For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.

2 CHRONICLES 28:17KJV
Know the Bible

2 Chronicles 28:17 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 28:17 mean?

2 Chronicles 28:17 reports that the Edomites attacked Judah again, defeated them in battle, and took some people from Judah as captives. This verse highlights a specific moment when Judah suffered a military loss and its people were carried away by a neighboring enemy.

The verse is part of a historical account describing the troubled reign of King Ahaz of Judah. The chronicler is explaining how Judah, under Ahaz’s leadership, faced repeated invasions and setbacks. The Edomites, traditional enemies from the southeast, took advantage of Judah’s weakness, capturing people and causing distress.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 28:17

  • אֱדוֹמִי (ʾĕdōmî, “Edomites”): This word refers to the people of Edom, descendants of Esau, who often had hostile relations with Judah. Their involvement here shows how Judah’s neighbors exploited its vulnerability.
  • נָכָה (nākhāh, “smitten”): This verb means to strike or defeat. It emphasizes that the Edomites not only invaded but also won a decisive victory over Judah.
  • שָׁבָה (shāvāh, “carried away”): This word means to take captive, often in the context of war. It underlines the seriousness of the defeat, as people from Judah were forcibly removed from their land.
  • שְׁבִי (shevî, “captives”): This noun refers to those who are taken as prisoners. The use of both the verb and noun for captivity stresses the scale and impact of the loss.

Why 2 Chronicles 28:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Judah’s troubles were not limited to one enemy; multiple neighboring nations, including Edom, were attacking and succeeding.
  • The detail about captives being taken highlights the suffering of ordinary people, not just military defeat, making the consequences of Ahaz’s reign more personal and severe.
  • The verse connects to the wider narrative showing how Judah’s unfaithfulness and weak leadership led to national vulnerability and repeated disasters.

Where else these words appear

“Edomites” Hebrew H130 · used in 12 verses

  • Deuteronomy 23:7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
  • 1 Samuel 22:18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
  • 1 Kings 11:17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.

“away” Hebrew H7617 · used in 42 verses

  • Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
  • 1 Kings 8:47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
  • 2 Chronicles 28:11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

“captives” Hebrew H7628 · used in 47 verses

  • Exodus 12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
  • Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
  • Jeremiah 30:10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.