2 Chronicles 24:7 kjv
For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.
2 Chronicles 24:7 nkjv
For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD to the Baals.
2 Chronicles 24:7 niv
Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.
2 Chronicles 24:7 esv
For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
2 Chronicles 24:7 nlt
Over the years the followers of wicked Athaliah had broken into the Temple of God, and they had used all the dedicated things from the Temple of the LORD to worship the images of Baal.
2 Chronicles 24 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deu 12:2-4 | "You must utterly destroy all the places... where the nations... worshipped their gods... you shall tear down their altars..." | Divine command to destroy pagan worship sites |
| 1 Ki 16:31-33 | "Ahab... married Jezebel... and went and served Baal and worshipped him." | Ahab's promotion of Baal worship (Jezebel's father) |
| 2 Ki 8:26-27 | "Ahaziah... walked in the way of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly." | Ahaziah (Athaliah's son) followed wicked ways |
| 2 Ki 11:1 | "When Athaliah... saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring." | Athaliah's wicked seizure of power |
| 2 Ki 11:17-18 | "Jehoiada made a covenant... Then all the people... tore down the house of Baal." | Restoration includes destruction of Baal worship |
| Jer 7:9-11 | "Will you steal, murder, commit adultery... and come and stand before me in this house...? Has this house... become a den of robbers...?" | Temple desecrated by Israel's sins (including idolatry) |
| Jer 19:5 | "And have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire..." | Pagan worship often involved child sacrifice |
| Eze 8:5-18 | "He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing... the great abominations... right here?'" | Abominations committed within the Temple courts |
| Hos 2:8 | "For she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal." | Israel's use of divine blessings for idolatry |
| Mal 3:8-9 | "Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and contributions." | Robbing God (the principle of using what is His wrongly) |
| Isa 42:8 | "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols." | God's intolerance for shared worship |
| Psa 74:6-7 | "They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they desecrated the dwelling place of your Name." | Lament over the destruction and desecration of the Temple |
| Exo 25:8 | "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." | The purpose of a sacred dwelling for God |
| 1 Chr 29:3 | "Moreover, in my devotion to the house of my God, I have a private treasure of gold and silver which I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have provided..." | Devotion and dedication of items to God's house |
| Matt 21:12-13 | "He entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought... 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." | Jesus cleansing the temple (later desecration) |
| 1 Cor 3:16-17 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him." | Believers as God's temple (desecration of spiritual temple) |
| Acts 7:48 | "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says," | God's transcendence beyond physical temples |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks... and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man..." | Paganism: exchange of God's glory for idols |
| 2 Tim 3:1-5 | "But understand this, that in the last days there will be perilous times. For people will be lovers of self... reckless, heartless, unholy..." | Attributes of wicked people who oppose God |
| Deu 13:6-9 | "If your brother... entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’... you shall surely put him to death." | Stern command against promoting idolatry |
| Jer 16:18 | "because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols and have filled my inheritance with their abominations." | Idolatry polluting God's land |
| Zec 5:3-4 | "Every thief shall be purged away... And it shall enter the house of the thief... and it shall remain in his house and consume it..." | Judgment on theft and false swearing (against divine command) |
| Psa 78:58 | "For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their carved images." | Idolatry provokes God's jealousy |
| Jer 22:17 | "But your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, and on practicing oppression and violence." | Wicked rulers are focused on selfish gain and injustice |
| Dan 5:1-4 | "Belshazzar... ordered the gold and silver articles that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from the temple... be brought in so that he and his nobles... could drink wine from them." | Desecration of sacred temple vessels for pagan feast |
2 Chronicles 24 verses
2 Chronicles 24 7 Meaning
2 Chronicles 24:7 describes the extreme acts of sacrilege committed against the Temple in Jerusalem during the tyrannical rule of Athaliah and her offspring. They not only vandalized the physical structure of God's house but also seized its sacred, dedicated objects and shamefully repurposed them for the worship of various pagan deities, specifically the Baals. This verse highlights the profound spiritual rebellion and open defiance against the Lord (YHWH) during this dark period in Judah's history.
2 Chronicles 24 7 Context
2 Chronicles chapter 24 details the reign of King Joash, who began well under the tutelage of the High Priest Jehoiada but tragically faltered after Jehoiada's death. Verse 7 serves as a crucial explanation for the urgent need for Temple repair and restoration that kicks off Joash's reign (24:4-5). It attributes the Temple's ruined state and, more severely, its defilement, to the destructive actions instigated by Athaliah's direct descendants or loyalists. Athaliah was the granddaughter of King Omri and daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, embodying the corrupt and idolatrous lineage of the northern kingdom, which tragically infiltrated Judah through her marriage into the Davidic line. Her 6-year tyrannical usurpation of the throne following her son Ahaziah's death (2 Chron 22:10-12) was characterized by profound wickedness, including attempts to exterminate the royal line and, as this verse reveals, a deliberate assault on the sacred institutions of YHWH worship. The Chronicler emphasizes this sacrilege to underscore the severity of the situation that Joash inherited and the righteous necessity of his initial reforms.
2 Chronicles 24 7 Word analysis
- For the sons of Athaliah:
- Hebrew: בְּנֵי עֲתַלְיָה (Bene-Atalyah).
- Directly refers to Ahaziah, Athaliah's son, and likely his co-conspirators or brothers, given his short reign. Alternatively, it might denote followers or those operating under Athaliah's corrupt regime during her subsequent usurpation. Athaliah's own lineage from Ahab and Jezebel meant she was deeply steeped in Baal worship, bringing that influence directly into the Judean royal house. Their actions here signify not just neglect, but an active, malicious effort to dismantle YHWH worship and promote idolatry.
- that wicked woman:
- Hebrew: הָאִשָּׁה הָרְשָׁעָה (Ha-ishshah Ha-rasha'ah).
- This strong epithet highlights Athaliah's depravity and stands as a divine and moral condemnation. Her wickedness was defined by her violent usurpation of the throne, the attempted eradication of the Davidic line (all but Joash), and the systematic promotion of Baal worship. This phrase acts as a polemic against rulers who actively oppose God's covenant and sacred order, contrasting with righteous kings often praised by the Chronicler.
- had broken into:
- Hebrew: פָּרְצוּ (Paratzu).
- Means "broken through," "burst forth," "broken down," or "violently plundered." It signifies aggressive and destructive action, implying not just gradual decay or neglect, but deliberate invasion and vandalism of the Temple structure. It suggests a violent sacrilege, actively disrespecting the physical boundaries of the holy place.
- the house of God:
- Hebrew: בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים (Beit Ha-Elohim).
- Refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, the designated place of YHWH's special presence and central to Israelite worship and national identity. Its desecration was a direct affront to God Himself and an assault on the spiritual heart of the nation.
- and also used all the dedicated things:
- Hebrew: וְגַם כָּל-קָדְשֵׁי (Ve-gam kol-kodshei).
- "Dedicated things" (kodshei from qodesh) refers to objects, vessels, and possibly sacred gifts that had been consecrated and set apart exclusively for the service of YHWH in the Temple. This includes valuable gold and silver implements used for rituals, priestly vestments, or accumulated treasures of the sanctuary. These items were holy, belonging uniquely to God. Their repurposing signifies utter contempt for the sacred, a blatant act of spiritual prostitution where objects consecrated to the Lord are profaned for idolatry.
- of the house of the Lord:
- Hebrew: בֵּית יְהוָה (Beit YHWH).
- Another appellation for the Temple, explicitly using the covenant name of God (YHWH), further emphasizing divine ownership and the severity of the offense.
- for the Baals:
- Hebrew: לַבְּעָלִים (La-Bə'alîm).
- "Baals" is plural, denoting the various local manifestations or aspects of the Canaanite storm-fertility god Baal, or perhaps different Baal shrines. Baal worship often involved ritual prostitution, child sacrifice, and a syncretic blending of practices, appealing to a different deity for prosperity. Using YHWH's holy items for Baal worship was the ultimate act of apostasy, equating to spiritual adultery against the one true God. This highlights the polemic between true worship of YHWH and the seductive, corrupting power of surrounding pagan cults.
2 Chronicles 24 7 Bonus section
The Chronicler, writing with a priestly and theological focus, intentionally highlights this desecration of the Temple as a core reason for the subsequent restoration and Athaliah's deserved demise. The Book of Kings (2 Kings 11-12) is less explicit about Athaliah's personal role in the Temple's damage, emphasizing instead the repair needs. However, the Chronicler's version stresses the ideological assault on YHWH worship, portraying Athaliah's actions as a direct continuation of the Ahab/Jezebel legacy against true religion. This deliberate profanity – taking objects belonging to YHWH and consecrating them to rival deities – was not merely theft; it was a ritual inversion, a form of spiritual treason. It emphasizes that physical repair must follow spiritual cleansing and restoration of right worship, underpinning the theological principle that God's house must remain pure for His presence.
2 Chronicles 24 7 Commentary
2 Chronicles 24:7 powerfully summarizes the apex of spiritual depravity during Athaliah's illegitimate reign. It's not merely neglect of the Temple that necessitates Joash's later repair efforts, but a systematic and active destruction and desecration. "The sons of Athaliah" (whether her direct offspring like Ahaziah, or her loyalists) under "that wicked woman's" influence, overtly violated the sanctuary of YHWH. The use of "broken into" signifies a violent assault, while "used all the dedicated things... for the Baals" describes the profound sacrilege: holy objects set apart for YHWH's worship were repurposed to serve false gods. This action reveals an intentional defilement of sacred space and objects, reflecting a deliberate effort to establish Baal worship as the dominant cult in Judah, mirroring the corrupt policies of Athaliah's parents, Ahab and Jezebel, in Israel. It underscores the severity of the spiritual threat facing Judah and justifies the dramatic restoration initiatives that followed. Practically, it teaches that allowing ungodly influences to corrupt sacred spaces or resources can lead to severe spiritual degradation, and that genuine spiritual revival often begins with the restoration of reverence for God and His holy things.