2 Chronicles 20:27 (ASV)

Passage

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.

2 Chronicles 20:26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah unto this day.

2 Chronicles 20:27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

2 Chronicles 20:28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of Jehovah.

2 Chronicles 20:29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "returned", "judah", "jerusalem", "jehoshaphat", "forefront", "again", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "returned" and "judah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "And on the fourth day they assembled..." into verse 28's "And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries...", so "returned" and "judah" 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 "returned" and "judah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.