2 Kings 16:3

2 Kings 16:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.
• New International Version (NIV)He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
• English Standard Version (ESV)but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel.

Context of 2 Kings 16:3

1Jotham's son Ahaz became the king of Judah when Remaliah's son Pekah had been king of Israel for 17 years. 2Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. He ruled Judah as king in Jerusalem for 16 years. He did not do the things that the Lord his God said were good. So he was not like his ancestor, King David. He lived in the same bad way that the kings of Israel did. He even caused his son to walk through fire. In this way he copied the terrible sins of the other nations in Canaan. Those were the nations that the Lord had chased out so that the Israelites could live there. 4Ahaz offered sacrifices and he burned incense on altars on the hills, as well as under all the big trees. 5At that time, King Rezin of Syria and Remaliah's son, King Pekah of Israel, attacked Jerusalem. Their armies made a camp all around the city while Ahaz was there. But they could not win the battle against him.

2 Kings 16:3 word by word

וַיֵּ֕לֶךְ בְּדֶ֖רֶךְ מַלְכֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְגַ֤ם אֶת־בְּנוֹ֙ הֶעֱבִ֣יר בָּאֵ֔שׁ כְּתֹֽעֲבוֹת֙ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹרִ֤ישׁ יְהוָה֙ אֹתָ֔ם מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But he walkedיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• in the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
• of the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• yea, and made his sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• to pass throughעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• according to the abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• of the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• whom the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• cast outיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: takeH3423
• from beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121

Cross-references for 2 Kings 16:3

• 2 Kings 8:18He lived in the same bad way that the kings of Israel did. He did what the family of Ahab had done. He married a daughter of King Ahab and he became as wicked as King Ahab's family was. He did things that the Lord said were evil.
• 1 Kings 12:28So King Jeroboam talked to his advisors. He used gold to make images of two young cows. He said to the people, ‘It is too difficult for you to go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, as you have done before. So I have made these gold cows for you instead. Look at them, Israelite people! These are your gods that rescued you and brought you out from Egypt.’
• 1 Kings 16:31He did the same bad things that Nebat's son Jeroboam had done. He even did something that was even worse. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Ahab served Baal as his god and he worshipped him.
• 1 Kings 21:25Ahab had decided to do everything that the Lord said was evil. He was more wicked than any other person who had lived. His wife Jezebel helped him to be like that.
• 1 Kings 22:52He did things that the Lord said were evil. He lived in the way that his father and mother had lived. He caused the Israelites to do bad things, as Nebat's son Jeroboam had done.
• 2 Chronicles 22:3Ahaziah lived in the same bad way that Ahab's family had done. His mother taught him to do wicked things.
• 2 Chronicles 28:2He lived in the same bad way that the kings of Israel did. He also used metal to make images of the god Baal.
• 2 Kings 17:17They burned their sons and their daughters in fire as offerings to Baal. They used magic to find out what would happen in the future. They chose to do things that the Lord said were evil. That made him very angry.
• 2 Kings 23:10King Josiah destroyed the place called Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. After that, nobody could burn his son or his daughter there in the fire as a sacrifice to Molech.
• Leviticus 18:21Do not offer your child as a sacrifice to the false god, Molech. This would spoil God's honour. He is the Lord.
• Leviticus 20:2‘Talk to Israel's people. Say, “If any Israelite or foreign person gives his children to the god called Molech, he must die.” The people must throw stones at him to kill him.
• Deuteronomy 12:31No! You must not worship the Lord your God in the same way that those people worship their gods. When they worship, they do wicked things that the Lord hates. They even burn their children with fire, to make sacrifices to their gods.
• Deuteronomy 18:10Nobody among you must ever burn your child in a fire, as an offering. Nobody must use magic or other things to learn about future times. There must not be any magicians or diviners.
• 2 Chronicles 33:6He burnt his own sons with fire as a sacrifice in Ben Hinnom valley. He used magic and false gods to find out what would happen in the future. He took advice from magicians and people who talked to the spirits of dead people. He did many things that the Lord said were very evil. This made the Lord very angry.
• Psalms 106:37They even killed their sons and their daughters as sacrifices for those idols of demons!
• Psalms 106:38Their sons and their daughters did not deserve to die, but they killed them as sacrifices for the idols of Canaan. Those murders made the land unclean.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 16:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Made his son to pass through the fire - On this passage I beg leave to refer the reader to my notes on Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:2, Leviticus 20:14, where the subject is considered at large.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Ahaz was the worst of all the kings of Judah. He imitated the worst of the Israelite kings - Ahab and Ahaziah - by a re-introduction of the Baal worship, which had been rooted out of Israel by Jehu and out of Judah by Jehoiada. And made Iris son to pass through the fire - i. e. Ahaz adopted the Moloch worship of the Ammonites and Moabites 2 Kings 3:27; Micah 6:7, and sacrificed at least one son, probably his firstborn, according to the horrid rites of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3David was Ahaz's ancestor. He is the benchmark for judging the spiritual character of Judah's kings (2 Kings 14:3; 1 Kings 15:3, 11). he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel: Ahaz was one of Judah's most wicked kings. He adopted Israel's false religion and the pagan practices of other nations, even sacrificing his own son in fire (see Jeremiah 19:5; 32:35). Levitical laws forbade such sacrifices as detestable to the Lord (Leviticus 18:10; 20:1–5)…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-162Ki 16:1-16. Ahaz' Wicked Reign over Judah. 1-4. Ahaz ... did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord--[See on 2Ch 28:1.] The character of this king's reign, the voluptuousness and religious degeneracy of all classes of the people, are graphically portrayed in the writings of Isaiah, who prophesied at that period. The great increase of worldly wealth and luxury in the reigns of Azariah and Jotham had introduced a host of corruptions, which…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 16:3

• Ahaz
• Children
• Fire
• Idolatry
• Molech
• Offerings
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Children of Israel
• Ahaz
• Fashion
• Pekah
• Assyria
• Baal (1)
• Fire

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