2 Chronicles 20:10 (ASV)

Passage

And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

2 Chronicles 20:9 If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.

2 Chronicles 20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;

2 Chronicles 20:11 behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but out eyes are upon thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "children", "ammon", "moab", "mount", "seir", "thou", and "wouldest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "children", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "If evil come upon us the sword..." into verse 11's "behold how they reward us to come...", so "behold" and "children" 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 "behold" and "children" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.