What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 25:13?

Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle

• Earlier in the chapter Amaziah had hired 100,000 warriors from Israel for 100 talents of silver, but a prophet warned him not to use them because “the LORD is not with Israel” (2 Chronicles 25:6-8).

• Amaziah obeyed, sending the Israelite soldiers home (25:10). Though costly, his obedience shows the consistent biblical principle that trusting the LORD is better than relying on human strength, echoed in Psalm 20:7 and 2 Chronicles 16:9.

• The dismissed men felt insulted and enraged (25:10). Their reaction highlights Proverbs 16:18—pride leads to destructive choices.

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raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon

• “Samaria” marks their homeland in the northern kingdom; “Beth-horon” lies on Judah’s northwestern border (Joshua 10:10; 2 Chronicles 8:5). The phrase sketches their path southward into Judah.

• Their raid fulfills the prophet’s unspoken warning that disobedient allies can still cause harm (see 2 Chronicles 19:2-3 where Jehoshaphat’s alliance invited trouble).

• The account also foreshadows the broader conflict between Israel and Judah that surfaces again in 2 Chronicles 28:6-8.

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They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder

• The numbers are presented as literal historical facts. Three thousand lives lost underline the gravity of Amaziah’s earlier decision to rely on questionable allies (compare the unintended casualties from David’s census in 2 Samuel 24:15).

• “Plunder” recalls God’s prohibition on unjust gain (Proverbs 1:11-19). These mercenaries acted purely for revenge and profit, contrasting with the LORD’s standard for warfare in Deuteronomy 20:1-4.

• The devastation on Judah’s own towns serves as a chastening reminder that obedience, even when costly, spares greater loss—see the positive counterpart in 2 Chronicles 14:11-13 where Asa’s full trust brought victory and spoils without internal harm.

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summary

Amaziah’s dismissed Israelite troops, offended and greedy, turned on Judah, ravaging towns from their home base in Samaria down to Beth-horon. Their attack cost 3,000 Judean lives and much wealth. The verse vividly demonstrates that half-hearted obedience and ill-chosen partnerships breed painful consequences, while reinforcing Scripture’s call to depend wholly on the LORD rather than any human alliance.