Berean Standard Bible
2 Chronicles 34:4
4Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
2 Chronicles 34:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
- New International Version (NIV)Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
Context of 2 Chronicles 34:4
2And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images. Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them.
Read all of 2 Chronicles 342 Chronicles 34:4 word by word
וַיְנַתְּצ֣וּ לְפָנָ֗יו אֵ֚ת מִזְבְּח֣וֹת הַבְּעָלִ֔ים וְהַֽחַמָּנִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־לְמַ֥עְלָה מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם גִּדֵּ֑עַ וְ֠הָאֲשֵׁרִים וְהַפְּסִלִ֤ים וְהַמַּסֵּכוֹת֙ שִׁבַּ֣ר וְהֵדַ֔ק וַיִּזְרֹק֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַקְּבָרִ֔ים הַזֹּבְחִ֖ים לָהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
- Then in his presenceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
- ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- the altarsמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- of the Baalsבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
- were torn downנָתַץnâthats · to tearH5422
- and he cut to piecesגָּדַעgâda‛ · to cut down/offH1438
- the incense altarsחַמָּןchammân · pillarH2553
- thatאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- were aboveמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- themעַל‛al · uponH5921
- He shatteredשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- the Asherah polesאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
- the carved idolsפָּסִילpesîyl · idolH6456
- and the cast imagesמַסֵּכָהmassêkâh · molten metalH4541
- crushed them to dustדָּקַקdâqaq · to crushH1854
- and scattered themזָרַקzâraq · to scatterH2236
- overפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- the gravesקֶ֫בֶרqeber qibrâh · graveH6913
- of those who had sacrificedזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 34:4
- 2 Chronicles 33:3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
- Exodus 23:24You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
- Leviticus 26:30I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
- Deuteronomy 7:5Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.
- 2 Chronicles 14:5He also removed the high places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and under him the kingdom was at peace.
- 2 Kings 23:4Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
- 2 Chronicles 34:7He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
- Exodus 32:20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.
- Deuteronomy 9:21And I took that sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the stream that came down from the mountain.
- 2 Kings 23:12He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
- Psalms 18:42I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
- Isaiah 27:9Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
- 2 Kings 10:26They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it.
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 34:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The altars of Baalim - How often have these been broken down, and how soon set up again! We see that the religion of a land is as the religion of its king. If the king were idolatrous, up went the altars, on them were placed the statues, and the smoke of incense ascended in ceaseless clouds to the honor of that which is vanity, and nothing to the world; on the other hand, when the king was truly religious, down went the idolatrous altars, broken in pieces…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The images - Margin, sun-images. See Leviticus 26:30 note.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them--He treated the graves themselves as guilty of the crimes of those who were lying in them [Bertheau].Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Chronicles 34:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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