2 Chronicles 20:4 (DRB)

Passage

And Juda gathered themselves together to pray to the Lord: and all came out of their cities to make supplication to him.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:2 And there came messengers, and told Josaphat, saying: There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, and out of Syria, and behold they are in Asasonthamar, which is Engaddi.

2 Chronicles 20:3 And Josaphat being seized with fear betook himself wholly to pray to the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Juda.

2 Chronicles 20:4 And Juda gathered themselves together to pray to the Lord: and all came out of their cities to make supplication to him.

2 Chronicles 20:5 And Josaphat stood in the midst of the assembly of Juda, and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court,

2 Chronicles 20:6 And said: O Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and rulest over all the kingdoms and nations, in thy hand is strength and power, and no one can resist thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "juda", "gathered", "themselves", "together", "pray", "lord", "came", and "cities". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "juda" and "gathered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And Josaphat being seized with fear betook..." into verse 5's "And Josaphat stood in the midst of...", so "juda" 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 "juda" and "gathered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.