2 Kings 16:12

2 Kings 16:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.
• New International Version (NIV)When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it.

Context of 2 Kings 16:12

10King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria. When he was there, he saw an altar. He sent a picture and a plan of the altar to Uriah, the priest, so that someone could build one for him. 11So Uriah built an altar that copied the plan that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king arrived in Jerusalem from Damascus, he saw the new altar. He went near it to offer sacrifices on it. 13He made a burnt offering and a grain offering. He poured wine as a drink offering. He splashed the blood from his peace offerings onto the altar. 14A bronze altar stood in front of the Lord's temple to bring sacrifices to him. Now it stood between the new altar and the front of the temple. So Ahaz moved it away from there. He put it on the north side of the new altar.

2 Kings 16:12 word by word

וַיָּבֹ֤א הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ מִדַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק וַיַּ֥רְא הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיִּקְרַ֥ב הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ וַיַּ֥עַל עָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And when the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• was comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• from Damascusדַּמֶּ֫שֶׂקdammeώeq dûmeώeq darmeώeq · DamascusH1834
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• approachedקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
• and offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927

Cross-references for 2 Kings 16:12

• 1 Kings 13:1King Jeroboam was standing in front of the altar at Bethel. He was ready to make an offering. At that time, the Lord told one of his servants to go from Judah to Bethel.
• 2 Chronicles 26:16Uzziah was so powerful that he became proud. That caused him to lose his power. He began to turn away from the Lord his God. He went into the Lord's temple to burn incense on the special altar there.
• 2 Chronicles 28:23He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus. He thought that those gods had helped the kings of Syria to win the wars against him. He thought, ‘If I offer sacrifices to them, perhaps they will help me too.’ But that sin caused a lot of trouble for King Ahaz and for his nation.
• Numbers 18:4The Levites must work with you as they take care of the Tent of Meeting. No other people have authority to come near you as you work there.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 16:12

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 God's altar had hitherto been kept in its place, and in use; but Ahaz put another in the room of it. The natural regard of the mind of man to some sort of religion, is not easily extinguished; but except it be regulated by the word, and by the Spirit of God, it produces absurd superstitions, or detestable idolatries. Or, at best, it quiets the sinner's conscience with unmeaning ceremonies. Infidels have often been remarkable for believing…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13The king started using the new altar by making traditional offerings on it (see Leviticus 1–3; Numbers 15:1–10; 28:9–15, 24, 31; 2 Kings 6:8–23; 7:11–20). Unfortunately, these offerings on a non-religious altar by a leader lacking spiritual integrity made a mockery of their true spiritual significance.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1610-16. And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser--This was a visit of respect, and perhaps of gratitude. During his stay in that heathen city, Ahaz saw an altar with which he was greatly captivated. Forthwith a sketch of it was transmitted to Jerusalem, with orders to Urijah the priest to get one constructed according to the Damascus model, and let this new altar supersede the old one in the temple. Urijah, with culpable complaisance, acted…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 16:12

• Ahaz
• Church and State
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Temple
• Urijah
• Usurpation

In the dictionaries

• Damascus
• Ahaz
• Fashion
• TiglathPileser III.
• Urijah
• Altar
• Assyria
• Isaiah
• Jerusalem
• Molech; Moloch

Commentaries on 2 Kings 16

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings