1 Kings 14 23

1 Kings 14:23 kjv

For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

1 Kings 14:23 nkjv

For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.

1 Kings 14:23 niv

They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.

1 Kings 14:23 esv

For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,

1 Kings 14:23 nlt

For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

1 Kings 14 verses

1 Kings 14 23 Meaning

The verse describes the widespread apostasy and idolatry in the kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Rehoboam. It details the construction of pagan worship sites, specifically "high places," "pillars" (massebahs), and "Asherim" (sacred poles representing the goddess Asherah). These idolatrous structures were erected everywhere—on every elevated hill and beneath every leafy tree—signifying a pervasive, public, and illicit abandonment of the exclusive worship of Yahweh and an embrace of Canaanite fertility cults. This spiritual decline paralleled and even surpassed the detestable practices of the nations that Yahweh had dispossessed before Israel.

1 Kings 14 23 Context

This verse appears in the context of Rehoboam's reign over the southern kingdom of Judah, immediately after the division of the united monarchy (1 Kings 14:21-31). Following his father Solomon's own late-life apostasy (1 Kings 11), Rehoboam actively led Judah further into syncretistic worship. Despite the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem and a portion of faithful Levites who had joined Judah (2 Chr 11:13-17), the land became filled with practices mirroring those of the surrounding pagan nations. This comprehensive embrace of idolatry under a king from David's line signifies a profound spiritual decay, preparing the reader for the subsequent invasion by Shishak, King of Egypt, presented as a divine judgment (1 Kings 14:25-26). The passage underscores the severity of Judah's sin by contrasting it with the nation's call to monotheistic worship and covenant faithfulness.

1 Kings 14 23 Word analysis

• For they also built for themselves (וַיִּבְנוּ גַם הֵמָּה - vayivnu gam hemma):
  • "They also built": This phrase implies not just participation, but active construction, highlighting a deliberate shift from observing the Mosaic law to actively embracing forbidden practices. "Also" (gam) connects their sin directly with the preceding description of Israel's abominations or perhaps even Solomon's earlier slide into idolatry, suggesting a persistent pattern across the royal line. It signifies that Judah, like the Northern Kingdom of Israel (implied by previous verses or general context), was engaged in similar forbidden worship, despite their possession of the true Temple and the Davidic line.
• high places (בָּמוֹת - bamot):
  • Meaning: Elevated worship sites, often open-air, where cultic rituals and sacrifices were performed. While bamot sometimes referred to legitimate Israelite altars before the central sanctuary was established (e.g., 1 Sam 9:12-14), in the context of the monarchy and post-Sinai law (Deut 12:2-7), they invariably denote forbidden sites, typically associated with Canaanite fertility cults and polytheism. They represented a direct challenge to the central worship stipulated in the Torah.
  • Significance: Their widespread construction indicated a fundamental departure from the exclusive worship of Yahweh and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem.
• pillars (מַצֵּבוֹת - matsebot):
  • Meaning: Standing stone pillars, often conical or rectangular. While early Israelite practice included erecting matsebot as commemorative stones (e.g., Gen 28:18), here they are associated with illicit worship. They were commonly used in Canaanite Baal cults to represent the male deity Baal or were phallic symbols of fertility.
  • Significance: Their inclusion with "high places" and "Asherim" firmly identifies them as pagan cult objects, expressly forbidden by God (Deut 16:22) because of their association with idolatrous worship.
• and Asherim (וַאֲשֵׁרִים - va'asherim):
  • Meaning: Cultic objects, typically wooden poles or tree trunks, sometimes carved or living trees, representing the Canaanite mother-goddess Asherah, the consort of El or Baal, goddess of fertility and childbirth.
  • Significance: Their presence explicitly marks the adoption of a prominent aspect of Canaanite polytheism and fertility rituals, which often included cultic prostitution. God's law directly commanded their destruction (Ex 34:13, Deut 7:5).
• on every high hill (עַל כָּל גִּבְעָה גְּבֹהָה - al kol giv'ah gevohah):
  • Meaning: A topographical description, emphasizing elevated locations.
  • Significance: High places were considered advantageous for worship in many ancient Near Eastern religions, believed to be closer to the gods. For Israel, this phrase consistently signals forbidden, polytheistic worship, often in direct opposition to Jerusalem, the designated place of Yahweh's dwelling.
• and under every green tree (וְתַחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן - vetahat kol etz ra'anan):
  • Meaning: "Green tree" (or leafy tree) indicates a flourishing, well-watered tree providing abundant shade.
  • Significance: Lush trees were also common sites for pagan worship due to their natural beauty, shade, and association with fertility and life in arid lands. The phrase "every high hill and under every green tree" is a stereotypical literary device in the Old Testament to describe pervasive, open, and indiscriminate idolatry throughout the land (e.g., 2 Ki 17:10, Isa 57:5, Jer 2:20). It signifies the widespread embrace of illicit practices, leaving no area untouched.

1 Kings 14 23 Bonus section

• Polemics Against Paganism: The deliberate naming of "high places," "pillars," and "Asherim" serves as a direct polemic against Canaanite worship and its syncretistic adoption by Israel. These were not mere cultural quirks but religious abominations strictly forbidden by Yahweh, whose worship demanded exclusivity and holiness, rejecting the fertility rites, polytheism, and often sexual immorality associated with such cults.
• Inversion of Blessing: Green trees and high places in some biblical contexts (e.g., Psalms) can symbolize life, strength, or the presence of God. However, in this verse, their misuse for idolatry represents an inversion of natural beauty and sacred geography into sites of abomination, mirroring Judah's spiritual corruption.
• Consequence of Leadership: This verse highlights the crucial impact of royal leadership on the spiritual health of the nation. Rehoboam, rather than being a reformer like some later kings, became an enabler of national idolatry, directly contrasting with the expectations for a righteous king in David's line.
• Parallel to Northern Kingdom: This description of Judah's idolatry closely mirrors the chronic apostasy of the Northern Kingdom of Israel often depicted with the same terminology (e.g., 2 Ki 17:10). It underscores that both kingdoms, despite their distinct histories and theological foundations (Temple vs. Jeroboam's altars), fell prey to similar spiritual failures, implying universal susceptibility to idolatry.

1 Kings 14 23 Commentary

1 Kings 14:23 starkly portrays the profound spiritual depravity that afflicted Judah under King Rehoboam. Far from leading the people back to the covenant, he instigated and facilitated a nationwide embrace of forbidden idolatrous practices. The presence of bamot, matsebot, and asherim reveals a syncretistic faith, blending elements of Yahweh worship with pagan Canaanite fertility cults, which often involved immoral rituals and child sacrifice. The repeated geographical markers "on every high hill and under every green tree" underline the systematic and comprehensive nature of this apostasy, demonstrating a public, intentional defiance of the Mosaic Law's commands for exclusive worship of Yahweh. This widespread spiritual prostitution ultimately invites God's disciplinary judgment, directly leading to the events of Shishak's invasion. It serves as a somber illustration that even a kingdom blessed with God's Temple and a continuous Davidic line could fall into such grievous error if leadership and people neglected their covenant obligations.