And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Yahweh fought against the enemies of Israel.
- KJV And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.
- NKJV And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
- NASB And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
- NLT When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.
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
The surrounding nations were filled with dread when they heard that Yahweh himself had fought for Israel. God's deliverance of his people declares his power to the watching world.
Overview
The defeat of the invading coalition spread the fear of God among the kingdoms, echoing the dread that fell on Canaan after the Exodus. Such fear is meant to lead nations to acknowledge the true God rather than merely tremble at his might. It anticipates the day when every knee will bow at the name of the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 2 Chr 17:10And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
- 2 Kgs 7:6For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
- Exod 23:27I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.
- 2 Chr 14:14and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there.
- Gen 35:5As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
- Josh 9:9–11“Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt,
- Josh 2:9–11and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.
- Josh 5:1Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
- Exod 15:14–16The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 20:29 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.