Christian Standard Bible
2 Chronicles 13:9
9Didn’t you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
2 Chronicles 13:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
- New International Version (NIV)But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?
Context of 2 Chronicles 13:9
7Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them. 8“And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord’s kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David’s sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. Didn’t you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods. 10“But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not abandoned him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks. 11They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening, and they set the rows of the Bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table. They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the Lord our God, while you have abandoned him.
Read all of 2 Chronicles 132 Chronicles 13:9 word by word
הֲלֹ֤א הִדַּחְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י אַהֲרֹ֖ן וְהַלְוִיִּ֑ם וַתַּעֲשׂ֨וּ לָכֶ֤ם כֹּהֲנִים֙ כְּעַמֵּ֣י הָאֲרָצ֔וֹת כָּל־הַבָּ֗א לְמַלֵּ֨א יָד֜וֹ בְּפַ֤ר בֶּן־בָּקָר֙ וְאֵילִ֣ם שִׁבְעָ֔ה וְהָיָ֥ה כֹהֵ֖ן לְלֹ֥א אֱלֹהִֽים׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Have ye not cast outנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
- the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Aaronאַהֲרֹן'ahărôn · AaronH175
- and the Levitesלֵוִיlêvîyîy lêvîy · LeviH3881
- and have madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- after the manner of the nationsעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- landsאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- so that whosoever comethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to consecrateיָדyâd · hand: donateH3027
- to consecrateמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
- himself with a youngבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
- himself with a youngבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121
- bullockפַּרpar pâr · bullockH6499
- and sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- ramsאַ֫יִל'ayil · ramH352
- noלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for 2 Chronicles 13:9
- 2 Chronicles 11:14for the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests of the Lord.
- 1 Kings 12:31Jeroboam also made shrines on the high places and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites.
- 1 Kings 13:33Even after this, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil way but again made priests for the high places from the ranks of the people. He ordained whoever so desired it, and they became priests of the high places.
- Exodus 32:29Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”
- Leviticus 16:32The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as high priest in place of his father will make atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments,
- 1 Chronicles 29:5the gold for the gold work and the silver for the silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today?”
- Exodus 29:1“This is what you are to do for them to consecrate them to serve me as priests. Take a young bull and two unblemished rams,
- Leviticus 8:2“Take Aaron, his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
- Deuteronomy 32:17They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known, new gods that had just arrived, which your ancestors did not fear.
- 2 Kings 19:18They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made by human hands — wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.
- Jeremiah 2:11Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (But they were not gods!) Yet my people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
- Hosea 8:6For this thing is from Israel — a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits!
- Acts 19:26You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.
- Galatians 4:8But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods.
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 13:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9A young bullock and seven rams - He who could provide these for his own consecration was received into the order of this spurious and wicked priesthood. Some think he who could give to Jeroboam a young bullock and seven rams, was thereby received into the priesthood; this being the price for which the priesthood was conferred. The former is most likely.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Seven rams - “A bullock and two rams” was the offering which God had required at the original consecration of the sons of Aaron Exodus 29:1; Leviticus 8:2. Jeroboam, for reasons of his own, enlarged the sacrifice, and required it at the consecration of every priest.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9Abijah’s speech highlighted two main points about the northern rebellion: The north rejected: The rightful king The true place of worship The northerners' revolt, where they expelled the proper priestly order, contrasts sharply with us (2 Chronicles 13:10). The most objectionable issues were the worship of the calves and the role of unauthorized priests.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-124-12. Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim--He had entered the enemy's territory and was encamped on an eminence near Beth-el (Jos 18:22). Jeroboam's army lay at the foot of the hill, and as a pitched battle was expected, Abijah, according to the singular usage of ancient times, harangued the enemy. The speakers in such circumstances, while always extolling their own merits, poured out torrents of invective and virulent abuse upon the adversary. So did…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Chronicles 13:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Chronicles 13
- 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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