2 Chronicles 7:16 (ASV)

Passage

For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.

2 Chronicles 7:16 For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

2 Chronicles 7:17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;

2 Chronicles 7:18 then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "chosen", "hallowed", "house", "name", "ever", "mine", "eyes", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "chosen" and "hallowed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Now mine eyes shall be open and..." into verse 17's "And as for thee if thou wilt...", so "chosen" and "hallowed" 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 "chosen" and "hallowed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.