2 Chronicles 16:8 (LSB)

Passage

Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 16:6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

2 Chronicles 16:7 Now at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.

2 Chronicles 16:8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand.

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”

2 Chronicles 16:10 Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ethiopians", "lubim", "vast", "military", "force", "exceedingly", and "number". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ethiopians" and "lubim", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Now at that time Hanani the seer..." into verse 9's "For the eyes of Yahweh move to...", so "ethiopians" and "lubim" belong inside that flow. In 2 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ethiopians" and "lubim" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.