Asa begins with quiet: ten years of rest, the strange altars and pillars taken away, cities built while 'the land was quiet'. Then Zerah the Ethiopian comes with a thousand thousand men, and Asa’s prayer is the book’s cry of the outmatched: 'Hashem, there is none beside You to help, between the mighty and the one who has no strength; help us, O Hashem our God; for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude.' The Ethiopians break and do not recover.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Hashem his God;
verse value 1211
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Asa" (אָסָא֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·right" (וְהַיָּשָׁ֔ר, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "his·God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "and·he·did" (root עשה, 159x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root ישר ("and·the·right") in II Chronicles. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·he·did] (386) + אָסָא֙ [Asa] (62) + הַטּ֣וֹב [the·good] (22) + וְהַיָּשָׁ֔ר [and·the·right] (521) + בְּעֵינֵ֖י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָֽיו [his·God] (52) = 1211.
Ralbag
And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Hashem his God, etc. - This heading carries through to the end of the book.
Malbim
good – In matters between man and God. and right – In matters between man and his fellow.
for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim;
verse value 4386
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 4386 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "and·he·took·away" (וַיָּ֛סַר, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·altars·of" (אֶת־מִזְבְּח֥וֹת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "the·altars·of" (אֶת־מִזְבְּח֥וֹת), "and·he·broke·down" (וַיְשַׁבֵּר֙), "the·pillars" (אֶת־הַמַּצֵּב֔וֹת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·altars·of" (root מזבח, 39x in II Chronicles); "and·he·took·away" (root סור, 22x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root שבר ("and·he·broke·down") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root גדע ("and·he·hewed·down") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·high·places', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֛סַר [and·he·took·away] (276) + אֶת־מִזְבְּח֥וֹת [the·altars·of] (864) + הַנֵּכָ֖ר [the·foreign] (275) + וְהַבָּמ֑וֹת [and·the·high·places] (459) + וַיְשַׁבֵּר֙ [and·he·broke·down] (518) + אֶת־הַמַּצֵּב֔וֹת [the·pillars] (944) + וַיְגַדַּ֖ע [and·he·hewed·down] (93) + אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרִֽים [the·Asherim] (957) = 4386.
Ralbag
and hewed down the Asherim - as the Torah commanded, 'and you shall cut down their Asherim' (Deuteronomy 7:5); and we have already explained there which type of Asherah this law applies to.
Metzudat David
'the strange [altars]' – Of the foreign gods. 'and the high places' – The buildings in which the altars stood are also called by the name "high places." 'the pillars' – Those made of a single stone.
Metzudat Zion
Hewed down — This means cutting down, as in 'sycamores have been cut down' (Isaiah 9).
Malbim
altars – Upon which many people offer, on a regular basis. and the high places – These are for individuals, and for a single occasion. Altars and high places are made of many stones and offerings are brought upon them, while pillars are made of a single stone, and no offering is brought upon them, though oil is poured upon its top. The pillars and the Asherah-trees would be set up in front of the altar, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:21-22), 'You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree near the altar of Hashem, nor shall you set up for yourself a pillar.'
and commanded Judah to seek Hashem, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
verse value 3374
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "the·God·of" (אֱלֹהֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "their·fathers" (אֲבוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·commandment" (וְהַמִּצְוָֽה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·he·said] (257) + לִֽיהוּדָ֔ה [to·Judah] (60) + לִדְר֕וֹשׁ [to·seek] (540) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + אֲבוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם [their·fathers] (464) + וְלַעֲשׂ֖וֹת [and·to·do] (812) + הַתּוֹרָ֥ה [the·law] (616) + וְהַמִּצְוָֽה [and·the·commandment] (152) = 3374.
Rashi
And he commanded Judah to seek unlike the Ten Tribes, who sought other, new Gods, which came up of late, and did not seek the God of their fathers.
Malbim
and commanded – After this he commanded the whole tribe. to seek – This is the contemplative part. and to do – This is the practical part. the law – The Written [Torah]. and the commandment – The Oral [Torah]; and through this —
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images; and the kingdom was quiet before him.
verse value 3221
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·took·away" (וַיָּ֙סַר֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·sun-images" (וְאֶת־הַחַמָּנִ֑ים, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·the·sun-images" (וְאֶת־הַחַמָּנִ֑ים). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles); "before·him" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "from·all·cities·of" (root עיר, 89x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root חמן ("and·the·sun-images") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·sun-images', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֙סַר֙ [and·he·took·away] (276) + מִכׇּל־עָרֵ֣י [from·all·cities·of] (370) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + אֶת־הַבָּמ֖וֹת [the·high·places] (854) + וְאֶת־הַחַמָּנִ֑ים [and·the·sun-images] (560) + וַתִּשְׁקֹ֥ט [and·it·was·quiet] (815) + הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה [the·kingdom] (140) + לְפָנָֽיו [before·him] (176) = 3221.
Ralbag
and the sun-images - These were idols made for the worship of the sun, which is why they were called chamanim (sun-images). Many people erred regarding the sun, turning it into a god, because of how conspicuous its effects are, flowing from it into this lowly world - on account of the power that Hashem placed within it on the day of its creation.
Metzudat David
'the sun-images' – The figures made for the worship of the sun.
Malbim
he took away out of all the cities of Judah...the sun-images – Objects shaped like the sun. and the kingdom was quiet – At the start of his reign, a king is typically alarmed by three things: (1) those who oppose him regarding the kingship, as with Rehoboam, for whom Jeroboam was an adversary, and Abijah, who feared his brothers, since their father had transferred the kingship away from them to him. But for Asa, the kingdom was quiet before him — meaning, even before he became king, Jeroboam no longer had the strength [to threaten him], and his father's household agreed to his kingship, since he was the firstborn.
And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years; because Hashem had given him rest.
verse value 2375
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·nothing·with·him" (וְאֵין־עִמּ֤וֹ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "fortification" (מְצוּרָ֖ה), "for·it·was·quiet" (כִּֽי־שָׁקְטָ֣ה), "and·nothing·with·him" (וְאֵין־עִמּ֤וֹ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "in·Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles); "cities·of" (root עיר, 89x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֛בֶן [and·he·built] (68) + עָרֵ֥י [cities·of] (280) + מְצוּרָ֖ה [fortification] (341) + בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה [in·Judah] (32) + כִּֽי־שָׁקְטָ֣ה [for·it·was·quiet] (444) + הָאָ֗רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְאֵין־עִמּ֤וֹ [and·nothing·with·him] (183) + מִלְחָמָה֙ [war] (123) + בַּשָּׁנִ֣ים [in·the·years] (402) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + כִּֽי־הֵנִ֥יחַ [for·he·gave·rest] (103) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 2375.
Ralbag
And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet - Here he points out that a person should, at a time when it is within his power, make the effort to set his affairs in order, and not wait for the time of need, lest the moment prove too pressing and he be unable to accomplish it. This is also why Asa said to the men of Judah (v. 6): 'Let us build these cities, surround them with a wall, and build towers in them as well to strengthen them; and let us put doors and bars on the wall and the towers, so that the enemy cannot enter them - while the land still lies open before us and we dwell in it securely.' for we have sought Hashem our God, we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side - We learn from this that a person who experiences providence ought to recognize that the good that comes to him is from Hashem, on account of his good conduct with Hashem; and he ought to publicize this as well, for there is wonderful benefit in it, guiding people toward the service of Hashem.
Metzudat David
'fortified cities' – Cities of fortification. 'for [the land] was quiet' – And so he had the leisure to build them.
Malbim
and he built – (2) At times a king is alarmed by rebels within his own kingdom, in which case he would be unable to build fortified cities and lay a heavy yoke on the people; hence it says that he built fortified cities, because the land was quiet on the inside. (3) He is alarmed by wars from without; regarding this it says 'and he had no war' — and this was not simply a matter of the times, as hinted by the phrase 'in those years,' for in fact it was then a time of crisis, as will be stated below (15:6); rather, it was because Hashem had given him rest.
For he said to Judah: ‘Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Hashem our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered.
verse value 5106
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 116 letters. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·cities" (אֶת־הֶעָרִ֣ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 560: we·have·sought, we·have·sought. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "let·us·build" (נִבְנֶ֣ה), "the·cities" (אֶת־הֶעָרִ֣ים), "and·let·us·surround" (וְנָסֵ֨ב). The root בנה appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "our·God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מגדל ("and·towers") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·around', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 2 words.
Rashi
as long as the land is before us As long as the kingdom is established before us, so that if we need them, they will be a refuge for us. And all this happened in the ten years about which it is written (above 13:23): “in his time the land was tranquil.” But after those ten years, there was a war between him and Baasha all their lives, for in the third year of Asa, Baasha reigned, and seven years there was peace between them, and so it is proven here as well (verse 5): “and there was no war with him in these years.” But in the other years there was war with him, and below (15:19) it is written: “And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.” We can, however, explain that the war that he had with the Cushites was not until the thirty-fifth year of his reign, but this is difficult to me, for it is written below (16:1): “In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha...advanced,” until (verse 9): “you have dealt foolishly concerning this, for from now on there will be wars with you.” It appears from here that prior to this, he did not have wars, and he lived after that only five years, and in I Kings 15:32, it is written: “And there was war between Asa and Baasha, etc. all their lives.” In Seder Olam (ch. 16) it is explained clearly. for we sought the Lord our God; we sought [Him] Since we sought Him, He gave us peace from round about. So they built cities. and prospered And a similar instance is (above 12:7): “And when the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, etc.”
Metzudat David
'the land is yet before us,' etc. – Let us fortify these cities while it is still before us, before the enemy arrives. 'we have sought Him... and He has given us rest' – Because we sought Hashem, He therefore gave us rest all around.
Metzudat Zion
And make about [them] — And surround.
Malbim
For he said – He told them: who knows what a day may bring? For the quiet we now enjoy is not something guaranteed by the nature of the times; rather, it is miraculous, coming from Hashem's providence, and a miracle does not happen every day. It is therefore good that we make an effort now, at this time, through natural means, so that afterward we shall be strong also in a natural way. This is the meaning of 'let us build, while the land is yet before us' — for this rest is miraculous, coming about because 'we have sought Hashem our God.' 'We have sought Him' — meaning that seeking Hashem has no limit, and the service of Hashem has many levels; and to the degree that we increased our seeking, so He increased our rest. This is why it says, 'we have sought, we have sought, and He has given us rest' — the increase in seeking brought about an increase in rest.
And Asa had an army that bore bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand; all these were mighty men of valor.
verse value 5280
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "all·these" (כׇּל־אֵ֖לֶּה) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "army" (חַ֘יִל֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·from·Benjamin" (וּמִבִּנְיָמִ֗ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 111: thousand, thousand. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·spear" (וָרֹ֒מַח֒), "and·from·Benjamin" (וּמִבִּנְיָמִ֗ן), "bearers·of" (נֹשְׂאֵ֤י). The root חיל appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "from·Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root קשת ("bow") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thousand', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 3 words.
Metzudat Zion
And those who drew the bow — The manner of treading the bow with the foot, to draw it taut properly in order to shoot far.
Malbim
bucklers – Protection against sword and spear. and shields – Protection against arrows.
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.
verse value 3460
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "against·them" (אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Zerah" (זֶ֣רַח, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·chariots" (וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "Zerah" (זֶ֣רַח), "the·Ethiopian" (הַכּוּשִׁ֗י), "to·Mareshah" (עַד־מָרֵשָֽׁה). The root אלף appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·came" (root בוא, 159x in II Chronicles); "thousand" (root אלף, 62x in II Chronicles); "hundred" (root מאה, 57x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֨א [and·he·went·out] (107) + אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם [against·them] (86) + זֶ֣רַח [Zerah] (215) + הַכּוּשִׁ֗י [the·Ethiopian] (341) + בְּחַ֙יִל֙ [with·army] (50) + אֶ֣לֶף [thousand] (111) + אֲלָפִ֔ים [thousands] (161) + וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת [and·chariots] (674) + שְׁלֹ֣שׁ [three] (630) + מֵא֑וֹת [hundred] (447) + וַיָּבֹ֖א [and·he·came] (19) + עַד־מָרֵשָֽׁה [to·Mareshah] (619) = 3460.
Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephath at Mareshah.
verse value 1946
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "Asa" (אָסָ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·arrayed" (וַיַּֽעַרְכוּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 575: Zephath, at·Mareshah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·they·arrayed" (וַיַּֽעַרְכוּ֙), "Zephath" (צְפַ֖תָה), "at·Mareshah" (לְמָרֵשָֽׁה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·him" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles); "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 50x in II Chronicles); "battle" (root מלחמה, 31x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root גיא ("in·valley·of") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·he·went·out] (107) + אָסָ֖א [Asa] (62) + לְפָנָ֑יו [before·him] (176) + וַיַּֽעַרְכוּ֙ [and·they·arrayed] (312) + מִלְחָמָ֔ה [battle] (123) + בְּגֵ֥יא [in·valley·of] (16) + צְפַ֖תָה [Zephath] (575) + לְמָרֵשָֽׁה [at·Mareshah] (575) = 1946.
Metzudat David
'in the valley of Zephath at Mareshah' – In the valley that is visible and overlooks one standing at Mareshah.
Metzudat Zion
Zephath — A form of the words 'watching' and 'looking out.'
And Asa cried to Hashem his God, and said: ‘Hashem, there is none beside You to help, between the mighty and the one who has no strength; help us, O Hashem our God; for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. You are Hashem our God; let not man prevail against You.’
verse value 4821
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 120 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "mighty" (רַב֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·multitude" (עַל־הֶהָמ֖וֹן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 102: our·God, our·God. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "nothing·with·You" (אֵֽין־עִמְּךָ֤), "help·us" (עׇזְרֵ֜נוּ), "for·upon·You" (כִּֽי־עָלֶ֣יךָ). The root יהוה appears 4 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "his·God" (root אלהים, 202x in II Chronicles); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 184x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root עזר ("to·help") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 6 words.
Rashi
it makes no difference to You to aid i.e., even though we are few and they are as numerous as the sand by the sea, and we have no strength before them, You can help both the great and the powerless; it is known that You have strength to aid; therefore, help us, O Lord our God, for we have relied on You. let no man rule against You Let not our enemies - man - have human strength to rule (עִמְּךָ) with You, i.e., against You, to be victorious, so that they should not say, “We have defeated their God.” Another explanation from the Rabbi: Let not the weak one (אֱנוֹשׁ) be held back (יַעְצר), for we are weak, deprived of strength, keeping us back (עוֹצְרֵי יָד) from defeating them. And an example is (Deut. 11:17): “and He will hold back (וְעָצַר) the heaven”; (Gen. 20:18): “For the Lord had held back (וְעָצר עָצַר),” and like (Jud. 13:16): “If you take me in (תַּעְצְרֵנִי).”
Ralbag
Hashem, there is none beside You to help, between the mighty and the one who has no strength - This means: for You there is no difference, when You wish to help, between one who is helped who has great strength and one who is utterly lacking in strength - it is all the same to You. You are Hashem our God ... let not man prevail against You - This means: Hashem, You are our God, our guide, and the One who watches over us; now, no man can hold back or restrain a people once it has burst forth, and so Your help will not be withheld from us on account of the great numbers of this people that has come to fight against us.
Metzudat David
'there is none beside You to help' – There is no difference to You in helping, whether a people that is numerous or one that has no strength at all. 'and in Your name' – In trust in Your name. 'let not man prevail against You' – Let no man have the power to stand against You, retaining strength in his hand to overpower [You].
Metzudat Zion
We rely — This means support. This multitude — An abundance of people. Man [enosh] — This is one of the names for a human being, indicating his weakness; it is a form of the phrase 'your hurt is incurable' (Jeremiah 30).
Malbim
there is none beside You to help – Meaning: the help given by flesh and blood is a limited power, and therefore it is easy for a person to help one who already has much strength, since such a one needs only a little help, and the helper's strength joins with the strength of the one being helped, to sustain him; but it is hard for him to help one who has no strength at all, for then he would have to do everything himself. Not so with You: Your strength has no limit, and You have no need for the one being helped to assist You with his own strength, for You alone are the helper, and there is none beside You to help — meaning, no one joins with You to assist You, so that with You there is no difference, in the matter of helping, between one who already has much and one who has no strength at all; You rely only on Your own power. Since this is so, help me for two reasons: (1) for our part, because we have leaned upon You; (2) for the sake of Your great name, since it is in Your name that we have come against this multitude, and You must show wonders so that Your name shall be made great and sanctified. Therefore, 'You are Hashem our God' — You alone shall act, let not man prevail against You – [that is: let not man] join together with You, contributing his own strength alongside Yours. He asks that the victory come about in such a way that all shall see that it was not the hand of man that held back the enemy, but Hashem alone.
So Hashem smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
verse value 1858
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Asa" (אָסָ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Ethiopians" (אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁ֔ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·smote" (וַיִּגֹּ֤ף), "the·Ethiopians" (אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁ֔ים). The root כושי appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "Judah" (root יהודה, 129x in II Chronicles); "before" (root פנים, 116x in II Chronicles). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגֹּ֤ף [and·he·smote] (99) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־הַכּוּשִׁ֔ים [the·Ethiopians] (782) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + אָסָ֖א [Asa] (62) + וְלִפְנֵ֣י [and·before] (176) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וַיָּנֻ֖סוּ [and·they·fled] (132) + הַכּוּשִֽׁים [the·Ethiopians] (381) = 1858.
Malbim
So Hashem smote – Just as he had asked, so it happened: Hashem smote the Ethiopians before Asa without any battle at all.
And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar; and there fell of the Ethiopians so that none remained alive; for they were shattered before Hashem, and before His host; and they carried away very much booty.
verse value 4427
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "Asa" (אָסָ֜א, 3 letters) and the longest is "before·Hashem" (לִפְנֵי־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·he·pursued·them" (וַיִּרְדְּפֵ֨ם), "unto·to·Gerar" (עַד־לִגְרָר֒), "of·Ethiopians" (מִכּוּשִׁים֙). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "before·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 203x in II Chronicles); "and·the·people" (root עם, 149x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מחנה ("His·camp") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root שלל ("booty") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'His·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
'so that none remained alive' – Until no living one remained among them.
Metzudat Zion
They carried away — And they took.
Malbim
And there fell - Even after they had fled, many of them still fell. So that none remained alive - Because they had no vitality left with which to flee: their strength had been taken from them, since they had already been shattered before Hashem, and no life-force or power remained in them. And because of this they carried away very much booty, for they had no need to kill an enemy that had already fallen of itself - they had only to take the booty of the battle that Hashem had felled before them. Now there is a difference between plunder taken by force (bizah) and "booty" (shalal) (see Isaiah ch. 8): shalal is that which is left of itself once its owner has fallen in battle. And this tells us that they had no need to seize anything by force, for it was all shalal, which came about of itself.
And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for a terror from Hashem came upon them; and they spoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
verse value 3549
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 3549 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Gerar" (גְּרָ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·cities" (אֶת־כׇּל־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "all·the·cities" (כׇּל־הֶעָרִים֙), "Gerar" (גְּרָ֔ר), "for·he·was" (כִּי־הָיָ֥ה). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·fear·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 384x in II Chronicles); "for·he·was" (root היה, 133x in II Chronicles); "upon·them" (root על, 111x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root בזז ("and·they·spoiled") in II Chronicles. First appearance of the root בזה ("for·spoil") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
'for a terror from Hashem came upon them' – And they did not have the strength to fight against them. 'for there was much spoil in them' – And therefore they delayed there to plunder all the cities.
Malbim
And they smote - Only the cities around Gerar (which belonged to the Philistines), which had not fallen by the hand of Hashem [directly, in the rout] - these they themselves struck down, for the terror of Hashem was already upon them. And there they had to plunder by their own hand, since there was no shalal that came about of itself.
They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
verse value 2057
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "they·smote" (הִכּ֑וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·also·tents·of" (וְגַם־אׇהֳלֵ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 324: and·they·carried·away, and·they·returned. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Chronicles. Unique to this verse in II Chronicles (hapax): "and·also·tents·of" (וְגַם־אׇהֳלֵ֥י), "cattle" (מִקְנֶ֖ה), "they·smote" (הִכּ֑וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 127x in II Chronicles); "and·they·returned" (root שוב, 62x in II Chronicles); "in·abundance" (root רב, 53x in II Chronicles). First appearance of the root מקנה ("cattle") in II Chronicles. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·smote', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אׇהֳלֵ֥י [and·also·tents·of] (95) + מִקְנֶ֖ה [cattle] (195) + הִכּ֑וּ [they·smote] (31) + וַיִּשְׁבּ֨וּ [and·they·carried·away] (324) + צֹ֤אן [sheep] (141) + לָרֹב֙ [in·abundance] (232) + וּגְמַלִּ֔ים [and·camels] (129) + וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ [and·they·returned] (324) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2057.
Metzudat David
'the tents of cattle' – The people of the cattle-tents.
Metzudat Zion
And they carried away — A form of the word 'captivity.'
Malbim
They smote also the tents of cattle - belonging to the Arabs who herded there. and carried away - For the term "taking captive" (shevi) applies specifically to things that have the breath of life in them.
Ralbag
Malbim