Chapter 20 of Divrei HaYamim II describes one of the most wondrous wars in the history of the kings of Judah: a battle in which the Jewish people did not shoot a single arrow, did not raise a single sword, and yet emerged victorious and laden with spoil. In this section, we will explore the prophecy of Yachaziel ben Zecharyahu, the instruction that "it is not for you to fight in this battle," the march out to war accompanied by singers rather than vanguard troops, the enemies turning against one another, and the conclusion of the reign of Yehoshaphat - up to his alliance with Achazyahu king of Israel and the wrecking of the ships.
וְיַחֲזִיאֵל בֶּן־זְכַרְיָהוּ בֶּן־בְּנָיָה בֶּן־יְעִיאֵל בֶּן־מַתַּנְיָה הַלֵּוִי מִן־בְּנֵי אָסָף הָיְתָה עָלָיו רוּחַ יְהֹוָה בְּתוֹךְ הַקָּהָל׃ - And Yachaziel the son of Zecharyahu, the son of Benayah, the son of Yeiel, the son of Matanyah, the Levite from the sons of Asaph, the spirit of Hashem came upon him in the midst of the congregation.
"In the midst of the congregation" - in its plain sense, while he was standing in the midst of the congregation, the spirit of Hashem rested upon him. One can also see here an allusion to the well-known principle that a person may be worthy of having the Shechinah rest upon him, but his generation is not worthy. Here, we see that the Shechinah rested upon him, and he received prophecy and Ruach HaKodesh precisely while standing in the midst of the congregation: when the generation is worthy and the congregation is worthy, they are fit for the resting of the Shechinah.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַקְשִׁיבוּ כׇל־יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹשָׁפָט כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה לָכֶם אַתֶּם אַל־תִּירְאוּ וְאַל־תֵּחַתּוּ מִפְּנֵי הֶהָמוֹן הָרָב הַזֶּה כִּי לֹא לָכֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה כִּי לֵאלֹהִים׃ - And he said: Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Yehoshaphat! Thus says Hashem to you: Do not fear and do not be dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
The prophet addresses all Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Yehoshaphat as well - for the message is directed to him too. The Malbim precisely defines the difference between "do not fear" (tiru) and "do not be dismayed" (techatu): chitath is a lowering of spirit, caused by a person viewing himself as weak compared to his counterpart, taking the wind out of his sails. Metzudat Tzion similarly explains that it denotes fear and brokenness. When does a person's heart become broken? When he thinks: "I am nothing, they are far more powerful than I am" - and he breaks. Even if he does not fear the harm they might inflict, the very thought of his own weakness brings him to dismay (chitath), as in "he was humbled (nichat) before My name," an expression of dejection. Thus: "Do not fear" - of the harm they might cause you; "and do not be dismayed" - by the feeling of weakness and inability to confront them.
And the reason: "For the battle is not yours, but God's." First, Hashem will fight for you. Second, he meant that the enemies are not truly coming to fight against you; their war is against the Holy One, blessed be He. Anyone who comes to wage war against Israel is fighting the Master of the Universe, and they therefore have an open reckoning with Him, leaving you no reason to fear. Upon this foundation, notes the Malbim, Psalm 83 is established: "For they have consulted together with one heart; against You they make a covenant - the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites." All of those verses speak of this very war (as will be elaborated further on). They conspired "against You," against the Almighty; therefore, Hashem will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Those interested can consult the lessons on Tehillim based on the Malbim for a full explanation of that psalm.
מָחָר רְדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם הִנָּם עֹלִים בְּמַעֲלֵה הַצִּיץ וּמְצָאתֶם אֹתָם בְּסוֹף הַנַּחַל פְּנֵי מִדְבַּר יְרוּאֵל׃ - Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Tzitz, and you will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Yeruel.
Meaning: they are currently ascending by the ascent of Tzitz, and tomorrow you will go down and encounter them at the end of the valley, facing the wilderness of Yeruel - which is the name of a place.
לֹא לָכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם בָּזֹאת הִתְיַצְּבוּ עִמְדוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת־יְשׁוּעַת יְהֹוָה עִמָּכֶם יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם אַל־תִּירְאוּ וְאַל־תֵּחַתּוּ מָחָר צְאוּ לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיהֹוָה עִמָּכֶם׃ - "It is not for you to fight in this; position yourselves, stand firm, and see the salvation of Hashem with you, O Yehudah and Yerushalayim! Do not fear and do not be dismayed; tomorrow go out before them, and Hashem is with you."
Lest you misunderstand: I said, "Tomorrow go down against them," and you might think the intention was to attack - that is not the case. The instruction to "go down against them" is not in order to fight, but to take up your positions there. The Malbim explains in several places that the term hityatzvut (positioning oneself) signifies standing with strength, planting one's feet firmly on the ground and steeling oneself, as opposed to simple amidah (standing), which merely means not sitting. Here it says "Hityatzvu imdu" (position yourselves, stand): first take your positions firmly, and afterward it is enough merely to stand - you do not need to keep fortifying yourselves, but simply stand and witness the salvation of Hashem. And what I said, "Tomorrow go down against them" - means to go out before them without doing anything at all, and Hashem is with you and He will be the One to act.
וַיִּקֹּד יְהוֹשָׁפָט אַפַּיִם אָרְצָה וְכׇל־יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם נָפְלוּ לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לַיהֹוָה׃ - "And Yehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all of Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fell before Hashem, prostrating themselves to Hashem."
Yehoshaphat hears these words of encouragement and reassurance, and bows before the prophet of Hashem. "Vayikod" (and he bowed) - he bent his head and prostrated himself. There is an expression here of immense esteem and reverence for the prophet of Hashem: a king kneeling and prostrating himself! It is an unfamiliar sight for a monarch to bow before anyone. Yet here we see the hierarchical status of a prophet of Hashem, to whom the king is subordinate. The prophet comes and rebukes the king, telling him what he is not doing properly, and the king is subservient to him.
This did not always find favor in the eyes of the kings. There were monarchs who cast prophets into prison, some who threatened their lives, and some who killed them wholesale - such as Izevel (Jezebel) and her husband Achav. Achav even spoke very harsh words against Eliyahu HaNavi. Yet hierarchically, according to the Torah, the prophet occupies a higher standing than the king and even crowns him: Who anointed Shaul? Shemuel. Who anointed David? Shemuel. Such was the authority of the prophet that he enthroned kings, although later this took place through other means.
וַיָּקֻמוּ הַלְוִיִּם מִן־בְּנֵי הַקְּהָתִים וּמִן־בְּנֵי הַקׇּרְחִים לְהַלֵּל לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל לְמָעְלָה׃ - "And the Levi'im of the sons of the Kehathites and of the sons of the Korahites arose to praise Hashem, the God of Yisrael, with an exceedingly loud voice."
The Levi'im arise to praise Hashem for the tidings of salvation. "With an exceedingly loud voice" (b'kol gadol l'ma'lah) - that the voice should rise up and ascend on high, a mighty and magnificent sound.
וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וַיֵּצְאוּ לְמִדְבַּר תְּקוֹעַ וּבְצֵאתָם עָמַד יְהוֹשָׁפָט וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעוּנִי יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם הַאֲמִינוּ בַּיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְתֵאָמֵנוּ הַאֲמִינוּ בִנְבִיאָיו וְהַצְלִיחוּ׃ - "And they arose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Yehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Yehudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim: Believe in Hashem your God and you shall be established; believe in His prophets and you shall prosper!'"
To wage war, one requires strategy and valor, valor being needed to strengthen the heart of the people. Yehoshaphat tells them: You need neither counsel nor valor, but only to believe in Hashem. "V'te'amenu" (and you shall be established) - in the merit of your faith (emunah), the Holy One, Blessed be He, will place His trust in you and will not alter what He promised you; you will earn Hashem's trust. This reflects the idea of "Hashem is your shade upon your right hand": if you have faith in Him, you are granted trust in return.
"Believe in His prophets and you shall prosper" - the prophet told you not to do a thing, so do not do a thing. Even if natural reasoning suggests that normal human effort (hishtadlut) obligates us to act, taking action in this case would demonstrate a lack of faith in the prophet. If you truly believe in him, you know that you need not do anything at all, and faith alone is sufficient to save you.
וַיִּוָּעַץ אֶל־הָעָם וַיַּעֲמֵד מְשֹׁרְרִים לַיהֹוָה וּמְהַלְלִים לְהַדְרַת־קֹדֶשׁ בְּצֵאת לִפְנֵי הֶחָלוּץ וְאֹמְרִים הוֹדוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃ - He took counsel with the people and appointed singers to Hashem, praising in holy splendor as they went out before the vanguard, saying: 'Give thanks to Hashem, for His kindness endures forever.'
There are countries that do not have a fighting army; they have a marching army - an army that parades to music, without knowing how to fire a single bullet, just a bit of decorative scenery and nothing more. (Incidentally, many of our Ashkenazi tunes are marches taken from the Russian army and the like.) Here, Yehoshaphat says to the people: We do not need a fighting army, nor do we need an active army; we can simply begin to sing. Except here, it is not merely a march, but singing to the Master of the World.
"Singers to Hashem" - on His own account, as the Creator of the universe. "Praising in holy splendor" - on account of His actions, the fact that Hashem watches over the Jewish people with individual divine providence; and "holy splendor" means that Hashem reveals Himself before them in all His majesty and saves them. "As they went out before the vanguard" - that Hashem goes out before the camp to fight the enemies. Regarding "Give thanks to Hashem, for His kindness endures forever," the Malbim explains that the intent of the praise is: the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, now goes out to fight them is not to bring harm to the nations of the world, but to do good for us - for His kindness toward us endures forever, just as He promised that the land is ours, and just as He forged a covenant with us that He would protect us.
וּבְעֵת הֵחֵלּוּ בְרִנָּה וּתְהִלָּה נָתַן יְהֹוָה מְאָרְבִים עַל־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן מוֹאָב וְהַר־שֵׂעִיר הַבָּאִים לִיהוּדָה וַיִּנָּגֵפוּ׃ - And at the moment they began singing and praise, Hashem set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were struck down.
"Singing" corresponds to "singers to Hashem," and "praise" corresponds to "praising in holy splendor." The Malbim explains the sequence of events: three distinct nations were gathered there - Moab, Ammon, and Seir - and they hated one another. But as is so often the case in reality, when there is a common enemy, all rivals unite against him. If one needs an example of this, go out and see how a political coalition is formed: so many extremes who detest one another, yet suddenly they are all in one pot - not out of great love, but out of hatred for someone else. The glue binding them together is not genuine unity, but the fact that there is someone they all oppose.
So too here: Moab, Ammon, and Seir united against Israel, but the old animosity was never forgotten. Hashem put it into Moab's heart to settle scores with Ammon and Seir: Moab formed a coalition with Mount Seir to destroy Ammon. This is the meaning of "Hashem set ambushes against the children of Ammon" - Moab and Mount Seir ambushed them cunningly, "and they were struck down," meaning the children of Ammon. Once Moab saw that Ammon was weakened - having served its purpose, it could now be discarded - Moab wanted to weaken Seir. However, against Seir, Moab was still somewhat weak, so it reconciled with the remnants of Ammon, those who had just taken a beating from them and would now gladly join the stronger side, provided they help against Seir. And for Ammon it was also worthwhile, for otherwise Moab could finish them off.
וַיַּעַמְדוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וּמוֹאָב עַל־יֹשְׁבֵי הַר־שֵׂעִיר לְהַחֲרִים וּלְהַשְׁמִיד וּכְכַלּוֹתָם בְּיוֹשְׁבֵי שֵׂעִיר עָזְרוּ אִישׁ־בְּרֵעֵהוּ לְמַשְׁחִית׃ - For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly destroy and annihilate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, each helped destroy his fellow.
Among the children of Ammon, only some were killed, since Moab still needed them against Seir; but regarding the children of Seir, whom Moab no longer needed, the verse states "to utterly destroy and annihilate" - complete destruction. "And when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir" - once they had annihilated them completely, only a remnant of the children of Ammon remained, and Moab was easily able to withstand this small remnant. "Each helped destroy his fellow" - in retrospect, all that mutual assistance proved to be their ruin. The people of Seir initially helped against Ammon, and the people of Ammon subsequently helped against Seir, and ultimately Moab used each of them to destroy the other so that it alone would remain. Then panic and confusion erupted among them, every man's sword against his fellow, and each one destroyed the other. Thus far, explains the Malbim, is what emerges from the straightforward reading of the verses.
The Malbim addresses a major difficulty: How did Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon become such a massive horde that Yehoshaphat feared them? After all, Moab had been subjugated to the Kingdom of Israel all that time, rebelling only after the death of Achav, as recorded in Melachim II, chapter 1. Consequently, at this stage, Moab was weak. When a nation is subjugated beneath us, we do not permit it to establish an army - just as in Gaza we do not permit them to purchase tanks and airplanes (even though they have an underground force). If Moab was under our subjugation, how did they become so formidable? Furthermore, Edom was subject to Yehoshaphat, as it is written, "There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king," and it is related that Yehoshaphat, Yehoram, and the king of Edom struck Moab.
The Malbim also adds a calculation of the numbers: Asa had only five hundred and eighty thousand warriors, yet he defeated the Cushites, who numbered "a thousand thousands" - a million. Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, had one million one hundred and sixty thousand soldiers - so why was he afraid of them?
He also raised another difficulty based on the verse:
וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּגִּידוּ לִיהוֹשָׁפָט לֵאמֹר בָּא עָלֶיךָ הָמוֹן רָב מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם מֵאֲרָם וְהִנָּם בְּחַצְצוֹן תָּמָר הִיא עֵין גֶּדִי׃ - "Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying: 'A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram; and behold, they are in Chatzatzon-tamar' - which is Ein Gedi."
This is a major difficulty: Moab, Edom, and the Ammonites were in the south of Judah, while Aram was in the north - so how could it say they came from Aram? While the Metzudos explains that they traveled by way of Aram, and the Malbim notes an explanation that the scout made a mistake, it is very difficult to suggest this: did he not know the surrounding nations? Did he not have an atlas at home?
Therefore, the Malbim explains that perforce, one must say that Moab and Edom sought at that time to cast off the subjugation they suffered under Israel. They knew that on their own, they could not succeed - for being under our rule prevented them from establishing an army and rebelling. What did they do? They hired troops from across the sea, what are known as mercenaries: just as Putin hires Chechens for his war in Ukraine, or as Assad hired Putin and Hezbollah to fight for him in Syria - people from another nation who are willing, for payment, to come and fight for you.
These are the additional nations mentioned in Tehillim chapter 83, as that psalm was composed concerning the war described here: Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre - these came by way of the sea; Ishmael and the children of Ashur - these came by way of Aram. They joined with Moab, Edom, and Ammon to destroy Judah, coming "from beyond the sea, from Aram," and from there through the Negev to unite with their allies. As they passed along the eastern border of the Land of Israel, they were also joined by the Hagrites, mentioned there in the psalm, and at Chatzatzon-tamar the Amalekites joined as well. This is what is meant there by "Who said: 'Let us take the pastures of God in possession for ourselves'" - just as we mentioned, "to drive us out from Your possession," wishing to inherit that which You bequeathed to us.
According to this, the great confusion is also explained: each of the primary nations - Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who feature prominently here because they were the ones who hired the mercenaries and sought to cast off our yoke - hired other nations to assist them. At a certain point, the battalions hired by one began fighting the battalions hired by another, and each side rushed to aid the troops allied with it. This was the pandemonium, a man's sword against his fellow.
וִיהוּדָה בָּא עַל־הַמִּצְפֶּה לַמִּדְבָּר וַיִּפְנוּ אֶל־הֶהָמוֹן וְהִנָּם פְּגָרִים נֹפְלִים אַרְצָה וְאֵין פְּלֵיטָה׃ - "Judah came toward the lookout of the wilderness, and they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped."
Judah came to the lookout point and reached the wilderness, which was the wilderness of Yeruel. "The lookout" was the vantage point from which one could overlook the wilderness and the campsite. They looked and saw: there were no survivors; none had escaped, and not a soul remained.
וַיָּבֹא יְהוֹשָׁפָט וְעַמּוֹ לָבֹז אֶת־שְׁלָלָם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בָהֶם לָרֹב וּרְכוּשׁ וּפְגָרִים וּכְלֵי חֲמֻדוֹת וַיְנַצְּלוּ לָהֶם לְאֵין מַשָּׂא וַיִּהְיוּ יָמִים שְׁלוֹשָׁה בֹּזְזִים אֶת־הַשָּׁלָל כִּי רַב־הוּא׃ - "Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, and they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies and precious vessels, which they stripped for themselves beyond what they could carry; and they were three days gathering the spoil, for it was so much."
Yehoshaphat and his people came only to take the spoil - nothing was left for them to do but collect it. Vayenatzlu implies stripping bare, emptying out, as in vayenatzlu et Mitzrayim ("and they despoiled Egypt"), which Onkelos translates as v'rokinu yat Mitzra'ei ("and they emptied out the Egyptians"). They took property, silver, and gold. And what is the meaning of "corpses" (pegarim)? It does not mean they took the corpses themselves, but rather, as we have mentioned several times, in those days they would strip the fallen soldiers. For garments back then were extremely valuable: a person possessed a single garment, worn on weekdays and on Shabbat alike, and pajamas existed only in dreams; he had one blanket, covering himself with it when he undressed for sleep, and the next day he put those same clothes back on. Consider what it took to produce a single garment: sowing the flax, soaking it, beating, hackling, and combing it, spinning it into thread, weaving fabric by hand, and then sewing stitch by stitch, needle by needle - a full month of labor just to prepare one garment! Garments were therefore among the most prized and valuable parts of wartime booty. And all this they plundered for three full days, because the spoil was so vast and immense.
וּבַיּוֹם הָרְבִעִי נִקְהֲלוּ לְעֵמֶק בְּרָכָה כִּי־שָׁם בֵּרְכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה עַל־כֵּן קָרְאוּ אֶת־שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא עֵמֶק בְּרָכָה עַד־הַיּוֹם׃ - And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed Hashem; therefore they called the name of that place the Valley of Berachah to this day.
Metzudat David explains that it is called here "the Valley of Berachah" in anticipation of what followed: at that moment it was not yet named this, but because they arrived there and blessed Hashem, it was subsequently called the Valley of Berachah (Valley of Blessing), and Scripture refers to it proactively by its future name. A similar example is "and they came unto the Brook of Eshcol" (Bamidbar 13:23), which was named after the cluster of grapes (eshcol) they took from there, yet the text already calls it the Brook of Eshcol before the event took place - as Rashi explains there.
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ כׇּל־אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וִיהוֹשָׁפָט בְּרֹאשָׁם לָשׁוּב אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בְּשִׂמְחָה כִּי־שִׂמְּחָם יְהֹוָה מֵאוֹיְבֵיהֶם׃ - Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Yehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with joy, for Hashem had caused them to rejoice over their enemies.
They resolved to return in joy, as we will see immediately, with harps and lyres. "For Hashem had caused them to rejoice over their enemies" - they realized that the very reason He had brought enemies upon them was in order to bring them joy through salvation; and not merely through salvation, but also through all the immense and bountiful spoil that they gained.
וַיָּבֹאוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בִּנְבָלִים וּבְכִנֹּרוֹת וּבַחֲצֹצְרוֹת אֶל־בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - And they came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the House of Hashem.
Three musical instruments are mentioned here, corresponding to three groups: every man of Judah, Jerusalem, and Yehoshaphat - as explained by the commentary attributed to Rashi; this is why they took three types of musical instruments.
וַיְהִי פַּחַד אֱלֹהִים עַל כׇּל־מַמְלְכוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת בְּשׇׁמְעָם כִּי נִלְחַם יְהֹוָה עִם אוֹיְבֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And the dread of God was upon all the kingdoms of the lands, when they heard that Hashem had fought against the enemies of Israel.
A dread of God fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands, because they saw and heard that Hashem was fighting against the enemies of Israel. This was not an ordinary war where one goes out to battle against the people of Israel: Israel did not, to put it in modern terms, fire a single bullet or shoot a single arrow, nothing at all; rather, the enemies destroyed one another. It became clear to everyone that Hashem was the One waging war, and after that, who would dare come and fight them?
וַתִּשְׁקֹט מַלְכוּת יְהוֹשָׁפָט וַיָּנַח לוֹ אֱלֹהָיו מִסָּבִיב׃ - So the kingdom of Yehoshaphat was quiet, and his God gave him rest all around.
"And it was quiet" - internally within the kingdom, as Metzudat David explains, that there was no one who challenged or opposed him; "and He gave him rest all around" - regarding the surrounding nations, who likewise did not attack him. Thus the Malbim distinguishes between the two expressions.
וַיִּמְלֹךְ יְהוֹשָׁפָט עַל־יְהוּדָה בֶּן־שְׁלֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה בְּמׇלְכוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ עֲזוּבָה בַּת־שִׁלְחִי׃ - And Yehoshaphat reigned over Judah; he was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azuvah daughter of Shilchi.
Yehoshaphat reigned over Judah; he was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem - a relatively long reign. And the phrasing "and he reigned" (vayimloch) implies that they willingly accepted his kingship.
וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ אָבִיו אָסָא וְלֹא־סָר מִמֶּנָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה׃ - And he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Hashem.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: "he did not turn aside" from doing what was right - meaning, he did not turn aside from his father's upright path, but from his father's flawed path he certainly did turn aside. For we have seen that Asa also had a shortcoming: in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, as we saw in chapter 16, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah. Asa then took silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of Hashem and the king's palace, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram to form an alliance with him. Afterward, Hanani the Seer came to Asa and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely on Hashem your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand" - showing that he was taken to task for this, and there he turned aside from Hashem's path. Yehoshaphat, however, walked in his father's good path and did not deviate from it at all.
אַךְ הַבָּמוֹת לֹא־סָרוּ וְעוֹד הָעָם לֹא־הֵכִינוּ לְבָבָם לֵאלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיהֶם׃ - However, the high places were not removed, for the people had not yet directed their hearts toward the God of their fathers.
The fact that the high places (bamot) were not removed was not Yehoshaphat's fault, for he himself did not sacrifice on a bamah, just like his father Asa; rather, it was because the people had not directed their hearts. Had he attempted to remove the bamot forcibly, they would have rebelled against him, and he would not have had the power to stand against them. On the contrary, they even thought there was a mitzvah in it - "in every place incense is burned and offered to My Name," believing that one could offer incense anywhere. As it was later said in the time of Chizkiyahu: "Is not this the one whose high places Chizkiyahu removed?" "And they had not directed their hearts" - they had not attuned their hearts to understand that the service of the Singular God must be conducted specifically in the singular, designated place, in the words of the Malbim. And since it had been permitted in the past, it was very difficult to uproot these longstanding habits from them.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרֹנִים הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים בְּדִבְרֵי יֵהוּא בֶן־חֲנָנִי אֲשֶׁר הֹעֲלָה עַל־סֵפֶר מַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Now the rest of the deeds of Yehoshaphat, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the chronicles of Yehu the son of Hanani, which were recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.
Radak explains that the book of Yehu the son of Hanani was incorporated into the book of the kings of Israel. The Malbim explains that "in the chronicles of Yehu" means that he served as the royal chronicler for the kings of Judah at that time.
וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֶתְחַבַּר יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה עִם אֲחַזְיָה מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא הִרְשִׁיעַ לַעֲשׂוֹת׃ - And after this, Yehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Achazyah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
"Etchabar" is equivalent to hitchaber (allied himself). Yehoshaphat allied himself with Achazyahu king of Israel, who was known to be a wicked king, "he acted wickedly" - yet despite all this, Yehoshaphat saw no hindrance to joining in an alliance with an evildoer. And what is the definition of "acted wickedly" (hirshia)? The Malbim explains: regarding Achav, Scripture states that his wife Izevel incited him, but this one acted wickedly of his own accord - not through the incitement of others.
וַיְחַבְּרֵהוּ עִמּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֳנִיּוֹת לָלֶכֶת תַּרְשִׁישׁ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֳנִיּוֹת בְּעֶצְיוֹן גָּבֶר׃ - "And he joined with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made ships in Etzion-geber."
Yehoshaphat partnered with Achazyahu to make ships to go to Tarshish, to bring back wealth and gold from there, and initially they built the ships in partnership. This episode also appears in I Melachim chapter 22, where Yehoshaphat made ships and they were wrecked, except that the partnership is not mentioned there, whereas here it is clarified that the ships were in partnership with Achazyahu. "Ships to go to Tarshish" - meaning Tarshish ships, to travel to Tarshish. And as recalled, we mentioned both there and here that the Abarbanel has a different interpretation regarding Tarshish, and he even leveled a sharp critique against Ezra claiming that he misunderstood the text there. But the Malbim, in his typical manner of upholding the Mesorah, says that the Abarbanel's understanding is certainly not correct; rather, Ezra's understanding is the true one. This is not only because Ezra was an immense figure who was worthy that the Torah be given through him, but also because of his sheer proximity in time to the events, which certainly enabled him to understand matters more accurately than the Abarbanel. "In Etzion-geber" - the name of the harbor, and it was there that the ships were wrecked.
וַיִּתְנַבֵּא אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן־דֹּדָוָהוּ מִמָּרֵשָׁה עַל־יְהוֹשָׁפָט לֵאמֹר כְּהִתְחַבֶּרְךָ עִם־אֲחַזְיָהוּ פָּרַץ יְהֹוָה אֶת־מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וַיִּשָּׁבְרוּ אֳנִיּוֹת וְלֹא עָצְרוּ לָלֶכֶת אֶל־תַּרְשִׁישׁ׃ - "Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Yehoshaphat, saying: 'Because you have joined yourself with Achazyahu, Hashem has breached your works.' And the ships were wrecked, and they were unable to go to Tarshish."
Because you have allied yourself with Achazyahu, "Hashem has breached your works" - a breach will strike your endeavors, the ships will be broken, and you will achieve no success with them. And indeed, so it happened: "and they were unable [ve-lo atzeru] to go to Tarshish" - they could not muster the strength, as in the idiom "did not muster strength" (lo atzar koach), meaning they were unable to prevail and reach Tarshish.
This chapter presents a rare paradigm of victory: a nation that marches out to war with singers instead of vanguard shock troops, and triumphs without shooting a single arrow. The prophet instructs, "Do not fear and do not be dismayed" - do not fear misfortune and do not break down from feelings of weakness, for the battle is not ours at all, but the Holy One, Blessed be He's. Yehoshaphat bows before the prophet, commands the people, "Believe in Hashem and you shall be established; believe in His prophets and you shall prosper," and stations those who give praise in front of the vanguard. Behind the scenes, the Holy One, Blessed be He, orchestrates that the enemies - who had united solely out of shared hatred and hired mercenaries - destroy one another, until "every one helped to destroy another." The result: three days of spoils, Emek Berachah, a joyous return with harps and lyres, the dread of God upon all the kingdoms, and tranquility throughout Yehoshaphat's kingdom. Even so, in the end, the alliance with the wicked Achazyahu breached his deeds and the ships were wrecked: proof that Yehoshaphat's entire strength lay in his devotion to Hashem and His prophets.