2 Tawarikh 20:1

The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success

20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, ¹  attacked Jehoshaphat.

2 Tawarikh 20:23

20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir ²  and annihilated them. ³  When they had finished off the men ⁴  of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. ⁵ 

[20:1]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some mss of the LXX, read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[20:23]  ² tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”

[20:23]  ³ tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”

[20:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “residents.”

[20:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.