Then Zerah the Cushite came against themZerah the Cushite is identified as a leader from the region of Cush, which is often associated with areas south of Egypt, possibly modern-day Sudan or Ethiopia. The Cushites were known for their formidable military strength. This event occurs during the reign of Asa, king of Judah, highlighting a period of relative peace and reform in Judah that is suddenly threatened by an external force. The mention of Zerah underscores the historical reality of foreign invasions faced by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots
The size of Zerah's army is described as immense, emphasizing the overwhelming odds faced by Asa and his forces. The use of chariots indicates advanced military technology, as chariots were a significant advantage in ancient warfare, providing speed and power. This detail highlights the severity of the threat and sets the stage for a miraculous deliverance, as seen in other biblical narratives where God intervenes on behalf of His people against overwhelming odds (e.g., Gideon's victory inJudges 7).
and they advanced as far as Mareshah
Mareshah was a city in the lowlands of Judah, strategically located on a major route connecting the coastal plain with the hill country. Its mention indicates the depth of the Cushite advance into Judahite territory, posing a direct threat to the heartland of the kingdom. The geographical reference underscores the urgency of the situation and the need for divine intervention. Mareshah's location is significant in biblical history, as it was a site of various military encounters and later became an important city during the Hellenistic period.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Zerah the CushiteA leader of a vast army from Cush (modern-day Ethiopia or Sudan), representing a formidable threat to the kingdom of Judah.
2.
Army of a Million MenThis massive force underscores the overwhelming odds faced by King Asa and Judah, highlighting the need for divine intervention.
3.
Three Hundred ChariotsChariots were a significant military advantage in ancient warfare, symbolizing strength and technological superiority.
4.
MareshahA strategic location in Judah where the confrontation took place, emphasizing the imminent threat to the kingdom.
Teaching Points
Reliance on God Over Human StrengthAsa's situation teaches us the importance of trusting in God's power rather than our own resources or abilities.
Prayer as a First ResponseAsa's immediate turn to prayer in the face of danger is a model for how believers should respond to crises.
God's Sovereignty in BattlesThe account illustrates that no matter how formidable the opposition, God's sovereignty can bring victory to those who trust Him.
Faith in ActionAsa's faith was not passive; he prepared for battle while fully relying on God, showing that faith involves both trust and action.
The Importance of Spiritual LeadershipAsa's leadership in seeking God set an example for his people, highlighting the role of leaders in guiding others toward faith.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 14:9?
2.How does Asa's reliance on God in 2 Chronicles 14:9 inspire your faith?
3.What can we learn about God's power from Asa's victory over the Cushites?
4.How does 2 Chronicles 14:9 connect to Ephesians 6:10 about spiritual strength?
5.In what ways can you seek God's help in overwhelming situations today?
6.How does Asa's trust in God challenge your approach to life's battles?
7.How did Zerah the Cushite amass an army of a million men in 2 Chronicles 14:9?
8.What archaeological evidence supports the battle described in 2 Chronicles 14:9?
9.Why does God allow such large-scale conflicts as seen in 2 Chronicles 14:9?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Chronicles 14?
11.In 2 Chronicles 14:9, is it historically plausible for Zerah the Ethiopian to muster an army of one million men?
12.If Zerah was truly Ethiopian, why is there no clear external historical record of this massive conflict (2 Chronicles 14)?
13.Who are the Cushites mentioned in the Bible?
14.Isaiah 18:7: Why would the prophecy single out gifts from Ethiopia if there’s no clear historical account of such tribute being delivered to Mount Zion?What Does 2 Chronicles 14:9 Mean
Then Zerah the Cushite• Scripture introduces Zerah without fanfare, yet his title “the Cushite” links him to the region south of Egypt (modern Sudan/Ethiopia), reminding us that threats to Judah could arise from far beyond its borders (cf. 2 Chron 16:8).
• Zerah’s sudden appearance after the years of peace under King Asa (2 Chron 14:1–6) underscores how quickly tranquility can be shattered and why continued vigilance and dependence on the Lord are essential (1 Peter 5:8).
• God’s Word presents Zerah as a real historical figure; this is not an allegory. His incursion will spotlight the faith of Asa and the faithfulness of God.
Came against them• “Them” refers to Judah and King Asa’s forces, who had just fortified their cities (2 Chron 14:7). The timing highlights how obedience and preparation do not exempt God’s people from attack (John 16:33).
• The verb “came against” paints a purposeful invasion, like the earlier assault of Shishak (2 Chron 12:2–3). This is spiritual as well as military opposition, echoingEphesians 6:12.
• God permits the conflict to test and refine His people (Deuteronomy 8:2), proving that His past deliverances are foundations for fresh faith, not relics to be admired from a distance.
With an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots• One million soldiers and three hundred chariots dwarf Judah’s combined 580,000 troops (2 Chron 14:8). The writer wants us to feel the impossibility—much like Gideon versus the Midianites “as numerous as locusts” (Judges 7:12) or Hezekiah against Assyria (2 Kings 19:35).
• Chariots were the ancient equivalent of armored divisions (Exodus 14:7). Against foot soldiers, 300 chariots signal crushing speed and power.
• Scripture records such staggering numbers to magnify the Lord’s deliverance. When Asa prays, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty” (2 Chron 14:11), the statistics prove his point—only God can tip these scales.
• Later, the prophet Hanani will remind Asa, “Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand” (2 Chron 16:8). History is meant to coach future trust.
And they advanced as far as Mareshah• Mareshah sat on Judah’s western frontier (2 Chron 11:8), controlling key trade routes. The enemy’s reach to this fortified city shows how deeply the incursion penetrated.
• God allows Judah’s defenses to be tested at Mareshah so Asa must leave the safety of fortified walls and meet Zerah in open battle at the Valley of Zephathah (2 Chron 14:10). Faith often requires stepping onto the field, not hiding behind preparations (2 Samuel 23:9–10).
• The march to Mareshah anticipates Micah’s later lament, “I will bring a conqueror against you, residents of Mareshah” (Micah 1:15). Geography becomes theology: places of apparent strength can fall unless the Lord shields them (Psalm 127:1).
summary2 Chronicles 14:9 portrays a very real crisis: a distant Ethiopian commander, a colossal army, iron chariots, and an advance to the strategic city of Mareshah. By recording the overwhelming odds, Scripture sets the stage for God’s overpowering rescue. The verse teaches that threats may come suddenly, size and technology may favor the enemy, and even fortified places can be breached—but when God’s people rely on Him, numbers and chariots cannot stand against His might.
(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 on1Chronicles 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 on2Chronicles 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 ...
Hebrew
Then Zerahזֶ֣רַח(ze·raḥ)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2226:Zerah -- three Israelites, also an Edomite, also an Ethiopianthe Cushiteהַכּוּשִׁ֗י(hak·kū·šî)Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3569:Cushite -- descendant of Cushcameוַיֵּצֵ֨א(way·yê·ṣê)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318:To go, bring, out, direct and proximagainst themאֲלֵיהֶ֜ם(’ă·lê·hem)Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, towith an armyבְּחַ֙יִל֙(bə·ḥa·yil)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2428:A force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strengthof 1,000,000 menאֶ֣לֶף(’e·lep̄)Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 505:A thousand[and] 300שְׁלֹ֣שׁ(šə·lōš)Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7969:Three, third, thricechariots,וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת(ū·mar·kā·ḇō·wṯ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4818:A chariotand they advancedוַיָּבֹ֖א(way·yā·ḇō)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935:To come in, come, go in, goas far asעַד־(‘aḏ-)Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, whileMareshah.מָרֵשָֽׁה׃(mā·rê·šāh)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4762:Mareshah -- a place in Judah, also two Israelites
Links
2 Chronicles 14:9 NIV2 Chronicles 14:9 NLT2 Chronicles 14:9 ESV2 Chronicles 14:9 NASB2 Chronicles 14:9 KJV
2 Chronicles 14:9 BibleApps.com2 Chronicles 14:9 Biblia Paralela2 Chronicles 14:9 Chinese Bible2 Chronicles 14:9 French Bible2 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) 
