13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before Yahweh, and before his army; and they carried away very much booty.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And Asa, and the people that were with him, pursued them unto Gerar,.... A city of the Philistines, Genesis 20:1,
and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; they were thrown into such a fright, and into so much confusion, that they could not put themselves in order, and rally again; or there fell such a vast number of them, that there were scarce any remaining alive, which seems to be the sense of the words used:
for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; the army of Israel, which the Lord was, as it were, the Commander of, fought for, and led them in the pursuit, and gave them victory; or it may mean an host of angels, employed in destroying this great army; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions of 2-Chronicles 14:12 read,"the angel of the Lord smote the Ethiopians:"
and they carried away very much spoil; which they found in their camp, and with their slain; even much gold and silver, as Josephus (g) says.
(g) Ut supra, (Antiq. l. 8. c. 12.) sect. 2.
"They smote all the cities round about Gerar," which, as we must conclude from this, had made common cause with the Cushites, being inhabited by Philistines; for the fear of Jahve had fallen upon them. יהוה פּחד יהוה . here, and in 2-Chronicles 17:10; 2-Chronicles 20:29, as in 1-Samuel 11:7, the fear of the omnipotence displayed by Jahve in the annihilation of the innumerable hostile army. In these cities Judah found much booty.
*More commentary available at chapter level.