1 Kings 14:22 kjv
And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.
1 Kings 14:22 nkjv
Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.
1 Kings 14:22 niv
Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than those who were before them had done.
1 Kings 14:22 esv
And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.
1 Kings 14:22 nlt
During Rehoboam's reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD's sight, provoking his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors.
1 Kings 14 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 20:5 | "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God..." | God's command against idolatry and His jealous nature. |
| Exod 34:14 | "for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." | Emphasizes God's exclusive claim to worship. |
| Deut 4:24 | "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." | Highlights God's holiness and fiery indignation against sin. |
| Deut 6:15 | "for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God...lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled..." | Warning about God's anger at provocation. |
| Deut 32:21 | "They have made me jealous with what is no god...I will make them jealous with a people who are no people..." | God's jealousy as a response to unfaithfulness. |
| Lev 26:30 | "And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars..." | Divine judgment against places of idol worship. |
| Num 33:52 | "...destroy all their carved images and destroy all their cast metal images." | Command to eradicate idolatry from the land. |
| Deut 12:2-4 | "You shall surely destroy all the places... tear down their altars, and break their pillars..." | Instructions to dismantle pagan worship sites and objects. |
| Deut 16:22 | "You shall not set up a pillar (matztzevah), which the LORD your God hates." | Specific prohibition against sacred pagan pillars. |
| 1 Kgs 11:7 | "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh... and for Molech..." | Solomon's sin creating a precedent for Judah's apostasy. |
| Ps 78:58 | "For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their carved images." | Echoes the exact theme of provocation and idolatry. |
| Jer 7:18-19 | "The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire... to make cakes for the queen of heaven... Do they provoke me to anger?" | Collective sin and provocation of God's anger. |
| Ezek 6:4-6 | "Your altars shall become desolate... and I will throw down your slain before your idols... I will break your altars..." | Prophetic judgment on the destruction of idolatrous altars. |
| Judg 2:19 | "...whenever the judge died, they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers..." | Pattern of escalating apostasy in Israel's history. |
| 2 Kgs 17:9-10 | "...they built for themselves high places in all their towns... And they set up for themselves pillars and Asherim..." | Parallel sins leading to the Northern Kingdom's fall. |
| 2 Kgs 21:11 | "Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done wickedly, worse than all the Amorites..." | Future king surpassing past evil, showing generational decline. |
| Jer 7:26 | "Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear... They did worse than their fathers." | Judah's continued and escalating disobedience. |
| Ezek 20:30 | "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers...?" | A warning against inheriting and continuing ancestral sin. |
| Hos 4:12 | "My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray..." | Idolatry described as spiritual prostitution against God. |
| 1 Cor 10:22 | "Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" | New Testament reminder of the danger of provoking God. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him... claimed to be wise, became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images..." | Explains the human descent into idolatry due to suppressing truth. |
1 Kings 14 verses
1 Kings 14 22 Meaning
The verse states that the people of Judah, under King Rehoboam, committed severe evil in the eyes of the LORD. They intentionally provoked God's righteous jealousy by engaging in widespread idol worship, particularly at forbidden "high places" and through the use of pagan "images." This level of spiritual infidelity surpassed even the apostasy of previous generations.
1 Kings 14 22 Context
This verse appears early in the reign of Rehoboam, shortly after the division of the united kingdom into Judah (South) and Israel (North). The previous chapter (1 Kgs 13) detailed the prophetic judgment against King Jeroboam's establishment of calf worship in the Northern Kingdom. 1 Kings 14 turns its attention to Judah, showing that the southern kingdom, though still retaining the legitimate royal line of David and the temple in Jerusalem, quickly adopted similar or even more grievous idolatrous practices from surrounding pagan nations. This chapter serves as an initial divine assessment of Rehoboam's rule and Judah's spiritual state, setting the stage for subsequent historical narratives of recurring idolatry and periods of reform. Historically, Judah was heavily influenced by the Canaanite cults that emphasized fertility and nature worship, leading to the adoption of local religious sites and objects into their worship, creating a syncretistic faith forbidden by God.
1 Kings 14 22 Word analysis
- And Judah: Refers to the Southern Kingdom, comprising the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, maintaining Jerusalem as its capital and the lineage of David's throne.
- did evil (וַיַּעֲשׂוּ הָרַע - vaya'asu hara): A common Biblical idiom meaning to commit sin or wickedness in God's eyes. It implies a conscious act of moral transgression and defiance against God's law.
- in the sight of the LORD (בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה - b'eynei YHWH): Emphasizes that their actions were openly visible to God and were judged by His perfect, holy standard, indicating accountability to His divine authority.
- and they provoked him to jealousy (וַיַּקְנִאוּהוּ - vayaqniūhu): From the root קָנָא (qana), meaning "to be zealous," "to envy," or "to be jealous." God's jealousy is not human pettiness, but a holy zeal for His own unique honor and exclusive right to worship. It reflects His covenant faithfulness and indignation at His people's spiritual adultery. It signifies His protective, possessive love for His chosen people and their exclusive commitment to Him.
- with their high places (בְּבָמוֹתָם - b'vamotam): Plural of בָּמָה (bamah). Elevated sites of worship, often on hills or man-made mounds. While some initially may have been used for Yahweh worship, they primarily became associated with forbidden syncretistic practices or direct pagan worship of gods like Baal and Asherah, which contradicted God's command for centralized worship in Jerusalem.
- and with their images (וּבְמַצֵּבוֹתָם - u'v'matztzevotehem): Plural of מַצֵּבָה (matztzevah). Standing pillars or cultic stones. These were common in Canaanite religion, often linked to Asherah (a fertility goddess) or Baal worship, representing male or female deities. They were explicitly forbidden by God's law (Deut 16:22) because they diverted worship from the true God and symbolized pagan presence.
- more than all that their fathers had done: This phrase signifies a new low in Judah's spiritual history. It indicates that the level and pervasiveness of their idolatry had intensified, surpassing even the sins of earlier generations (e.g., in Judges or the subtle compromises of Solomon). It reveals a progressive, increasing rebellion against the Lord and a worsening of spiritual decay.
- Word-groups Analysis:
- "did evil in the sight of the LORD": This pairing underscores divine observation and judgment. Judah's sin was not merely against an abstract code but a direct offense against the sovereign God who sees all.
- "provoked him to jealousy with their high places and with their images": This explicitly connects the method of provocation (idolatry at forbidden sites with forbidden objects) to God's attribute of jealousy. It highlights the deeply personal offense this sin was to a covenant God.
- "more than all that their fathers had done": This concluding comparison emphasizes the escalating nature of Judah's spiritual decline. It's a statement of profound degeneration, pointing to a cycle of sin that intensifies rather than diminishes with time, moving further from initial covenant fidelity.
1 Kings 14 22 Bonus section
The immediate and deep apostasy of Judah reveals the fragility of faith, even within a nation that possesses the Law, the Temple, and the promises to David. The shift from centralized worship to fragmented, pagan-influenced 'high places' reflects a societal tendency to assimilate local, prevalent religious customs rather than uphold the strict purity of God's commands. The use of "images" (matztzevot) shows how even simple standing stones, common in pagan worship, could become direct affronts to God. This verse underscores the pervasive challenge of syncretism—the blending of Yahwistic faith with pagan practices—a persistent danger throughout Israel's history and a timeless warning against compromising true worship for worldly practices. It contrasts Judah's specific nature-worship/fertility cult idolatry with the more politically motivated calf-worship established by Jeroboam in the North, both being equally grievous to the Lord.
1 Kings 14 22 Commentary
1 Kings 14:22 provides a blunt assessment of Judah's immediate spiritual state under Rehoboam. Despite benefiting from Solomon's wisdom and the direct line of David, Judah swiftly plunged into egregious idolatry. The core issue was provocation: deliberately rousing God's holy jealousy, not merely an emotion but an expression of His uncompromising demand for exclusive devotion as their covenant God. Their sin involved the re-establishment or increased use of high places and pagan images like pillars, deeply entrenched in Canaanite fertility cults, representing a stark rejection of God's uniqueness. This was not simply a mistake, but a choice that indicated a hardened heart, setting a disturbing trajectory for the future history of the Southern Kingdom. The statement that they exceeded the sins of their forefathers highlights a dangerous acceleration of disobedience and spiritual decline within the covenant community.