2 Chronicles 20:18 (ASV)

Passage

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:16 To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is with you.

2 Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.

2 Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.

2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehoshaphat", "bowed", "head", "face", "ground", "judah", "inhabitants", and "jerusalem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehoshaphat" and "bowed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Ye shall not need to fight in..." into verse 19's "And the Levites of the children of...", so "jehoshaphat" and "bowed" 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 "jehoshaphat" and "bowed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.