2 Kings 18:4

2 Kings 18:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
• New International Version (NIV)He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
• New King James Version (NKJV)He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.
• New Living Translation (NLT)He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.

Context of 2 Kings 18:4

2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses.

2 Kings 18:4 word by word

ה֣וּא׀ הֵסִ֣יר אֶת־הַבָּמ֗וֹת וְשִׁבַּר֙ אֶת־הַמַּצֵּבֹ֔ת וְכָרַ֖ת אֶת־הָֽאֲשֵׁרָ֑ה וְכִתַּת֩ נְחַ֨שׁ הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֣ה מֹשֶׁ֗ה כִּ֣י עַד־הַיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵ֙מָּה֙ הָי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מְקַטְּרִ֣ים ל֔וֹ וַיִּקְרָא־ל֖וֹ נְחֻשְׁתָּֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He removedסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• the high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
• and brakeשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• the imagesמַצֵּבָהmatstsêbâh · pillarH4676
• and cut downכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• the grovesאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
• and brake in piecesכָּתַתkâthath · to crushH3807
• the brasenנְחֹ֫שֶׁתnechôsheth · bronzeH5178
• serpentנָחָשׁnâchâsh · serpentH5175
• that Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• had madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• for unto those daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• did burn incenseקָטַרqâţar · to offer: offerH6999
• to it: and he calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• it Nehushtanנְחֻשְׁתָּןnechûshtân · NehushtanH5180

Cross-references for 2 Kings 18:4

• 2 Kings 12:3Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.
• 2 Kings 14:4But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
• 2 Kings 15:4Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
• Leviticus 26:30And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you.
• 1 Kings 3:2The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
• 1 Kings 15:14But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.
• 1 Kings 22:43He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
• Psalms 78:58For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
• Ezekiel 20:28For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings.
• 2 Kings 23:4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
• Deuteronomy 7:5But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
• Deuteronomy 12:2You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
• Judges 6:25That night the Lord said to him, "Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it
• 1 Kings 15:12He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
• 2 Chronicles 19:3Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."
• 2 Chronicles 31:1Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 18:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Brake in pieces the brazen serpent - The history of this may be seen in Numbers 21:8; (note), Numbers 21:9; (note). We find that this brazen serpent had become an object of idolatry, and no doubt was supposed to possess, as a telesm or amulet, extraordinary virtues, and that incense was burnt before it which should have been burnt before the true God. And he called it Nehushtan - נהשתן . Not one of the versions has attempted to translate this word. Jarchi…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He removed the high places - This religious reformation was effected in a violent and tumultuous manner (marginal reference). The “high places,” though forbidden in the Law (Deuteronomy 12:2-4, Deuteronomy 12:11-14; compare Leviticus 26:30), had practically received the sanction of Samuel 1 Samuel 7:10; 1 Samuel 9:12-14, David 2 Samuel 15:32, Solomon 1 Kings 3:4, and others, and had long been the favorite resorts of the mass of the people (see 1 Kings 3:2…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4Unlike Ahaz (2 Kings 16:2), Hezekiah was more like David. Hezekiah destroyed false worship objects, including pagan shrines, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles (see 2 Kings 16:3–10; 17:9–11, 19). The bronze serpent used by Moses (Numbers 21) had become an object of improper worship.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. He removed the high places and brake the images, &c.--The methods adopted by this good king for extirpating idolatry, and accomplishing a thorough reformation in religion, are fully detailed (2Ch 20:3; 31:19). But they are indicated very briefly, and in a sort of passing allusion. brake in pieces the brazen serpent--The preservation of this remarkable relic of antiquity (Nu 21:5-10) might, like the pot of manna and Aaron's rod, have remained an…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 18:4

• Brazen Serpent
• Groves
• Hezekiah
• High Places
• Iconoclasm
• Idolatry
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Nehushtan
• Religion
• Revivals

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Moses
• Children of Israel
• Agreement
• Brass
• Carry
• Hezekiah
• Nehushtan
• Put
• Serpent, Fiery

Commentaries on 2 Kings 18

• 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