2 Chronicles 20:24 (DRB)

Passage

And when Juda came to the watch tower, that looketh toward the desert, they saw afar off all the country, for a great space, full of dead bodies, and that no one was left that could escape death.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing praises, the Lord turned their ambushments upon themselves, that is to say, of the children of Ammon, and of Moab, and of mount Seir, who were come out to fight against Juda, and they were slain.

2 Chronicles 20:23 For the children of Ammon, and of Moab, rose up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of them, they turned also against one another, and destroyed one another.

2 Chronicles 20:24 And when Juda came to the watch tower, that looketh toward the desert, they saw afar off all the country, for a great space, full of dead bodies, and that no one was left that could escape death.

2 Chronicles 20:25 Then Josaphat came, and all the people with him to take away the spoils of the dead, and they found among the dead bodies, stuff of various kinds, and garments, and most precious vessels: and they took them for themselves, insomuch that they could not carry all, nor in three days take away the spoils, the booty was so great.

2 Chronicles 20:26 And on the fourth day they were assembled in the valley of Blessing: for there they blessed the Lord, and therefore they called that place the valley of Blessing until this day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "juda", "came", "watch", "tower", "looketh", "toward", "desert", and "afar". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "juda" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "For the children of Ammon and of..." into verse 25's "Then Josaphat came and all the people...", so "juda" and "came" 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 "juda" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.