2 Chronicles 6:38

and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Solomon addresses God in the newly built temple, outlining a conditional prayer for Israel's restoration after exile. He specifies the exact posture and direction required when the nation is scattered among its captors.

The words — וְשָׁבוּ (ve./Sha.vu) translates "and they will return," paired with בְּ/כָל־לִבָּם וּ/בְ/כָל־נַפְשָׁם (be./khol li.Ba/m u./ve./khol naf.Sha/m), literally "with all their heart and all their being." These terms establish that the required return involves total internal commitment, not partial or superficial repentance.

The thread — The return motif appears in Deuteronomy 30:2, where Israel is called to return to the LORD with all their heart and soul. The immediate context frames this return in 2 Chronicles 6:36–37, not verses 34 or 39.

Why it lands — The text demands a complete, unreserved turning back to God from exile, coupled with directed prayer toward the chosen city and temple. It asks the reader to recognize that restoration requires both internal wholehearted repentance and external alignment with God's appointed place.

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

וְשָׁ֣בוּve./Sha.vuand/ they will return אֵלֶ֗יךָ'e.Lei./khato/ you בְּכָל־be./kholwith/ all לִבָּם֙li.Ba/mheart/ their וּבְכָל־u./ve./Khol-and/ with/ all נַפְשָׁ֔םnaf.Sha/mbeing/ their בְּאֶ֥רֶץbe./'E.retzin/ [the] land of שִׁבְיָ֖םshiv.Ya/mcaptivity/ their אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-where שָׁב֣וּsha.Vuthey took captive אֹתָ֑ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them וְהִֽתְפַּֽלְל֗וּve./hit.pa.Luand/ they will pray דֶּ֤רֶךְDe.rekh[the] direction of אַרְצָם֙'ar.Tza/mland/ their אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich נָתַ֣תָּהna.Ta.tahyou gave לַאֲבוֹתָ֔םla./'a.vo.Ta/mto/ ancestors/ their וְהָעִיר֙ve./ha./'Irand/ the/ city אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich בָּחַ֔רְתָּba.Char.tayou have chosen וְלַבַּ֖יִתve./la./Ba.yitand/ to the/ house אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which בָּנִ֥יתִיba.Ni.tiI have built לִשְׁמֶֽךָ׃li/sh.Me./khafor/ name/ your

King James Version

If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 30:2 and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
2 Chronicles 6:34 When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You in the direction of this city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name,
2 Chronicles 33:11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel 9:3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”