2 Chronicles 15:5
“In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.”
What does 2 Chronicles 15:5 mean?
In this verse from Israel's turbulent history, the writer describes a period of complete social breakdown where travel itself had become dangerous. Whether someone was leaving home or returning to it, violence and chaos made the most basic movement risky. This wasn't just personal hardship scattered here and there, but widespread suffering affecting entire communities across the region. The verse captures what happens when a society loses its moorings. Without stable leadership and spiritual foundation (which is the larger context of this passage), normal life becomes nearly impossible. If you've ever felt like everything around you was unstable or unsafe, this describes that sense of pervasive dread, where you can't predict what each day will bring. The writer uses this dark moment to set up how transformation becomes possible when people turn back toward God, so there's ultimately hope woven into even this bleak description.