Introduction: The Reign of Yehoshaphat
Chapter 17 of Divrei HaYamim II opens the era of the reign of Yehoshaphat the son of Asa. This is a chapter of building: military building, economic building, and above all - spiritual building. Yehoshaphat is not satisfied merely with walking in the ways of Hashem himself; rather, he ensures that the entire nation knows the word of Hashem, sending ministers, Levites, and Kohanim to travel throughout the cities of Yehudah and teach Torah. Indeed, the chapter clearly illustrates the recurring principle throughout the entire book: when the king walks in the ways of Hashem, he achieves success.
And He Strengthened Himself Against Israel
וַיִּמְלֹךְ יְהוֹשָׁפָט בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו וַיִּתְחַזֵּק עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And Yehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel.
What is the meaning of "and he strengthened himself against Israel"? Asa his father had feared Baasha, and was unable to retain those places he had captured from the kingdom of Ephraim. In contrast, Yehoshaphat his son now strengthened himself and held onto them.
וַיִּתֶּן־חַיִל בְּכׇל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן נְצִיבִים בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה וּבְעָרֵי אֶפְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר לָכַד אָסָא אָבִיו׃ - And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Yehudah, and stationed governors in the land of Yehudah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.
In the fortified cities of Yehudah he stationed troops to guard and reinforce them, while in the remaining cities of Yehudah and in the cities of Ephraim he appointed governors - that is, officials appointed on his behalf.
"In the Earlier Ways of David His Father" - Three Understandings
וַיְהִי יְהֹוָה עִם־יְהוֹשָׁפָט כִּי הָלַךְ בְּדַרְכֵי דָּוִיד אָבִיו הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְלֹא דָרַשׁ לַבְּעָלִים׃ - And Hashem was with Yehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of David his father, and did not seek the Baals.
כִּי לֵאלֹהֵי אָבִיו דָּרָשׁ וּבְמִצְוֺתָיו הָלָךְ וְלֹא כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - For he sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, and not according to the deeds of Israel.
Hashem was with Yehoshaphat, and we see this all along the way. Because he walked in the earlier ways of David his father and did not seek the Baals, Hashem was with him. The verse further emphasizes: "For he sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, and not according to the deeds of Israel" - that is, not according to the deeds of the kings of Israel. However, we must understand: What is meant by "in the earlier ways of David his father"?
The Radak offers one explanation: the earlier ways of David, before he sinned. For in his later years there was sin - the incident of Batsheva, the census of Israel - and these are the later ways of David. Therefore, Scripture emphasizes that he walked in the earlier ways of David, before he sinned.
Another possibility suggested by the Radak is that "the earlier ones" is in contrast to the other kings of Yehudah. There are later kings of Yehudah, and there is David, who was among the earlier kings of Yehudah. That is to say, he walked in the ways of the earlier kings and not in those of the later ones, for later in life they sinned: in Shlomo's old age his wives turned his heart away; Rechavam - "when he became strong, he abandoned the Torah of Hashem"; Aviyah, as we saw according to the Midrash, deteriorated at the end of his life; and Asa sinned toward the end - he relied on the king of Aram, and even in his illness he did not seek Hashem, but only physicians. Each of them had shortcomings in their later years, and therefore it says "in the ways of the earlier kings," not like the later ones.
The Malbim: Relative Righteousness versus True Righteousness
The Malbim offers a very fascinating explanation here. Righteousness is often measured relative to the generation. When someone is called a "tzaddik," it is often relative to something. A person in very corrupt society might be called a tzaddik relative to the company he keeps. But bring him to a place of bnei Torah, a place of God-fearing people, and he might even be considered wicked next to them. The term "tzaddik" is sometimes relative.
The Malbim explains: in their time, anyone who did not worship idols like the kings of Yisrael was said to walk in the ways of David. For the kings of Yisrael were all idolaters, and consequently, anyone who did not worship idols was called, relatively speaking, one who "walked in the ways of David," even though he was very, very far from being a tzaddik. This is akin to the derogatory interpretation regarding Noach, that relative to his generation he was considered righteous. Therefore, the verse comes and emphasizes: "in the earlier ways of David his father" - according to the measure of the original David himself, not in relative assessment to the latter generation, but according to the true standard of David. Thus, we are dealing with a genuinely high level of righteousness.
"And Did Not Seek the Ba'alim" - Not as a Last Resort
The Malbim asks: What does the verse add by stating, "and did not seek the Ba'alim"? Has it not already said that he walked in the ways of David his father, so isn't this obvious? Rather, you might have thought that he wavered between two opinions, and only after trying to follow the Ba'alim and seeing that nothing came of it did he decide to follow Hashem. We have seen such things before: a king who initially walked in corrupt ways, and when he saw it was unsuccessful, clung to Hashem for lack of choice. Here, the verse tells you: he never sought the Ba'alim. He did not come to the Holy One, blessed be He, as a last resort; rather, from the outset he walked in the earlier ways of David his father, and from the outset he did not seek the Ba'alim at all.
Furthermore: "and not according to the deeds of Yisrael" - for many of the kings of Yisrael served through syncretism (shituf), worshipping both Hashem and the Ba'alim. Yehoshaphat, by contrast, "sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments," without any partnership whatsoever.
Kingship and Kingdom: Meluchah and Mamlachah
וַיָּכֶן יְהֹוָה אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ כׇל־יְהוּדָה מִנְחָה לִיהוֹשָׁפָט וַיְהִי־לוֹ עֹשֶׁר־וְכָבוֹד לָרֹב׃ - "And Hashem established the kingdom in his hand, and all Yehudah brought tribute to Yehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance."
Here too we see: when he walks in the ways of David his father, he merits that Hashem establishes the kingdom in his hand, all Yehudah bring him tribute, and this brings him riches and honor in abundance.
The Malbim notes with precision: the verse says mamlachah and not meluchah, a distinction he mentions in several places. When there is meluchah (kingship), you reign and hold the scepter, but it is not certain that the people are with you; the people might be coerced, or submitting merely for lack of choice. But "and Hashem established the mamlachah (kingdom) in his hand" means that the entire nation was with him as well. And just as he enjoyed wealth, the people also enjoyed wealth, and through this everyone was able to bring tribute to Yehoshaphat - for when they are wealthy, they have the means to give - and from this, "he had riches and honor in abundance."
"And His Heart Was Elevated in the Ways of Hashem" - Success That Enhances Reverence
וַיִּגְבַּהּ לִבּוֹ בְּדַרְכֵי יְהֹוָה וְעוֹד הֵסִיר אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרִים מִיהוּדָה׃ - "And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Hashem, and he furthermore removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah."
Do not think that his heart became haughty due to his wealth. Many times we have seen that when a king began to grow wealthy, he abandoned Hashem, grew arrogant, and his heart became haughty. Here, the verse tells us: even after acquiring wealth, "his heart was lifted up in the ways of Hashem" - all the lifting up of his heart was directed specifically in the ways of Hashem. The more his success increased, the more his fear of Hashem grew. The proof is that in the next stage, he removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah. We see that he continually intensified actions driven by fear of Heaven, unlike what we have seen previously, where sometimes a king's financial standing improved and he no longer saw a need to cling to Hashem because he felt successful, and on the contrary, his ways became corrupted.
Removing the high places (bamot) was by no means a simple feat, as discussed many times. Throughout Tanach we read, "Only the high places were not removed," even during the reigns of righteous kings - "the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places." The reason is that it was exceedingly difficult to uproot the high places: the people had become accustomed to them from the time when bamot were permitted, and establishing a new reality in which the populace abandoned them was difficult. Especially since people felt: "I am offering a sacrifice to Hashem here; what am I doing wrong, worshiping idols?" They did not realize - or preferred not to realize - that doing so incurs kares due to slaughtering sacrifices outside the Temple courtyard (shechutei chutz). Moreover, it was convenient: if one had to bring a sacrifice, vows or freewill offerings, traveling up to Jerusalem could take a week, whereas here, one could offer it right in his own backyard in the easiest and simplest way. Here we see that Yehoshaphat succeeded in tackling even this scourge, removing the high places and the Asherim from Judah.
Sending Torah Teachers throughout the Cities of Judah
וּבִשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְמׇלְכוֹ שָׁלַח לְשָׂרָיו לְבֶן־חַיִל וּלְעֹבַדְיָה וְלִזְכַרְיָה וְלִנְתַנְאֵל וּלְמִיכָיָהוּ לְלַמֵּד בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה׃ - "And in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, to Ben-Chayil and to Ovadiah and to Zechariah and to Nethanel and to Michayahu, to teach in the cities of Judah."
In the third year of his reign, he sent his officials. The plain meaning of the verse is that "Ben-Chayil" is the name of an official: Ben-Chayil, Ovadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, Michayahu. The commentary attributed to Rashi notes that some interpret "le-ven chayil" as meaning "to every official of valor," but rejects this: if so, the verse should have read, "he sent his officials, men of valor, to Ovadiah and to Zechariah." Why does it say "ul'Ovadiah" with a connecting vav? The vav proves that "Ben-Chayil" is a proper name - he sent to Ben-Chayil *and* to Ovadiah. The Radak likewise explains straightforwardly that Ben-Chayil was a man's name.
He sent them to teach throughout the cities of Judah, to teach Torah and instruct the children of Israel. The Malbim emphasizes that this did not refer merely to rational commandments, but rather "and with them was the Book of the Law of Hashem" (verse 9) - to teach them the Book of the Torah of Hashem as well. Rational mitzvos are relatively easy to accept: do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery. But suprarational mitzvos (chukim / mitzvos shim'iyos), which are more difficult to accept - where a person simply listens and obeys Hashem's command, such as shaatnez and the like - these too he sent them to teach, so they would travel through all the cities and instruct the people, young and old alike.
The Levites and Kohanim - Bearers of the Torah among the People
וְעִמָּהֶם הַלְוִיִּם שְׁמַעְיָהוּ וּנְתַנְיָהוּ וּזְבַדְיָהוּ וַעֲשָׂהאֵל וּשְׁמִירָמוֹת וִיהוֹנָתָן וַאֲדֹנִיָּהוּ וְטוֹבִיָּהוּ וְטוֹב אֲדוֹנִיָּה הַלְוִיִּם וְעִמָּהֶם אֱלִישָׁמָע וִיהוֹרָם הַכֹּהֲנִים׃ - "And with them the Levites: Shemayahu, and Nethanyahu, and Zevadyahu, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Yehonathan, and Adoniyahu, and Toviyahu, and Tov Adoniyah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Yehoram, the Kohanim."
Together with the officials, he sent the Levites, and with them Kohanim as well. Why? For Scripture states, "according to all that the Kohanim, the Levites, instruct you," and it says, "For the lips of the kohen shall safeguard knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth, for he is an angel of the LORD of Hosts." The Kohanim and Levites were not engaged in regular labor; the tribe of Levi was the tribe of full-time scholars, the tribe of bnei Torah. They had no mundane crafts and no fields to cultivate; they sat in the House of Hashem or in their towns and engaged in Torah study, and therefore their role was to teach Torah.
For this reason, a person was commanded to maintain a connection with the kohen. In what way? You must bring the terumos (priestly gifts) to the kohen. And if you do not bring your terumos to the kohen, you will ultimately have to bring him something else, as the Midrash says: whoever does not come to the kohen to bring his terumos will end up having to bring him his wife - a suspected adulteress (sotah), who must drink the bitter waters, Heaven forbid. As has been explained previously in discussions on the weekly parashiyos, this is not merely a punishment; rather, it reflects that the kohen is not a figure of reverence in your eyes. If spirituality in your home counts for nothing, if you have no reason to bring gifts to the kohen, and you forge no bond with rabbis and spiritual leaders, do not be surprised if things deteriorate to such an extent that you will ultimately have to bring your wife to drink the waters of a sotah.
What do we learn from this? The Torah desires that one maintain an ongoing relationship with the kohen. An ongoing bond with the kohen ensures a connection with spiritual guides. The kohen and the Levite are the spiritual role models of the nation; they are the ones immersed in Torah and the ones who teach Torah to the people, and through them the people grow wise in Torah and all come to know the word of Hashem. Therefore, Yehoshaphat sent all those mentioned - the Levites and the Kohanim, the Torah teachers of the nation.
Why Were the Officers Sent As Well?
And why was it necessary to send his officers as well - Ben-Chayil, Ovadiah, and Zecharyah - if he was already sending Kohanim and Levites, who were the teachers of Torah to the people? Pseudo-Rashi explains: The officers accompanied them so that the people would not defy their words, and to compel the people to obey them, ensuring that they observe and fulfill the directives of the judges. As it says, "Judges and officers shall you appoint for yourself": judges - to judge the people, and officers - the enforcers who compel compliance with the judge's decree. Here too, it was not enough for Kohanim to arrive and teach; there also had to be someone to compel the people to come and learn. "He drove a sword into the entrance of the Beis Midrash," as we saw in the era of Chizkiyahu. Sometimes the people must be compelled to come learn Torah, and one must also ensure that they fulfill all that they learned; in this manner, they strengthened the people spiritually.
Another precise point: "Levi" is the name of the tribe, and every Kohen is a Levite. When the verse states, "and with them the Levites - Shemayahu, Netanyahu, and Zevadyahu..." etc., it refers to the Levites within the tribe of Levi; and when it states, "and with them Elishama and Yehoram the Kohanim," it refers to the Kohanim within the tribe of Levi. Scripture mentions both groups within the tribe of Levi: he took from among the Levites and from among the Kohanim.
וַיְלַמְּדוּ בִּיהוּדָה וְעִמָּהֶם סֵפֶר תּוֹרַת יְהֹוָה וַיָּסֹבּוּ בְּכׇל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיְלַמְּדוּ בָּעָם׃ - And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Torah of Hashem with them; they went around through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
They brought the Book of the Torah of Hashem with them and taught the people, as we noted - not only the rational mitzvos, but also the suprarational, received commandments.
The Fear of Hashem Fell Upon the Kingdoms - In the Merit of the Torah
וַיְהִי פַּחַד יְהֹוָה עַל כׇּל־מַמְלְכוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבוֹת יְהוּדָה וְלֹא נִלְחֲמוּ עִם־יְהוֹשָׁפָט׃ - And the fear of Hashem fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Yehoshaphat.
Once again we see the lovingkindness of Hashem: following Yehoshaphat's devotion to Hashem, and in the merit of their studying Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, cast His dread and fear upon all the surrounding kingdoms and lands.
This calls to mind what Ben-Gurion claimed to the Chazon Ish: "If war breaks out, what will you do - go out to fight with Gemaras? An army is essential." It is related that once, gunshots were heard on Shabbos near the home of the Chazon Ish; alarmed, he sent someone to ask what was happening. They reassured him, saying: "Do not worry, those are our own forces conducting training drills here." He told them: "Believe me, when they train on Shabbos, I worry more about our own forces than about the enemy's forces, because desecration of Shabbos is far more dangerous to us than any enemy attacker. If there were no desecration of Shabbos, there would be no attackers either."
And to that same claim - "What, will you go out to fight with Gemaras?" - the Chazon Ish replied with a famous parable: A man was riding in a wagon, and at a certain point his ears began to freeze. Unaccustomed to snow, he said to the wagon driver: "What should I do? My ears are starting to freeze." The driver told him: "Take some snow and rub it on them, and that will cause them to thaw." He took snow, tried it, and it indeed helped. The driver told him: "Know that had you not done this, your ears would freeze solid and could snap right off, Heaven forbid - you could have lost an ear." The man returned home filled with wonder and joy, and said to his wife: "You will not believe the miracle that happened to me!" She asked: "What miracle?" He recounted: "My ears started freezing, so I took snow and rubbed them." She asked: "Well, where is the miracle?" He replied: "Just imagine if there had been no snow! Picture if it had been a sunny day - with what would I have rubbed my ears?"
Said the Chazon Ish to him: Understand, you brought the freezing cold here. You stripped the children of Israel of Torah and mitzvos; you took the immigrants from the Eastern communities and spiritually destroyed them - all those who arrived here were simply cut down spiritually, worse than the Holocaust. That is what you did to the Jewish people: you brought a terrible freeze here, and then you say: "Well, now we need weapons, now we need wars!" But had you followed the Torah's framework - "And the fear of Hashem fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Yehoshaphat." Yehoshaphat walks in the way of Hashem, and there are no wars. "And I will grant peace in the land, and a sword shall not pass through your land" - not even the sword of an ally passing through in peace. But instead, you brought all this terrible freeze here, and then you claim that now an army is essential? No. Let us lead the people according to the path charted by the Torah, and then you will see: "And I will grant peace in the land, and a sword shall not pass through your land."
Tribute from the Philistines and the Arabs
וּמִן־פְּלִשְׁתִּים מְבִיאִים לִיהוֹשָׁפָט מִנְחָה וְכֶסֶף מַשָּׂא גַּם הָעַרְבִיאִים מְבִיאִים לוֹ צֹאן אֵילִים שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וּתְיָשִׁים שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת׃ - And some of the Philistines brought Yehoshaphat tribute and loads of silver; the Arabs also brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
This is an astounding development. The Philistines had tormented us throughout the generations, and nothing ever worked with them - no matter how many blows were struck or military campaigns launched, there was always another round, an endless conflict. Yet here Scripture tells you that the Philistines brought Yehoshaphat tribute. Who could imagine such a thing? Tribute - not dynamite or hostility, but gifts of goodwill; tribute and loads of silver, meaning vast quantities of silver.
Radak notes precisely: the text says "would bring" (mevi'im, in the continuous present) rather than "brought" (hevi'u), teaching that they brought it continually, year after year on a regular basis. Furthermore, "the Arabs" refers here to a distinct nation: aside from the Philistines, the Arabians also brought him livestock - seven thousand seven hundred rams and an equal number of he-goats - an ongoing tribute delivered to him consistently.
Fortresses and Storage Cities
וַיְהִי יְהוֹשָׁפָט הֹלֵךְ וְגָדֵל עַד־לְמָעְלָה וַיִּבֶן בִּיהוּדָה בִּירָנִיּוֹת וְעָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת׃ - And Yehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.
"Grew greater and greater" - rising to an exceedingly high level of power and prominence. Biraniyot derives from the word birah (palace or citadel), just as from rechem one derives rachmaniyot, and from kedem, kadmoniyot; it refers to fortified cities. "Storage cities" (arei miskenot) are treasury cities where grain, wine, and produce were stored.
וּמְלָאכָה רַבָּה הָיָה לוֹ בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְאַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה גִּבּוֹרֵי חַיִל בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And he had extensive works in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty warriors, in Jerusalem.
"And he had extensive works in the cities of Judah" - he had many artisans carrying out his projects. Malbim observes: A weak king typically places his construction projects and storehouse cities near the royal capital, so that even if an enemy penetrates the land, they cannot reach and capture them immediately; meanwhile, he stations his soldiers in the border towns to guard the frontiers and prevent enemies from entering. Here we find Yehoshaphat doing the exact opposite: he built his storehouse cities in the outlying towns of Judah - on the periphery rather than in the center - and established extensive operations there involving grain and craftsmen, having no fear of foreign invasion. His soldiers, by contrast, were stationed inside Jerusalem rather than along the borders. This illustrates his immense security and strength; he did not dread foreign enemies in the least, and could comfortably keep his army in the capital rather than deployed at the frontiers.
The Military Census: Three Ancestral Houses in Judah and Two in Benjamin
וְאֵלֶּה פְקֻדָּתָם לְבֵית אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם לִיהוּדָה שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים עַדְנָה הַשָּׂר וְעִמּוֹ גִּבּוֹרֵי חַיִל שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אָלֶף׃ - And this was their muster according to their ancestral houses: of Judah, commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him three hundred thousand mighty warriors.
"Their muster" (pekudatam) - their count according to their ancestral houses. The officers appointed over groups of thousands were called commanders of thousands. Malbim explains: Judah had three ancestral houses - Peretz, Zerach, and Shelah - and corresponding to them, they had three chief commanders.
וְעַל־יָדוֹ יְהוֹחָנָן הַשָּׂר וְעִמּוֹ מָאתַיִם וּשְׁמוֹנִים אָלֶף׃ - And next to him was Yehochanan the commander, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand.
וְעַל־יָדוֹ עֲמַסְיָה בֶן־זִכְרִי הַמִּתְנַדֵּב לַיהֹוָה וְעִמּוֹ מָאתַיִם אֶלֶף גִּבּוֹר חָיִל׃ - "And next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the Lord, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty men of valor."
"Next to him" - meaning stationed alongside him. All of these were from Judah, divided into three divisions corresponding to the three ancestral houses: Peretz, Zerach, and Shelah.
וּמִן־בִּנְיָמִן גִּבּוֹר חַיִל אֶלְיָדָע וְעִמּוֹ נֹשְׁקֵי־קֶשֶׁת וּמָגֵן מָאתַיִם אָלֶף׃ - "And from Benjamin, a mighty man of valor, Eliada, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield."
וְעַל־יָדוֹ יְהוֹזָבָד וְעִמּוֹ מֵאָה־וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף חֲלוּצֵי צָבָא׃ - "And next to him was Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand equipped for the army."
"Armed with bow and shield" - equipped with bows and shields. "Equipped for the army" (chalutzei tzava) - men armed and prepared to march out into battle.
אֵלֶּה הַמְשָׁרְתִים אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ מִלְּבַד אֲשֶׁר־נָתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעָרֵי הַמִּבְצָר בְּכׇל־יְהוּדָה׃ - "These served the king, besides those whom the king stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah."
"These served the king" - those who were stationed with him permanently, in addition to those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
In summary:
Chapter 17 portrays Yehoshaphat as a king who followed precisely in the initial ways of his forefather David - not merely a righteousness relative to his generation, but true righteousness: he never sought the Baalim, nor did he engage in syncretic worship like the kings of Israel. For this reason, "the Lord established the kingdom in his hand" - the people were fully united with him and enjoyed great prosperity, resulting in abundant wealth and honor. When success arrived, his heart was not lifted up in pride over his riches, but rather "in the ways of the Lord," leading him to go further and remove the high places and the Asherim - an achievement that eluded most kings. The pinnacle of the chapter is the great educational initiative: ministers, Levites, and Kohanim traveled throughout all the cities of Judah with the Book of the Law of the Lord, teaching the people even the supra-rational statutes (mitzvos shema'iyos), with the ministers accompanying them to ensure that these teachings were put into practice. The outcome was immediate: "And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands" - there were no wars, and even the Philistines brought tribute regularly. This is the profound lesson of the chapter: when a leader guides the people according to the way of the Torah, the promise is fulfilled: "And I will grant peace in the land... and no sword shall pass through your land."