2 Chronicles 20:4 (ASV)

Passage

And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek [help] of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi).

2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

2 Chronicles 20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek [help] of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.

2 Chronicles 20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court;

2 Chronicles 20:6 and he said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "judah", "gathered", "themselves", "together", "seek", "help", "jehovah", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "judah" and "gathered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to..." into verse 5's "And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of...", so "judah" and "gathered" 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 "judah" and "gathered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.