2 Chronicles 20:22 (DBY)

Passage

And when they began the song of triumph and praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were smitten.

Nearby Context

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

2 Chronicles 20:21 And he consulted with the people, and appointed singers to Jehovah, and those that should praise in holy splendour, as they went forth before the armed men, and say, Give thanks to Jehovah; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever!

2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began the song of triumph and praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were smitten.

2 Chronicles 20:23 And the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to exterminate and destroy [them]; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

2 Chronicles 20:24 And Judah came on to the mountain-watch in the wilderness, and they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "began", "song", "triumph", "praise", "jehovah", "liers-in-wait", "against", and "children". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "began" and "song", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And he consulted with the people and..." into verse 23's "And the children of Ammon and Moab...", so "began" and "song" 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 "began" and "song" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.