2 Chronicles 20:18 (YLT)

Passage

And Jehoshaphat boweth--face to the earth--and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have fallen before Jehovah, to bow themselves to Jehovah.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 20:16 To-morrow, go ye down against them, lo, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and ye have found them in the end of the valley, the front of the wilderness of Jeruel.

2 Chronicles 20:17 Not for you to fight in this; station yourselves, stand, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem--be not afraid nor fear ye--to-morrow go out before them, and Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> with you.'

2 Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat boweth--face to the earth--and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have fallen before Jehovah, to bow themselves to Jehovah.

2 Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korhites, rise to give praise to Jehovah, God of Israel, with a loud voice on high.

2 Chronicles 20:20 And they rise early in the morning, and go out to the wilderness of Tekoa, and in their going out Jehoshaphat hath stood and saith, `Hear me, O Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, remain stedfast in Jehovah your God, and be stedfast; remain stedfast in His prophets, and prosper.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehoshaphat", "boweth--face", "earth--and", "judah", "inhabitants", "jerusalem", "fallen", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehoshaphat" and "boweth--face", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Not for you to fight in this..." into verse 19's "And the Levites of the sons of...", so "jehoshaphat" and "boweth--face" 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 "jehoshaphat" and "boweth--face" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.