2 Chronicles 13:9

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

7He took some wicked useless men to join his group. They made themselves strong against Solomon's son, Rehoboam. Rehoboam was young and he had not been king for very long. So he was not strong enough to stop them. 8Now you want to fight against the Lord's own kingdom that he has chosen David's descendants to rule over. You have a very large army. You bring with you the gold statues of young bulls that Jeroboam made for you as your gods. But you chased away the Lord's own priests, the descendants of Aaron. You chased away the Levites. Instead you chose your own priests, as the people in other nations do. Anyone can become a priest to serve your false gods. He only has to come with a sacrifice of a young bull and seven male sheep! 10But we still serve the Lord as our God. We have not turned away from him. We have the descendants of Aaron to serve as our priests. The Levites help them in their work. 11They offer burnt offerings and sweet incense to the Lord every morning and every evening. They put out the special bread on his table every day. They light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. So we are the people who are obeying the rules of the Lord our God. But you have turned away from him.

2 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 11:14The Levites even left their lands and their houses to come to Judah and Jerusalem. They came because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve the Lord as his priests.
• 1 Kings 12:31Jeroboam also built places on hills for people to worship. He chose men who were not from Levi's tribe to be priests.
• 1 Kings 13:33Even after this happened, Jeroboam did not stop doing evil things. He chose ordinary people to be priests for the altars on the hills. If somebody wanted to become a priest, Jeroboam agreed to make him a priest.
• Exodus 32:29Then Moses said to the Levites, ‘You have shown today that you want to serve the Lord. You have become his special servants because you have obeyed him. You have agreed to kill even your own sons and brothers. God has blessed you because of this.’
• Leviticus 16:32The leader of the priests is a chosen son of Aaron. And he must make atonement. He will put on the special linen clothes that are holy. He will bring the people's offerings.
• 1 Chronicles 29:5Workers with special skills can also use that gold and silver to make beautiful things. So now, who else will make a gift today to serve the Lord?’
• Exodus 29:1When you make the priests God's special servants, do it in this way: Take a young bull and two male sheep. They must not have anything wrong with them.
• Leviticus 8:2‘Fetch Aaron and his sons. Bring their special clothes. Bring the oil. Bring the basket of bread that they made without yeast. Also bring the bull for the sin offering and the two male sheep.
• Deuteronomy 32:17They offered sacrifices to demons, instead of to God. They worshipped new gods which they had not known before. Your ancestors had never respected those gods.
• 2 Kings 19:18They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire. Those idols are not really gods. People used wood and stone to make them. So the Assyrians could destroy them.
• Jeremiah 2:11Have any other nations turned against their gods? No! They have not done that, even to their false gods! But my people have turned against me, the true God who makes them great.’
• Hosea 8:6That idol is not a true god! An Israelite worker with special skills made it. Samaria's idol of a calf will break into pieces!
• Acts 19:26Also, you can see what this man Paul is doing. You have heard his message. Many people here in Ephesus, and in nearly all the places in Asia region, believe what he says. Paul teaches people this: “Anything that men have made is not really a god.”
• Galatians 4:8Before, when you did not know God, you served false gods. They were not gods at all, but you were their slaves.

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

• Faith
• Faithfulness
• Jeroboam
• Levites
• Rebellion
• Reproof
• War

In the dictionaries

• Aaron
• Abijah
• Earth
• Zemaraim
• Bamah
• Calf, Golden
• Chronicles, Books of
• Consecrate; Consecration
• Israel, History of
• Israel, Kingdom of

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