and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
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2 Chronicles 15:2-4 sits inside this longer paragraph.
The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity. But you be strong, and don’t let your hands be slack; for your work will be rewarded.”
Parallel Translations
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and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.
But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
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And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
Show all 3 translations
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and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him: 'Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you, while ye are with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.
Now for long seasons Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
but when in their distress they turned unto the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found of them.
Cross-references (60)
- James 4:8 (v2) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- 2 Chronicles 24:20 (v2) The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you…
- 2 Chronicles 15:4 (v2) But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 (v2) You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all…
- Jeremiah 29:12-14 (v2) You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me…
Show all 59 cross-references
- Hebrews 10:38 (v2) But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
- Isaiah 55:6-7 (v2) Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let…
- 2 Chronicles 15:15 (vv2, 4) All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them.…
- Hebrews 12:25 (v2) See that you don’t refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we…
- Matthew 7:7-8 (v2) “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks…
- 2 Chronicles 13:12 (v2) Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don’t…
- 2 Chronicles 20:20 (v2) They rose early in the morning, and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me,…
- Isaiah 55:6 (v4) Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
- Romans 11:1-2 (v2) I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God…
- Deuteronomy 20:1 (v2) When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of…
- 2 Chronicles 20:15 (v2) and he said, “Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Yahweh says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, and…
- Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (v4) But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.…
- 2 Kings 21:14 (v2) I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They will become a prey and a plunder to…
- 2 Chronicles 32:8 (v2) An arm of flesh is with him, but Yahweh our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.” The people rested themselves on the words…
- Nehemiah 8:9 (v3) Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said to all the people, “Today is…
- Matthew 13:9 (v2) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Leviticus 10:11 (v3) You are to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Yahweh has spoken to them by Moses.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:4 (v2) Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
- 2 Chronicles 17:8-9 (v3) and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the…
- 2 Chronicles 20:17 (v2) You will not need to fight this battle. Set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t…
- Isaiah 7:13 (v2) He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?
- Jeremiah 10:10 (v3) But Yahweh is the true God. He is the living God, and an everlasting King. At his wrath, the earth trembles. The nations aren’t able to…
- Revelation 2:7 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life,…
- Revelation 2:11 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death.
- Judges 9:7 (v2) When they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice, cried out, and said to them, “Listen to…
- 2 Chronicles 12:1-3 (v2) When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned Yahweh’s law, and all Israel with him. In the fifth year of…
- Isaiah 65:1-2 (v4) “I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not…
- Ezekiel 44:21-23 (v3) None of the priests shall drink wine when they enter into the inner court. They shall not take for their wives a widow, or her who is put…
- Hosea 3:4 (v3) For the children of Israel shall live many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without sacred stone, and…
- Hosea 6:1 (v4) “Come! Let’s return to Yahweh; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds.
- Micah 3:11 (v3) Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh,…
- Malachi 2:7 (v3) For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies.
- Matthew 2:4-5 (v3) Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. They said to him, “In…
- Revelation 2:17 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, and I…
- Revelation 2:29 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
- Revelation 3:6 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
- Revelation 3:13 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
- Revelation 3:22 (v2) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”
- Deuteronomy 33:10 (v3) They shall teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you, and whole burnt offering on your altar.
- 1 Kings 12:28-33 (v3) So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and behold…
- 2 Chronicles 33:12 (v2) When he was in distress, he begged Yahweh his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
- Psalms 49:1-2 (v2) Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together.
- Psalms 106:44 (v4) Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.
- Hosea 14:1-3 (v4) Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin. Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive…
- Romans 2:12 (v3) For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
- Romans 10:20 (v4) Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”
- Judges 3:9-10 (v4) When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of…
- Judges 10:10-16 (v4) The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the…
- John 17:3 (v3) This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
- Romans 7:8-9 (v3) But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was alive…
- 1 Corinthians 9:21 (v3) to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who…
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (v3) For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living…
- 1 Timothy 3:2 (v3) The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;
- 1 John 5:20 (v3) We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in…
59 distinct cross-references across this passage (60 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv3–4 For the space of twelve years under Rehoboam, and…
For the space of twelve years under Rehoboam, and three years under Abijah, religion was neglected, and idolatry planted.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2Ch 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa,…
2Ch 15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD [is] with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Ver. 2. And he went out to meet Asa.] To admonish him and his army of their duty after so great a victory, it requiring as much skill to use it well as to get it.
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The Lord is with you.] In mercy, while you be with him in duty. God’s ordinances are the heavenly exchange, saith one, betwixt God and his people: they present duty, he confers mercy. God’s Spirit is a delicate thing, saith another: ita nos tractat, sicut tractatur. God’s visitation, saith a third, is like checker work, black and white, "Those that honour me, I will honour; but those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."
If ye seek him, he will be found of you.] So that you seek him "with all your heart, and with all your soul." {Jer 29:13 2Ch 15:12}
But if ye forsake him.] As our King John confessed that he did, when he resigned up his kingdom to the Pope, and that he never prospered after it. God, as a father, doth alter the set of his looks toward his own children, when they grow wanton upon his love, and let down the diligence of their just observance and duty.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2–4 The Lord is with you, to defend you against…
The Lord is with you, to defend you against all your enemies, as now you have seen, and you may hereafter expect, if you persist in that good course into which you are entered.
If ye forsake him, he will forsake you: but let not this victory make you presumptuous or self-confident, for you are upon your good behaviour; and if you leave God, he will leave and destroy you after he hath done you good.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–4 And he went out to meet Asa,.... From Jerusalem,…
And he went out to meet Asa,.... From Jerusalem, as Asa was coming to it:
and said unto him, hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the principal inhabitants of which tribes had been collected, and went to this war, and were now returning:
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the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; it was a clear case he had been with them, in giving them the victory over the Ethiopians; and as long as they continued in the service of God, and abode by his pure worship, they might expect he would yet be with them, otherwise not:
and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; you will see his face, and enjoy his favour, and have his presence, and help from him in every time of need, when they sought him by prayer and supplication, as Asa had, and attended his worship and ordinances:
but if ye forsake him; his laws and his service:
he will forsake you; and leave you to fall into the hands of your enemies.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v3 Now Israel - They have long lived without the…
Now Israel - They have long lived without the found knowledge and worship of the true God. Israel is here understood of the whole nation of Israel in former times, and especially in the times of the Judges: for then many times they were in a great measure, without God and his law, and teaching priests, as plainly appears from the book of the Judges; they were brought to all the exigencies and calamities following; and they sometimes turned to the Lord, and he was found of them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Verse 2. The Lord is with you, while ye…
Verse 2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him] This is the settled and eternal purpose of God; to them who seek him he will ever be found propitious, and them alone will he abandon who forsake him. In this verse the unconditional perseverance of the saints has no place: a doctrine which was first the ruin of the human race, Ye shall not die; and ever since the fall, has been the plague and disgrace of the Church of Christ. The Targum is curious: "Hearken to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The WORD of the Lord shall be your helper, while ye walk in his ways. If ye seek doctrine from his presence he will be found of you in times of trouble; but if you cast away his fear, he will abandon you."
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v3 2Ch 15:3-4. For a long season Israel hath been,…
2Ch 15:3-4. For a long season Israel hath been, &c. — Hebrew, many days have been to Israel without the true God, &c. — The prophet’s design here is evidently to set before them the miserable consequences of forsaking God and his ordinances, and that if they should forsake him, there would be no way of having their grievances redressed, but by repenting and returning to him. In proof of this point he argues from facts, and observes, that in time past, when Israel forsook their duty, they were overrun with a deluge of atheism, impiety, irreligion, and all irregularities; and were continually embarrassed with vexations, and destructive wars, foreign and domestic. But when their troubles drove them to God, they found it not in vain to seek him. He seems to refer especially to the times of the judges. For then they were frequently, though not wholly and universally, yet in a very great measure, without God and his law, and teaching priests: and then, indeed, they were brought to suffer all the exigencies and calamities here mentioned. They were harassed by grievous wars, both foreign and domestic, and frequently oppressed by one enemy or other, as by the Moabites, Midianites, Ammonites, and other neighbouring nations, and were vexed with all adversity, 2Ch 15:6; yet when, in their perplexity, they turned to God by repentance, prayer, and reformation, he raised up deliverers for them. Thus that maxim, that God is with us, while we are with him, was often verified in those times. This seems to be the most obvious sense of the passage, taking Israel for the whole nation, and not for the ten tribes merely, who had revolted under Jeroboam, to whom part of the prophet’s speech is not at all applicable; for it could not with truth be said of them, that when they were in trouble they turned unto the Lord, and sought him, and he was found of them. Some think, among whom is Houbigant, that the whole passage is prophetical, and looks forward to future times; and that it ought to be read in the future tense, thus: Now, for a long season, Israel shall be without the true God, &c. But when, in their trouble, they shall turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and seek him, he will be found of them: see Hos 3:4. But the former explication seems to be more agreeable, both to the Hebrew text, and to the context preceding and following, and to be much more suitable to the design of the prophet, as stated above.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v3 “Israel” here is used generally for the whole people…
“Israel” here is used generally for the whole people of God; and the reference is especially to the many apostasies in the days of the Judges, which were followed by repentance and deliverance.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2–4 With him. He will continue thus to protect you,…
With him. He will continue thus to protect you, if you prove faithful. The Pelagians hence inferred, that man was to prepare his own heart for the reception of grace. But the text only speaks of external aid; and though it were understood of internal grace, (Calmet) we may merit an increase of grace, by a faithful co-operation (Worthington) with that which God has presented us. (Estius) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2–3 The Lord is with you, while ye be with…
The Lord is with you, while ye be with him--You have had, in your recent signal success, a remarkable proof that God's blessing is upon you; your victory has been the reward of your faith and piety. If you steadfastly adhere to the cause of God, you may expect a continuance of His favor; but if you abandon it, you will soon reap the bitter fruits of apostasy.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2–4 2. Went out to meet Asa — The occasion…
2. Went out to meet Asa — The occasion was one peculiarly appropriate for the prophecy Azariah was about to utter. Returning from a victory which had most manifestly been gained by the help of Jehovah, it was well for him to be solemnly admonished of his responsibilities, and advised (though it might be for the hundredth time) that Jehovah’s mercies were conditioned upon obedience to his law.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–3 Ch. 2Ch_15:1-15 (no parallel in Kings). The Prophecy of…
Ch. 2Ch_15:1-15 (no parallel in Kings). The Prophecy of Azariah and its Sequel
2. went out to meet] Cp. 2Ch_19:2.
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if ye seek him] Cp. 1Ch_28:9.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–4 (2) And he went out to meet.—Literally, before. (1Ch_12:17;…
(2) And he went out to meet.—Literally, before. (1Ch_12:17; 2Ch_14:9.) Azariah met the king on his return from battle.
Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah.—(Comp. Abijah’s speech, 2Ch_13:4 : “Hear ye me, Jeroboam, and all Israel!”)
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The Lord is with you, while ye be with him.—Or, Jehovah was with you (in the battle), because ye were with him (i.e., clung to him for help; see 2Ch_14:11).
And if ye seek him . . . forsake you.—This generalises the preceding statement. It is a favourite formula with the chronicler. (See 1Ch_28:9; and for the last clause, 2Ch_12:5; 2Ch_24:20; comp. also Jer_29:13-14.)
He will be found.—Or, is found.
He will forsake.—Or, heforsaketh.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv2–3 He went out to meet him; literally, into his…
He went out to meet him; literally, into his presence; but the Authorized Version rendering is very correct, as well as happy in expression. (see 1Ch_14:8; also see the remarkable and interesting verse, 2Ch_28:9) The prophet was the leader, the teacher, the suggester of the right and opportune thing to the people, but to the prophet the Lord himself was Leader, Teacher, Prompter, and it was exactly so now. To the very moment, the quickened moment of new thought and for new deed, divinest instruction and suggestion are ministered. The Lord is with you will forsake you. The original occasion of the beautiful language and word of covenant in the heart of this second part of the verse is enshrined in Deu_4:29. (see also 1Ch_28:9; 2Ch_24:20; Jer_29:11-14) It is just conceivable that these words by themselves are what are designated "the prophecy" (and "the prophecy") in ver. 8. They may be in the first place regarded as ancient quotations. They are also characterized by a certain self-containedness and weightiness of matter as compared with the historic illustrations of the following four verses. No corroborative external evidence of this conjecture, however, is forthcoming.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v3 Now for a long season.
2Ch_15:3-4
Now for a long season.
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The schism of the ten tribes
These words--
I. Suggest a warning. A land without teaching priests soon realises the rest of the text by becoming without the true God, and without law.
II. Give encouragement to send teaching priests on their holy mission to bring the people to the law and to the testimony, so that they may hear the whole counsel of God. (Joseph B. Owen, M.A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 Israel was without the true God
Israel was without the true God
Here "Israel" refers to the people of Israel. This refers to a time when the people of Israel did not worship the true God. AT: "The people of Israel did not worship the true God" (See: Metonymy)
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without a teaching priest
"without a priest who taught them"
he was found by them
This can be stated in active form. AT: "they found him" or "he permitted them to find him" (See: Active or Passive)
for him who traveled away, nor for him who traveled to here
This phrase is an idiom that refers to a person who travels anywhere away from home. AT: "for the person who traveled anywhere" (See: Idiom)
great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands
The people experiencing great troubles is spoken of as if those troubles were objects that were on the people. AT: "all the inhabitants of the lands experienced great troubles" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
Israel
true
God
priest
law
turn
Israel
peace
trouble
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v3 15:3-6 The dark times, described as resulting from the…
15:3-6 The dark times, described as resulting from the lack of knowing God (cp. Hos 3:4-5), seem best to fit the period of the judges.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.