the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down. 9And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the [1]army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. 10Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the [1]army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. 11And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. 12And other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and brought them unto the top of [2]the rock, and cast them down from the top of [2]the rock, that they all were broken in pieces. 13But [3]the men of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of
in his purpose, God will cause his effort to fail, no matter how well he fights.
9. The LORD is able to give thee much more than this] An utterance worthy to be placed in the mouth of a prophet.
11, 12 (cp. 2 Kin. xiv. 7). Victory over Edom.
11. the Valley of Salt] The scene of one of David's victories (1 Chr. xviii. 12; see note there).
children of Seir] The Edomites were so called because "Mount Seir" was part of their territory; Deut. ii. 5, and see note on xx. 10. Originally subdued in David's reign, they had revolted in the time of Jehoram (see xxi. 10).
12. other ten thousand . . . carry away alive) Neither this capture nor the subsequent massacre is mentioned in Kin. The huge scale of the victory may be only a product of the Chronicler's free imagination. On the other hand, if any real information were available outside the canonical books this is the sort of tradition we might expect to survive, full allowance of course being made for great exaggeration in the numbers given. Further, it accords with the sequence of events given in Chron., see note on xxvi. 7.
13 (no parallel in Kings). Outrages of the Ephraimite Mercenaries.
13. the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon] We
