2 Chronicles 16:9 (ASV)

Passage

For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.

2 Chronicles 16:8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into thy hand.

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

2 Chronicles 16:10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

2 Chronicles 16:11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eyes", "jehovah", "throughout", "whole", "earth", "show", "himself", and "strong". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "eyes" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim..." into verse 10's "Then Asa was wroth with the seer...", so "eyes" and "jehovah" 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 "eyes" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.