2 Chronicles 20:3

KJV1611 – Modern English

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּרָ֕א וַיִּתֵּ֧ן יְהוֹשָׁפָ֛ט אֶת־פָּנָ֖יו לִדְר֣וֹשׁ לַיהוָ֑ה וַיִּקְרָא־צ֖וֹם עַל־כָּל־יְהוּדָֽה׃

Transliteration

And wayyîrāʾ and wayyittēn yəhôšāpāṭ ʾet-face-his pānāyw to seek lidrôš to YHWH layhwh, and wayyiqrāʾ-fast ṣôm upon ʿal-all kol-yəhûdâ.

Grammar Details

• *wayyîrāʾ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he feared
• *wayyittēn*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he set/placed/directed
• *yəhôšāpāṭ*: proper name - Jehoshaphat
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *pānāyw*: masculine plural noun + 3rd masculine singular suffix - his face
• *lidrôš*: preposition *lə* + qal infinitive construct - to seek/inquire
• *layhwh*: preposition *lə* + divine name - to YHWH
• *wayyiqrāʾ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he called/proclaimed
• *ṣôm*: masculine singular noun - fast
• *ʿal*: preposition - upon/over/throughout
• *kol*: construct masculine singular - all of
• *yəhûdâ*: proper name - Judah

Word Meanings

• *wayyîrāʾ*: and he feared/was afraid
• *lidrôš*: to seek/inquire/search for/consult
• *wayyittēn pānāyw*: idiom: set his face/determined/resolved
• *wayyiqrāʾ*: and he proclaimed/announced/called out

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he resolved to seek the LORD. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And Iosaphat was afrayed, & set his face to seke ye LORDE, & caused a fast to be proclamed in all Iuda.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And Iehoshaphat feared, and set him selfe to seeke the Lord, & proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And Iehosaphat feared, & set him selfe to seke the Lorde: and proclaymed fasting throughout all Iuda.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek to Yahweh; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Jehoshaphat feareth, and setteth his face to seek to Jehovah, and proclaimeth a fast over all Judah;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then Jehoshaphat, in his fear, went to the Lord for directions, and gave orders all through Judah for the people to go without food.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set himself to seek to Yahweh. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the LORD’s advice. He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast.

Referenced Verses

• 2 Chr 19:3 : 3 Nevertheless, there are good things found in you, in that you have removed the groves out of the land and have prepared your heart to seek God.
• 1 Sam 7:6 : 6 And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
• Jer 36:9 : 9 And it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.
• Joel 1:14 : 14 Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,
• Joel 2:12-18 : 12 Therefore also now, says the LORD, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and he repents of the evil. 14 Who knows if he will turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a grain offering and a drink offering to the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly. 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those who nurse at the breast. Let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her room. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O LORD, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
• Jonah 1:16 : 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD, and made vows.
• Jonah 3:5-9 : 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 For word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not eat, nor drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we do not perish?
• Matt 10:28 : 28 And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
• Dan 9:3 : 3 And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes:
• 2 Chr 11:16 : 16 After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.
• Gen 32:7-9 : 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, herds, and camels, into two groups; 8 And said, If Esau comes to one group and attacks it, then the other group which is left shall escape. 9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will deal well with you: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with my staff I crossed over this Jordan; and now I have become two groups. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, and the mother with the children.
• Gen 32:24-28 : 24 And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. But he said, I will not let you go, unless you bless me. 27 And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed.
• Judg 20:26 : 26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
• Ezra 8:21-23 : 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to request from the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him; but his power and his wrath are against all who forsake him. 23 So we fasted and prayed to our God for this, and he answered us.
• Esth 4:16 : 16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish."
• Ps 56:3-4 : 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, I will praise his word; in God, I have put my trust. I will not fear what flesh can do to me.
• Isa 37:3-6 : 3 And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth. 4 It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD your God has heard: therefore, lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left. 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, Thus shall you say to your master, Thus says the LORD, Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.