Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

2 Chronicles

About this book
Chapter 19

1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem, 2 the prophet Jehu son of Hanani confronted him; he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord? Because you have done this, the Lord is angry with you! 3 Nevertheless you have done some good things; you removed the Asherah poles from the land, and you were determined to follow God.” 4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow the Lord God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions.⁠ 7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”⁠ 8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem. 9 He commanded them: “Carry out your duties with respect for the Lord, with honesty, and with pure motives. 10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you (whether it involves a violent crime or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the Lord. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues, but if you obey, you will be free of guilt. 11 Take note, Amariah the chief priest will oversee you in every matter pertaining to the Lord and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of Judah, in every matter pertaining to the king. The Levites will serve as officials before you. Act courageously, and may the Lord be with those who do well!”

Texts in conversation

Compare Code of Hammurabi i 27 and 2 Chronicles 19:6

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

The judges in 2 Chronicles 19 share Hammurabi's role as a god's representative in the Code of Hammurabi, making their decisions accountable to God and placing bribery and favoritism in conflict with the authority they exercise.

Passages

Code of Hammurabi i 27

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Babylonian Legal Text
They called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded in it an everlasting kingdom whose foundations are laid as solidly as those of heaven and earth. Then Anu and Bel called me by name: Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who revered the gods, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers. So that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash and enlighten the land, and further the well-being of mankind. I am Hammurabi, the prince called by Bel, who heaped up riches and plenty, who enriched Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, the sublime patron of E-kur, who restored Eridu and purified the worship of E-apsu.
1750 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Code of Hammurabi

2 Chronicles 19:6

Hebrew Bible
4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow the Lord God of their ancestors. 5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions. 7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.” 8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem.
400–301 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Chronicles

References

“... 19:5. appointment of judges. In the Mari documents from the Old Babylonian Period in Syria (c. 2000-1600 B.C.), judges were appointed by the king to perform special tasks, such as assisting in the administration of a territory, acting as a territorial governor, conducting military campaigns and intervening in domestic legal affairs. One can assume that the judicial appointments of Jehoshaphat had more narrowly focused tasks, primarily in the arena of legal affairs. As evidenced by the preface to the Code of Hammurabi (c. 1750 B.C.) and the statements made by the “Eloquent Peasant” in Egyptian wisdom literature (c. 2100 B.C.), the standard for behavior for those in authority is to protect the rights of the poor and weak in society. “True justice” (see Lev 19:15) is expected of kings, officials and local magistrates. In fact, the “world turned upside down” theme found in the book of Judges and in prophetic literature (Is 1:23), describes a society in which “laws are enacted, but ignored” (for example, in the Egyptian Visions of Neferti [c. 1900]). An efficiently administered state in the ancient Near East depended on the reliability of the law and its enforcement. To this end every organized state created a bureaucracy of judges and local officials to deal with civil and criminal cases. It was their task to hear testimony, investigate charges made, evaluate evidence and then execute judgment (detailed in the Middle Assyrian Laws and the Code of Hammurabi). There were some cases, however, that required the attention of the king (see 2 Sam 15:2-4), and appeals were occasionally forwarded on to that highest magistrate (as in the Mari texts). ...”
John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000), 440.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Code of Hammurabi i 27 and 2 Chronicles 19:6

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library