2 Chronicles 21:11 kjv
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.
2 Chronicles 21:11 nkjv
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray.
2 Chronicles 21:11 niv
He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
2 Chronicles 21:11 esv
Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray.
2 Chronicles 21:11 nlt
He had built pagan shrines in the hill country of Judah and had led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to give themselves to pagan gods and to go astray.
2 Chronicles 21 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:30 | I will destroy your high places... | God's promise to judge pagan worship sites. |
| Num 33:52 | you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, and destroy all their figured stones and all their molten images and demolish all their high places; | Command to remove idolatry from the land. |
| Deut 31:16 | this people will rise up and play the harlot after the foreign gods... | Prophecy of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| Judg 2:17 | they quickly turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked... they played the harlot after other gods... | Recurrent pattern of apostasy in Judges. |
| 1 Ki 11:7 | Solomon built a high place for Chemosh... and for Molech... | Even wise kings were ensnared by idolatry. |
| 1 Ki 12:31 | he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people... | Jeroboam's establishment of false worship. |
| 1 Ki 14:16 | For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and He will uproot Israel... because they made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. | Leaders causing Israel to sin leads to judgment. |
| 2 Ki 17:10 | They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill... | The Northern Kingdom's widespread idolatry. |
| 21:3 | he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah... | Manasseh's reversal of godly reforms. |
| Ps 73:27 | For behold, those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all those who play the harlot, departing from You. | Spiritual harlotry leads to destruction. |
| Isa 1:21 | How the faithful city has become a harlot! | Jerusalem's spiritual infidelity. |
| Jer 3:6 | The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every luxuriant tree, and she played the harlot there. | Israel's widespread spiritual harlotry. |
| Jer 7:31 | They have built the high places of Topheth... to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire... | Extreme idolatry associated with high places. |
| Ezek 6:3-6 | 'Behold, I am going to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places... so that your altars may become waste...' | God's judgment against idolatrous high places. |
| Ezek 16:15 | 'But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your fame...' | Jerusalem depicted as an adulteress due to idolatry. |
| Hos 1:2 | The LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry..." | Metaphor of Israel as a harlot wife. |
| Hos 4:12 | My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray... | Spiritual harlotry leading people astray. |
| Jas 4:4 | You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. | New Testament concept of spiritual adultery. |
| Rev 2:20 | But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. | Spiritual seduction and idolatry in NT church. |
| Rev 17:1-2 | I will show you the judgment of the great harlot... with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication... | "Babylon the Great" as spiritual harlot. |
| 2 Chr 21:12-15 | And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet... 'because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat... but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the harlot... ' | Immediate context of divine judgment on Jehoram for these sins. |
| Rom 1:24-25 | Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity... for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator... | God gives people over to idolatry and its consequences. |
| Gal 5:19-20 | Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality... idolatry... | Idolatry as a clear deed of the flesh. |
2 Chronicles 21 verses
2 Chronicles 21 11 Meaning
King Jehoram of Judah not only re-established pagan places of worship on elevated ground but actively corrupted the moral and spiritual fabric of Jerusalem's inhabitants, compelling the entire region of Judah into spiritual harlotry, which signifies a deliberate and widespread turning away from the worship of YHWH to idolatry and other forbidden practices. This verse highlights his direct responsibility for leading the nation into apostasy.
2 Chronicles 21 11 Context
2 Chronicles 21 describes the reign of King Jehoram, son of the good King Jehoshaphat. Contrary to his father's piety, Jehoram quickly established a reign characterized by extreme wickedness. He began by murdering his six brothers and some officials to secure his throne. Verse 11, specifically, details his spiritual rebellion: he not only tolerated existing pagan practices but actively promoted and enforced idolatry throughout Judah and Jerusalem. This direct opposition to YHWH's covenant, particularly his act of "compelling" the people into apostasy, marks a significant downward turning point for the Davidic dynasty and serves as the immediate precursor to the severe judgments prophesied against him by Elijah (2 Chr 21:12-15), which quickly came to pass through invasions, plagues, and a painful death. His actions are in stark contrast to the reforms initiated by his father and demonstrate a deliberate choice for evil.
2 Chronicles 21 11 Word analysis
- Moreover: Connects this verse to Jehoram's prior actions, emphasizing his growing wickedness beyond simply seizing power through bloodshed. It signals an additional dimension of his depravity.
- he made: Indicates an active, intentional, and sovereign decision by the king. It was not a passive acceptance but an instituted policy. The king's authority was used for evil.
- high places (בָּמוֹת - bamot): These were elevated altars or shrines for pagan deities like Baal and Asherah, often adorned with cultic symbols and used for illicit sacrifices and immoral rites. Their construction directly violated YHWH's command for centralized worship at the Temple in Jerusalem and prohibited cultic practices. By establishing them, Jehoram promoted syncretism and polytheism, standing against centuries of covenantal adherence and polemically challenging the exclusive worship of YHWH. They had been destroyed by his father Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 17:6), marking a stark reversal of policy.
- in the mountains of Judah: Emphasizes the widespread nature of Jehoram's idolatry. Not confined to one area, but scattered throughout the entire land, making it pervasive and accessible for all. This speaks to the scale of his defection.
- and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Specifies the primary targets and victims of his religious corruption. The capital city, meant to be the heart of YHWH's worship, was specifically targeted, highlighting the perversion of the central religious authority.
- to commit fornication (וַיַּזְנֵ֧חַ - vayyazneach, derived from זָנָה - zanah): In this biblical context, "fornication" (or harlotry/adultery) is a common metaphorical term for spiritual unfaithfulness, meaning apostasy and idolatry. Israel's covenant with YHWH was likened to a marriage, and turning to other gods was considered spiritual adultery. This is not necessarily referring to physical sexual acts, but to the nation's spiritual defilement and betrayal of their covenant with God. This metaphor serves as a powerful polemic against religious syncretism, asserting God's exclusive claim to Israel's devotion.
- and compelled (וַיְּדַ֛ח - vayyēdach, meaning "to push," "to thrust out," "to drive," "to entice" or "to seduce"): This word emphasizes the coercive and oppressive nature of Jehoram's actions. It wasn't merely permission for paganism, but active force or powerful influence, effectively compelling Judah to engage in spiritual rebellion against YHWH. He was not only sinning personally but leading the entire kingdom astray. This indicates a deeply malicious and authoritarian approach to apostasy.
- Judah thereto: Broadens the scope beyond Jerusalem. The king's wickedness extended throughout the entire southern kingdom, affecting all the people and regions. It reiterates the comprehensive spiritual devastation he inflicted upon the nation.
2 Chronicles 21 11 Bonus section
The Chronicler places a heavy emphasis on the kings' religious fidelity, often attributing national success or failure directly to their spiritual leadership. Jehoram's reversal of his father's religious reforms (2 Chr 17:6, 19:3) highlights a thematic contrast typical in Chronicles: the son's departure from a righteous father's ways often brings calamity. The specific mention of "Jerusalem" and then "Judah" can imply that his influence spread from the capital outwards, or perhaps distinguishes the city's inhabitants who may have faced more direct compulsion, from the broader populace across the land. The prophetic message of Elijah to Jehoram (2 Chr 21:12-15), which addresses these specific sins, is unique to Chronicles, emphasizing the divine disapproval of Jehoram's actions and foreshadowing his ignominious end. The "compelling" of Judah into fornication mirrors earlier warnings in Deuteronomy about the dangers of kings leading the people astray from YHWH (Deut 17:16-17, 31:16-18).
2 Chronicles 21 11 Commentary
2 Chronicles 21:11 succinctly details the spiritual rebellion of King Jehoram, painting him as a central figure in Judah's decline. Not content with personal wickedness, he deliberately inverted the righteous policies of his father, Jehoshaphat, by rebuilding and promoting high places for pagan worship across the land. The grave accusation of causing Jerusalem's inhabitants and, by extension, all of Judah, to "commit fornication" powerfully portrays the nation's turning to idolatry as spiritual adultery, a grave breach of their covenant relationship with YHWH. The strong verb "compelled" underscores the king's active and coercive role in orchestrating this apostasy, demonstrating a leadership used to propagate evil rather than uphold God's law. This act directly contravened the first commandment and set the stage for the severe divine judgment that followed, serving as a solemn warning against wicked leadership and spiritual compromise.Example: Jehoram's actions show how a leader's moral and spiritual choices can corrupt an entire community, similar to how a business owner prioritizing dishonest gains might compel employees to engage in unethical practices, eroding the integrity of the whole organization.