And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
Parallel translations
- WEB Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain.
- BSB Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.
- NKJV Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.
- NASB Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain.
- NLT Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops were killed that day.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abijah's forces strike Israel with a great slaughter, with 500,000 chosen men of Israel falling. The defeat is devastating.
Overview
The Chronicler records an enormous loss among Israel's troops, underscoring the completeness of the God-given victory. Whether the large numbers are read as literal totals or as a Hebrew idiom for military units, the point stands: reliance on the LORD brought overwhelming triumph. The scale magnifies God's power on behalf of the faithful.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Chr 13:12And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
- Nah 1:5The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
- Isa 10:16–19Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.
- 2 Chr 28:6For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.
- 1 Cor 10:22Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
- Isa 37:36Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
- 2 Chr 13:3And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.
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Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 13:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.