armies a significant advantage in battle. The presence of "three hundred chariots" suggests a well-equipped and formidable force. In the biblical narrative, chariots often symbolize human strength and reliance on military might, contrasting with the biblical theme of trusting in God's power.

and they came as far as Mareshah
Mareshah was a city in the lowlands of Judah, strategically located and often a site of military encounters. Its mention here indicates the advance of the Cushite army into Judahite territory, posing an imminent threat to the kingdom. Historically, Mareshah's location made it a critical point of defense for Judah. Spiritually, this encroachment can be seen as a test of faith and reliance on God, as the enemy approaches the heart of the land promised to God's people.

(9) Against them.--Against the army described in last verse. Literally, unto them (Genesis 4:8; Judges 12:3).

Zerah the Ethiopian.--Heb., ha-K-shi. (See Note on 1Chronicles 1:8 [Cush].) Zerah is identified with Osorchon II., hieroglyphic Uasarken, who succeeded Shishak as king of Egypt. The name of this king is curiously like that of Sargon, the great Assyrian conqueror of the eighth century. (See Note on 2Chronicles 12:2.) The object of the expedition appears to have been to bring Judah again under the yoke of Egypt. Shishak had made Rehoboam tributary (2Chronicles 12:8), after reducing his fortresses and plundering Jerusalem. But now Asa had restored the defences of his country, and apparently reorganised the fighting material; steps indicating a desire for national independence. . . .

Verses 9-15. - The remaining seven verses of this chapter are occupied with the account of the invasion of Zerah the Ethiopian, and the successful defence and reprisals of Asa. Verse 9. - Zerah the Ethiopian; Hebrew, זֶרַח הַכּוּשִׁי, the "Ethiopian," Greek and Septuagint rendering for "Cushite." In its vaguest dimensions Ethiopia, or Cush, designated Africa south of Egypt, but more concisely it meant the lands we now call Nubia, Sennaar, Kordefan, and part of Abyssinia. And these, roughly speaking, were bounded north, south, east, and west respectively by Egypt and Syene, Abyssinia, Red Sea, and Libyan Desert. When, however, Ethiopia proper is spoken of, the name probably designates the kingdom of Meroe (Seba, Genesis 10:7; 1 Chronicles 1:9); and the Assyrian inscriptions make the Cushite name of the deified Nimrod one with Meroe), which was so closely associated at different times with Egypt, that sometimes an Egypt king swayed it (as e.g. some eighteen hundred years before Shishak, Sesostris fourth king of the twelfth dynasty), and sometimes vice versa (as e.g. the three Ethiopian kings of the twenty-fifth dynasty - Shabak (Sabakhou), Sethos (Sebechos), and Tarkos (Tirhakah), whose reigning dates as between Ethiopia and Egypt are not yet certified). The name thus confined covers an irregular circular bulk of country between "the modern Khartoum, where the Astapus joins the true Nile, and the influx of the Astaboras, into their united stream." From the language of Diodorus (1:23), harmonized conjecturally with Strabo (18:821), the region may be counted as 375 miles in circumference and 125 miles in the diameter of the erratic circle, its extreme south point being variously stated, distant from Syene, 873 miles (Pliny, 6:29. § 33); or, according to Mannert's book ('Geogr. d. Alt.,' 10:183), 600 miles by the assertion of Artemidorns, or 625 by that of Eratosthenes. Thence the "Cushite" extended probably to the Euphrates and the Tigris, and through Arabia, Babylonia, and Persia. Some, however, think that the Cushite now intended was the Ethiopian of Arabia, who had settlement near Gerar (Dr. Jamieson, in 'Comm.') as a nomadic horde. Dr. Jamieson quotes Bruce's 'Travels' to support this view, which seems a most improbable, not to say impossible, one nevertheless. The question as to the people intended will perhaps best be found in the solution of the question for whom the name of their king stands (see following note). Zerah. Hebrew as above. It is noteworthy that the four previous occurrences of this name - Genesis 36:13 and 1 Chronicles 1:37, son of Reuel, grandson of Esau; Genesis 38:30 and 1 Chronicles 2:6, son of Judah and Tumor; 1 Chronicles 4:24, son of Simeon; 1 Chronicles 5:6, 26, Hebrew text, son of Iddo, a Gershonite Levite - show it as the name of an Israelite, or descendant of Shem. Our present Zerah is a Cushite, or descendant of Ham. The Septuagint forms of the name are Ζαρέ Ζαρά Ζαρές, or Ζαραέ Ζααραι, or (Alexandrian) Ἀκαρίας. Although Professor Dr. Murphy says ('Handbook: Chronicles,' p. 116) that "it is plain that Zerah was a sovereign of Kush, who in the reign of Takeloth, about B.C. 944, invaded Egypt and penetrated into Asia," the balance of probability, both from the names themselves and the synchronisms of history, corroborated by the composition of Zerah's army (Cushim and Lubim, 2 Chronicles 16:8) and some other tributary considerations, is that our Zerah was Usarken II., the fourth king of the twenty-second dynasty (or possibly Usarken I., the second king of the dynasty). The invasion of the text was probably in Asa's fourteenth year, his reign thus far being dated B.C. 953-940 (or B.C. 933-920 if Manasseh's be taken at only thirty-five instead of fifty-five years). The alleged army of this Zerah was an Egyptian army, largely made of mercenaries (compare the description of Shishak's army, ch. 12:3). The present defeat of Zerah would go far to explain the known decline of the Egyptian power at just this date, i.e. some twenty-five to thirty years after Shishak. At the same time, it must be admitted that it is not possible to identify with certainty Zerah with either Usarken. Whether he is an unknown Arabian Cushite, or an unknown African Cushite of Ethiopia-above-Egypt, or one of the Usarkens, has yet to be pronounced. Mareshah (see our note, 2 Chronicles 11:8). It lay the "second mile" (Eusebius and Jerome) south of Eleutheropolis and between Hebron (1 Maccabees 5:36; 2 Maccabees 12:35) and Ashdod (Josephus, 'Ant.,' 12:08. § 6). The mention of the valley of Zephathah in the following verse will half identify its exact position. It is probable that Dr. Robinson ('Bibl. Res.,' 2:67) and Toblev in his interesting , Dritto Wand.' (pp. 129, 142), have reliably fixed the site one Roman mile south-west of the modern Beit-Jibrin. Mareshah is again mentioned in 2 Chronicles 20:37 and Micah 1:15, as quoted already, in references interesting to be consulted. A thousand thousand. Whether this number be correct or not, it may be noted that it is the largest alleged number of an army given in the Old Testament.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Then Zerah
זֶ֣רַח (ze·raḥ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2226: Zerah -- three Israelites, also an Edomite, also an Ethiopian

the Cushite
הַכּוּשִׁ֗י (hak·kū·šî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3569: Cushite -- descendant of Cush

came
וַיֵּצֵ֨א (way·yê·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

against them
אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

with an army
בְּחַ֙יִל֙ (bə·ḥa·yil)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2428: A force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength

of 1,000,000 men
אֶ֣לֶף (’e·lep̄)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 505: A thousand

[and] 300
שְׁלֹ֣שׁ (šə·lōš)
Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

chariots,
וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת (ū·mar·kā·ḇō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4818: A chariot

and they advanced
וַיָּבֹ֖א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

as far as
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

Mareshah.
מָרֵשָֽׁה׃ (mā·rê·šāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4762: Mareshah -- a place in Judah, also two Israelites


2 Chronicles 14:9 NIV
2 Chronicles 14:9 NLT
2 Chronicles 14:9 ESV
2 Chronicles 14:9 NASB
2 Chronicles 14:9 KJV

2 Chronicles 14:9 BibleApps.com
2 Chronicles 14:9 Biblia Paralela
2 Chronicles 14:9 Chinese Bible
2 Chronicles 14:9 French Bible
2 Chronicles 14:9 Catholic Bible

OT History: 2 Chronicles 14:9 There came out against them Zerah (2 Chron. 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr)