But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
Parallel translations
- WEB But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
- KJV But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
- BSB But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them.
- NKJV but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
- NASB But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Yet when Israel turned to the Lord in distress and sought Him, He was found by them. God is always ready to receive those who genuinely return to Him.
Overview
Against the bleak past, the prophet offers hope: repentance brings restoration. This pattern of distress, turning, and being found echoes the cycles of the judges and reassures Asa. It points to the gospel promise that all who turn to God through Christ will surely find Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 55:6Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
- Deut 4:29–30But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God, and you shall find him, when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- 2 Chr 15:15All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then Yahweh gave them rest all around.
- Isa 65:1–2“I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.
- Hos 6:1“Come, and let us return to Yahweh; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds.
- Hos 14:1–3Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.
- Ps 106:44Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.
- Rom 10:20Isaiah is very bold, and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”
- Judg 3:9–10When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
- Judg 10:10–16The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 15:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.