Battle of Zephath

The Battle of Zephath, according to the Hebrew Bible (2 Chronicles 14:9–15), occurred during the period of 911-870 BCE, in the reign of King Asa of Judah. It was fought at the Valley of Zephath near Maresha, in modern-day Israel, between the armies of the Kingdom of Judah under the command of King Asa and that of the Kushites and ancient Egyptians under the command of Zerah the Cushite who, given the time frame with Asa's reign, may have been a military commander under Osorkon I.[3]

Battle of the Valley of Zephath

Kingdom of Judah in yellow as indicated in the map
DateEarly 9th century BC, between 911-870 BC during the reign of King Asa of Judah
Location
Valley of Zephath near Maresha, Kingdom of Judah (now Israel)
Result

Decisive Judah victory

  • Egyptian incursions into Judah are halted until mid-6th century BC.
Territorial
changes		 Egyptians and Kushites fail to invade Judah
Belligerents
Kingdom of Judah Kingdom of Egypt with Kushite contingents
Commanders and leaders
King Asa of Judah Zerah the Ethiopian
(may have actually been the Pharaohs Osorkon I or Osorkon II)
Strength
300 000 from Tribe of Judah
280 000 from Tribe of Benjamin[1]		 1 000 000 [2]
Casualties and losses
unknown unknown but heavy

The warriors of Judah were victorious in the battle, utterly defeating the Egyptians and Kushites,[4] which the Chronicler attributes to divine intervention,[5] and Asa's forces collected a large volume of war spoils.[6] Asa's forces pursued the enemy stragglers as far as the coastal city of Gerar, where they halted due to exhaustion. The result of the battle created peace between Judah and Egypt until the time of Josiah some centuries later, when the latter would again make encroachments in the region.

See also

References
  1. 2 Chronicles 14:8
  2. 2 Chronicles 14:9
  3. Kitchen, Kenneth (2003). "Egyptian interventions in the Levant in Iron Age II". In Dever, William G. (ed.). Symbiosis, symbolism, and the power of the past: Canaan, ancient Israel, and their neighbors from the Late Bronze Age through Roman Palaestina. Seymour Gitin. Eisenbrauns. pp. 113–132 [124]. ISBN 978-1-57506-081-1.
  4. 2 Chronicles 14:10
  5. 2 Chronicles 14:12–13
  6. 2 Chronicles 14:13–15
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