2 Chronicles 34:27

because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — God speaks through the prophetess Huldah to the royal messengers sent by King Josiah, responding to their inquiry about the impending disaster pronounced against Jerusalem.

The words — The Hebrew רַךְ־לְבָבְךָ (rakh-ləḇāḇᵉḵâ) literally means "your heart was soft," coupled with וַתִּכָּנַע (waṯikkānaʿ), "and you humbled yourself," both governed by יַעַן (yaʿan), "because."

The thread — This cause-and-effect structure of repentance averting judgment mirrors the account in 2 Chronicles 32:26 and echoes the structural promise in Psalm 34:18 that divine nearness follows contrition.

Why it lands — The text requires that hearing divine warning must produce visible humility and mourning, which alone qualifies the listener for divine attention and delayed judgment.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

יַ֠עַןYa.'anbecause רַךְ־rakh-it was soft לְבָ֨בְךָ֜le.Va.ve./khaheart/ your וַתִּכָּנַ֣ע׀va./ti.ka.Na'and/ you humbled yourself מִלִּפְנֵ֣יmi./li/f.Neifrom/ to/ before אֱלֹהִ֗ים'E.lo.HimGod בְּשָׁמְעֲךָ֤be./sha.me.'a./Khawhen/ hearing/ you אֶת־'et-<obj.>דְּבָרָיו֙de.va.Ra/vwords/ his עַל־'al-on הַמָּק֤וֹםha./ma.Komthe/ place הַזֶּה֙ha./Zeh<the>/ this וְעַל־ve./'al-and/ on יֹ֣שְׁבָ֔יוyo.she.Va/vinhabitants/ its וַתִּכָּנַ֣עva./ti.ka.Na'and/ you humbled yourself לְפָנַ֔יle./fa.Na/i<to>/ before/ me וַתִּקְרַ֥עva./tik.Ra'and/ you tore אֶת־'et-<obj.>בְּגָדֶ֖יךָbe.ga.Dei./khaclothes/ your וַתֵּ֣בְךְּva./Te.vekand/ you wept לְפָנָ֑יle./fa.Na/i<to>/ before/ me וְגַם־ve./gam-and/ also אֲנִ֥י'a.NiI שָׁמַ֖עְתִּיsha.Ma'.tiI have heard נְאֻם־ne.'um-[the] utterance of יְהוָֽה׃Yah.wehYahweh

King James Version

Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 32:26 Then Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart—he and the people of Jerusalem—so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah.
Psalms 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Ezekiel 9:4 “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”
2 Chronicles 33:12 And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 34:19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes
Isaiah 65:24 Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
2 Kings 22:18 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard,
2 Chronicles 12:7 When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon grant them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
2 Chronicles 32:12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove His high places and His altars and say to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices’?
Psalms 10:17 You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,