2 Chronicles 25:15 kjv
Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?
2 Chronicles 25:15 nkjv
Therefore the anger of the LORD was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, "Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?"
2 Chronicles 25:15 niv
The anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why do you consult this people's gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?"
2 Chronicles 25:15 esv
Therefore the LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, "Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?"
2 Chronicles 25:15 nlt
This made the LORD very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, "Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?"
2 Chronicles 25 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Divine Anger for Idolatry | ||
| Ex 20:5 | You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God... | God's jealous nature against idolatry |
| Dt 6:14-15 | You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God, otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you... | Divine anger against seeking other gods |
| Dt 29:25-27 | ...because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord... and went and served other gods... | Disobedience and covenant breaking lead to anger |
| Josh 24:20 | If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you... | Consequences of forsaking God |
| 1 Kgs 11:9 | And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord... | Anger for a king turning from God |
| 2 Kgs 17:18 | Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence... | National anger due to idolatry |
| Ps 78:58 | For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their images. | God provoked to anger by idolatry |
| Jer 32:29-30 | ...with which they have provoked me to anger, by building high places for Baal... for this city has aroused my anger and wrath from the day it was built... | Idolatry provokes God's sustained anger |
| Is 65:3 | a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; | Constant provocation leads to anger |
| Ez 5:11 | Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw myself. | Defiling God's space with abominations |
| God Sending Prophets as Warning | ||
| 2 Chr 24:19 | Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not listen. | God sends prophets to call to repentance |
| Jer 25:4 | The Lord has sent to you all his servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened... | Repeated prophetic warnings ignored |
| Neh 9:30 | Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets... | God's patience and use of prophets |
| 2 Chr 36:15-16 | The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers... But they kept mocking the messengers of God... | Persistent sending, and rejection, of messengers |
| Zech 1:3 | Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you... | Call to return via prophecy |
| Amos 3:7 | For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. | God reveals plans through prophets |
| Impotence of Idols | ||
| Ps 115:4-7 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak... | Idols are man-made, lifeless, powerless |
| Is 44:9-10 | All who fashion idols are nothing... No god was formed before me, nor shall there be any after me. | Idols are nothing compared to God |
| Is 46:1-2 | Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock... they cannot deliver the burden, but go into captivity themselves. | Idols are a burden, cannot deliver themselves |
| Jer 10:3-5 | ...they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it will not totter. Their idols are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak... | Idols are helpless and dependent |
| Hab 2:18-19 | What profit is an idol when its designer has carved it? Or a metal image, a teacher of lies...? | Idols are useless, products of deception |
| 1 Cor 8:4 | ...an idol has no real existence... there is no God but one. | Idols have no true being |
| Rom 1:21-23 | ...they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools... | Folly of worshipping creation instead of Creator |
2 Chronicles 25 verses
2 Chronicles 25 15 Meaning
2 Chronicles 25:15 describes the immediate divine reaction to King Amaziah's profound spiritual failure. After achieving a victory bestowed by the Lord, Amaziah worshipped the gods of the defeated Edomites. This verse states that the Lord's anger was intensely ignited against Amaziah, leading God to send a prophet. This prophet's message directly challenged Amaziah's foolish choice, questioning why he sought after deities that proved incapable of delivering their own people from his hand. It underscores the Lord's absolute sovereignty, His intolerance for idolatry, and His gracious act of sending a warning before final judgment.
2 Chronicles 25 15 Context
2 Chronicles 25:15 stands as a critical pivot point in the reign of King Amaziah of Judah. He began his reign initially doing "what was right in the eyes of the Lord, though not with a whole heart" (2 Chr 25:2). He showed initial obedience by dismissing the Israelite mercenaries he had hired, upon a prophet's warning, trusting the Lord for victory against Edom (2 Chr 25:7-10). The Lord then granted him a decisive victory (2 Chr 25:11-13). However, immediately after this divine triumph, Amaziah astonishingly brought back the Edomite idols from Sela, set them up as his gods, and bowed down to them, burning incense before them (2 Chr 25:14). This act of overt apostasy, despite directly experiencing God's power over the very people whose gods he adopted, is the catalyst for the Lord's "kindled anger" and the subsequent prophetic confrontation described in this verse. Historically, Amaziah ruled Judah from 805-776 BC (approximate dates), during a period when idolatry was a constant snare for the kings of both Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 25 15 Word analysis
- Whereupon / Therefore: (Hebrew: וַיֶּחֶר־אַף֙ "vayyeḥer-ʾaf") This conjunction introduces the immediate and direct consequence of Amaziah's idolatrous actions described in the preceding verse. It signals a cause-and-effect relationship between Amaziah's sin and God's response.
- the anger: (Hebrew: אַף, "ʾaf") Signifies divine wrath, displeasure, or indignation. It implies a righteous, passionate, and severe emotional response from God against sin, particularly against blatant rebellion and idolatry which violates His covenant and nature.
- of the Lord: (Hebrew: יְהוָה, "YHWH" or "Yahweh") Refers to the personal, covenant name of God, emphasizing that this anger emanates from the one true, living God who has revealed Himself to Israel, not some arbitrary deity. It highlights His specific relationship and covenant with Amaziah as king of Judah.
- was kindled: (Hebrew: חָרָה, "charah") Means "to burn, glow hot, be angry, be enraged." The imagery is of a fire intensely burning, conveying the swiftness, intensity, and severity of God's immediate and consuming wrath against such grievous sin. It implies a zealous and decisive reaction.
- against Amaziah: Specifies the object of God's displeasure – the King of Judah himself, indicating a personal reckoning for his actions as the nation's spiritual leader.
- and he sent: Implies God's purposeful action and direct intervention. Even in anger, God exercises mercy by providing a path to repentance, not immediate judgment.
- unto him a prophet: (Hebrew: נָבִיא, "navi") A divine messenger, specifically chosen by God to speak His words. The prophet serves as God's voice, delivering a direct challenge and warning to Amaziah. This act demonstrates God's persistent grace and long-suffering even when provoked.
- which said unto him: Highlights the verbal, direct confrontation, providing Amaziah with a clear, undeniable articulation of his error.
- Why hast thou sought after: This is a direct, rhetorical question (Hebrew: לָמָּה דָּרַשְׁתָּ "lamah darash-ta"), intended to expose the irrationality and sheer folly of Amaziah's choice. "Sought after" implies a deliberate pursuit or inquiry, suggesting Amaziah's active embrace of idolatry.
- the gods of the people: (Hebrew: אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים, "Elohei ha'ammim") Refers to the foreign, pagan deities, specifically the idols of Edom. This phrase often carries a connotation of contempt or impotence in biblical texts when referring to rival deities, distinguishing them from the true God.
- which could not deliver: (Hebrew: לֹא־הִצִּ֨ילוּ "lo hitzilu") Directly confronts the core function and power claims of these gods. The inability to "deliver" (save, rescue, help) points to their inherent powerlessness. This phrase forms the central polemic against idolatry in the verse.
- their own people: The Edomites themselves. The prophet underscores the undeniable proof of the idols' impotence: they failed to save the very people who worshipped them.
- out of thine hand: Points back to Amaziah's military victory, achieved through the Lord's power. The irony is stark: Amaziah just conquered a nation, demonstrating their gods' weakness, yet he embraces those same powerless gods.
2 Chronicles 25 15 Bonus section
The specific form of the rhetorical question from the prophet highlights a core theological point throughout Scripture: the true God is characterized by His active power and ability to save, in contrast to false gods who are inherently powerless and dependent on their worshippers for their very existence or "effectiveness." This concept is a repeated polemic found especially in prophetic books (e.g., Is 44, Jer 10) that mocks the absurdity of idolatry. Amaziah's folly also serves as a warning against selective or opportunistic faith; his previous obedience appears to have been pragmatic, rather than born of a truly devoted heart, leading to rapid spiritual decline once success was achieved. This illustrates how unchecked pride and a superficial understanding of God's true nature can lead even kings to absurd acts of rebellion after divine blessings.
2 Chronicles 25 15 Commentary
2 Chronicles 25:15 marks a pivotal and deeply tragic moment in Amaziah's reign, exposing the superficiality of his earlier obedience. Despite having just experienced the Lord's direct and powerful intervention, granting him victory over the Edomites – a victory undeniably proving the Lord's supremacy and the Edomite gods' futility – Amaziah inexplicably turned to worship those very same defeated deities. This swift turn to overt idolatry triggered the intense and immediate anger of the Lord. God's anger here is not a capricious emotion but a righteous response to a covenant-breaking act, revealing His holiness and zeal for exclusive worship. Yet, in His divine patience and mercy, God did not immediately bring judgment. Instead, He sent an unnamed prophet to confront Amaziah, employing a piercing rhetorical question that laid bare the profound illogicality and spiritual absurdity of his actions. "Why seek gods who couldn't deliver their own?" This challenge simultaneously served as a stern warning and a merciful call to repentance, emphasizing the Lord's incomparable power against the demonstrable impotence of idols. The verse therefore encapsulates God's unwavering character: His absolute opposition to idolatry, His righteous wrath against sin, and His continued grace in offering a way back before final judgment.