Jehoshaphat's prayer — location and opening invocation — 'And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court' (ויעמד יהושפט בקהל יהודה וירושלם בבית יהוה לפני החצר החדשה). The setting — the temple, the new court (לחצר החדשה, possibly the outer court renovated or a literal courtyard in Hezekiah's or post-exilic renovation) — anchors prayer in the covenantal sanctuary. The verb עמד (stood) suggests the posture of a priest or prophet addressing the assembled people, yet Jehoshaphat is the king assuming intercessory function. This is a cultic moment; the assembly becomes the people of God gathered at the center of divine presence.

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