II Chronicles 20:13 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 20:13 Commentary: Standing Before the Lord with Families
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why the Chronicler highlights little ones, wives, and children in the assembly before Yahweh: total community dependence in crisis.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The entire Judah community, including the most vulnerable, stood in God’s presence in complete dependence and expectation during a national crisis.
- Key words: “stood before” (עֹמְדִים לִ/פְנֵי), posture of attentive waiting; “little ones” (טַפָּם), very young children, emphasizing inclusion of the defenseless.
- Main debate: No significant debate; commentators agree the families’ presence demonstrates total reliance on God and appeals to his compassion.
- Theological theme: Corporate dependence on God in crisis; the covenant community united before the Lord.
- Best use: Teaching on prayer in crisis, the role of families in worship, and God’s care for the vulnerable.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Meanwhile all the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, were standing before the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
KJV King James Version 1769
And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And all Judah are standing before Jehovah, also their infants, their wives, and their sons.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their sons.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And all Juda stood before the Lord with their little ones, and their wives, and their children.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y todo Judá estaba en pie delante de Jehová, con sus niños, y sus mujeres, y sus hijos.
E todo Judá estava em pé diante do SENHOR, com seus meninos, e suas mulheres, e seus filhos.
Tout Juda se tenait debout devant l’ Éternel, avec leurs petits enfants, leurs femmes et leurs fils.
Und das ganze Juda stand vor dem HERRN mit ihren Kindern, Weibern und Söhnen.
En gans Juda stond voor het aangezicht des HEEREN, ook hun kinderkens, hun vrouwen en hun zonen.
E tutto Giuda, perfino i bambini, le mogli, i figliuoli, stavano in piè davanti all’Eterno.
Wszystek też lud Judzki stał przed Panem, i dziatki ich, żony ich, i synowie ich.
И все Иудеи стояли пред лицем Господним, и малые дети их, жены их и сыновья их.
猶大 眾人 和 他們的嬰孩、妻子、兒女 都站 在耶和華 面前。
And all Judah were waiting before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 20:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the Chronicler intentionally emphasizes the presence of the entire Judah community, including the most vulnerable, to show the depth of the crisis and the people’s complete dependence on God. Gill observes that they stood in a humble, submissive posture, “waiting what would be the issue of things.” He adds that bringing the little ones and wives was meant to stir fervent prayer and move God to compassion. Wesley echoes this, noting that “little ones” were presented before the Lord in times of great distress to stir up the people and appeal to God’s mercy. Cambridge Bible points out that the Hebrew word ṭaph (“little ones”) always refers to very small children, underscoring the vulnerability represented. Keil and Delitzsch note that they brought their families to pray for deliverance. The unanimous emphasis is that the whole covenant community, young and old, stood united before God, awaiting his intervention.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The Chronicler emphasizes that the entire Judah community, including the most vulnerable, stood before God in a posture of dependence and expectation during a national crisis, and this detail is central to the narrative of divine deliverance.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of including children and wives | All commentators see it as highlighting the community’s complete dependence on God and the seriousness of the crisis. | Gill and Wesley emphasize the emotional and compassionate appeal to God; Keil and Delitzsch focus more on their presence for prayer and deliverance; the nuance of motivation is implied but not debated in the supplied sources. |
| Meaning of 'stood before the Lord' | It denotes a posture of prayer, waiting, and submission in the temple precincts, facing the sanctuary. | Gill specifies that they looked toward the most holy place; others treat it as general assembly posture. No fundamental disagreement. |
| Role of the assembly in the narrative | The gathered community is the setting for God’s prophetic word through Jahaziel and the subsequent deliverance. | Some emphasize the assembly’s prayer as the catalyst (Matthew Henry), while others highlight the prophetic response (Lange, Keil). Both are complementary. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The scene unfolds in the temple at Jerusalem, specifically “before the new court” (2 Chron 20:5), an area likely expanded or beautified by Jehoshaphat. This is not a casual gathering. The nation faces a massive invasion by the combined forces of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. King Jehoshaphat has proclaimed a fast (v.3), and people from every town have come to seek the Lord (v.4). Standing before Yahweh was a recognized posture of prayer and petition, especially in covenant contexts. Deuteronomy 29:10 records Moses assembling all Israel, heads, tribes, elders, officers, and men, to stand before God in covenant renewal. Here, women and children are explicitly included, mirroring the tradition of total community assembly. The presence of little ones (Hebrew ṭaph, “very small children”) is particularly striking. In ancient Israel, children were not routinely brought to corporate worship unless a special crisis or festival required it. By including them, the Chronicler signals that this is no ordinary occasion. The people are presenting themselves before God with nothing held back. They do not know what to do (v.12), but they bring their families, perhaps to remind themselves why they fight and to appeal to God’s compassion for the defenseless. The subsequent deliverance, won without Judah raising a weapon, demonstrates that God answers the prayer of a community that trusts him completely.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for II Chronicles 20:13. The Hebrew text is stable, with the minor variation in English translations concerning the list order (“little ones, wives, children” vs. “wives and children and little ones”) reflecting different reading traditions in the underlying manuscripts, but none affecting meaning.
Reception History
This verse has been read across traditions as a model of family involvement in corporate prayer. In Reformed and Puritan circles, it was cited to support family worship and public fasting with children present. Wesley and the Methodist tradition saw it as an example of fervent prayer that moves God to compassion. In modern evangelical preaching, it often appears in sermons on crisis prayer, emphasizing that every family member belongs in the presence of God. The Catholic tradition includes it among the historical books that illustrate the prayer of the faithful in times of war. The consistent thread is that the presence of the vulnerable deepens the community’s plea and underscores God’s care for the helpless.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The whole community stands before God. No one is excluded, men, women, children, even the smallest. This shows that national crises call for a united response.
- The vulnerable are brought to the center. The little ones are not left behind in safety; they are brought into the presence of God, highlighting the stakes and the people’s desperation.
- Standing before God requires patient faith. They wait, not knowing what will happen, but their posture is one of dependence and expectation. God responds with a word of deliverance.
Five-point outline
- The crisis that brought them together. A vast army threatens; Jehoshaphat fears and seeks the Lord, calling a fast.
- The gathering of all Judah. Verse 4 says they came from every city to ask help of the Lord.
- The prayer of the king. Jehoshaphat’s prayer (vv.6, 12) acknowledges God’s power, the covenant, and their helplessness.
- The presence of families in verse 13. Little ones, wives, and children stand before Yahweh, this is the concrete expression of “our eyes are on you.”
- God’s answer through Jahaziel. The Spirit brings a message: “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Faith moves to action, and the enemy is defeated.
Illustration hooks
- A family facing a medical crisis gathers in the hospital waiting room, parents, grandparents, even small children, each one present, hoping and praying together.
- During a natural disaster, a whole community evacuates to a shelter. The presence of children sharpens everyone’s focus and deepens the plea for safety.
- A church prayer meeting where a couple brings their newborn to the altar, not as a distraction but as a living sign of their need for God’s help.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does it matter that children were included in this assembly? Should my family be part of our church’s prayer life too?
- Does God really care about the little details of our crises, like what will happen to our children?
- What does it mean in practice to stand before God when I don’t know what to do?
Leading a Discussion
This verse occurs at the climax of a national prayer meeting. Jehoshaphat has just prayed, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Then the Chronicler adds this detail: all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children. This small verse reveals much about how the community approached God in their moment of greatest need.
Discussion questions
- What does the inclusion of “little ones, wives, and children” tell you about the nature of this assembly? (See also Deuteronomy 29:10, 11.)
- Why do you think the Chronicler included this detail? How does it affect your reading of the passage?
- The word for “little ones” (ṭaph) means very small children. Why might the writer specify the most vulnerable?
- How does this verse connect to Jehoshaphat’s earlier prayer, especially the line “our eyes are on you”?
- In what ways does this picture challenge or encourage the way your group approaches prayer in difficult times?
- How can involving children in corporate prayer deepen a congregation’s faith and trust in God?
- What do you learn about God from the fact that he answered this gathering of all ages with a miraculous deliverance?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 29:10 | All of you stand today in the presence of Yahweh your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, |
| Ezra 10:1 | Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before God’s house, there was gathered together to him out of Israel a very great assembly of men and women and children; for the people wept very bitterly. |
| Jonah 3:5 | The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least. |
| Acts 21:5 | When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the Hebrew word taph points specifically to very young children, not older dependents. This detail shows Jehoshaphat's prayer included even the smallest, most vulnerable members of Judah, making his appeal to God especially complete and tender.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note draws attention to the inclusive scope of the gathering: the whole population of Judah, not just the men or leaders, stood before the Lord, including wives, children, and infants. This detail highlights the complete and unified dependence of every person.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that the people brought their wives and children not merely as spectators but as a deliberate aid to prayer. Seeing their families in such danger stirred the men to greater fervency, and they trusted that the sight of the helpless little ones would move God to compassion.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB identifies the "new court" where Jehoshaphat stood as the great outer court of the temple, noting that it was likely called new because it had recently been enlarged or beautified. This clarifies the otherwise ambiguous location mentioned in the account.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights that the entire community, including the king, stood before the Lord in prayer, and they had brought even their little ones and families to join in seeking deliverance from the enemy. This shows that no one was exempt from the urgent plea for divine help.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the Chronicler deliberately portrays Jehoshaphat as a second David. The unusually large army numbers are not meant literally; they symbolically show that Judah under a faithful king nearly matched the power of all twelve tribes under David, making a theological point about theocratic blessing.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws attention to the way Jehoshaphat’s fear immediately drives him to seek the Lord rather than panic. The king does not rely on his own resources but gathers the nation in fasting and prayer, grounding his appeal in God’s sovereign power, covenant promises, and the assurance that He hears from His sanctuary.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the practice of bringing young children before the Lord during times of great distress. Their presence served a double purpose: stirring the people to more fervent prayer and appealing to God's compassion, because He has promised to respond to such humble methods.