2 Chronicles 28:19 kjv
For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:19 nkjv
For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:19 niv
The LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:19 esv
For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:19 nlt
The LORD was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 2:7 | The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. | God's sovereignty to humble and exalt. |
| Psa 75:7 | But God is the Judge; He puts down one and sets up another. | God as the ultimate arbiter of nations. |
| Ez 21:26 | ...take off the crown! Nothing will be as it was; exalt the lowly and humble the exalted. | Divine judgment leading to humbling. |
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. | Principle of humbling due to wickedness. |
| 2 Chr 15:2 | The LORD is with you while you are with Him... but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. | Conditional covenant, forsaking God leads to judgment. |
| 2 Chr 33:9-10 | So Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the sons of Israel... | King's profound negative influence on nation. |
| Dt 28:15-68 | But if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all His commands... all these curses will come on you... | Covenant curses for disobedience, including military defeat and exposure. |
| Jer 2:19 | Your own evil will correct you; your backslidings will rebuke you... it is a bitter thing to abandon the LORD your God... | Consequences of forsaking the Lord. |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you... | Judgment for rejection of God and His ways. |
| Lev 18:6-19 | ...do not approach any blood relation to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. | Concept of "nakedness" tied to sin and shame (though literal here). |
| Ex 32:25 | And when Moses saw that the people were exposed, for Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies... | People becoming "exposed" through sin, leading to shame and vulnerability. |
| Rev 3:17-18 | You say, 'I am rich... ' and you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. | Spiritual "nakedness" representing sin and vulnerability. |
| Nahum 3:5 | Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will strip off your skirts over your face; and I will show the nations your nakedness... | God exposing the sin and shame of nations as judgment. |
| 1 Kings 14:16 | He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and which he made Israel commit. | King's sin causing national judgment. |
| 2 Kings 17:7-18 | All this took place because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God... and had built high places in all their towns... | Extensive record of northern Israel's unfaithfulness leading to their downfall. |
| Isa 1:28 | But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the LORD will perish. | Destruction for unfaithfulness. |
| Isa 3:8 | For Jerusalem stumbles and Judah has fallen, because their words and their deeds are against the LORD, defying His glorious presence. | Direct judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem for defying God. |
| Jer 7:16 | "As for you, do not pray for this people... for I will not listen to them in their time of trouble when they cry out to me." | God's rejection of a people due to persistent sin. |
| Mal 3:8-9 | Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, "How have we robbed You?" In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation... | "Robbing God" or covenant breach leading to national curse. |
| Rom 1:21-25 | For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God... and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image... and exchanged the truth of God for a lie... | Spiritual decline and idolatry as rejection of God, leading to judgment. |
| Heb 10:26-27 | For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment... | Principle of severe consequences for deliberate unfaithfulness. |
2 Chronicles 28 verses
2 Chronicles 28 19 Meaning
The LORD Himself brought low and humbled the kingdom of Judah because of the severe wickedness of King Ahaz. His reign saw Judah plunged into widespread godlessness and spiritual depravity, as he actively promoted unfaithfulness and trespassed egregiously against God, which led to their being exposed and weakened before divine judgment.
2 Chronicles 28 19 Context
Chapter 28 of 2 Chronicles details the profoundly wicked reign of King Ahaz of Judah (circa 736-716 BC). Unlike many of his predecessors from the Davidic line who sought the LORD, Ahaz actively pursued idolatry, even sacrificing his own children to pagan deities. This was a direct violation of God's covenant and commands. Due to Ahaz's persistent unfaithfulness and promotion of godlessness, God's judgment fell upon Judah. The chapter describes successive military defeats at the hands of the Arameans (Syrians) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, resulting in many casualties and captives. Despite a prophet's warning (Oded in verses 9-15), Ahaz's stubborn apostasy continued, leading to further invasions from the Edomites and Philistines. Verse 19 explicitly explains the theological reason behind these devastating events: the LORD was bringing Judah low because of Ahaz's severe transgressions. The verse serves as a summary indictment and the Chronicler's definitive statement on the source of Judah's troubles during this dark period.
2 Chronicles 28 19 Word Analysis
- For the LORD (וַיַּכְנַע יְהוָה - vayakhna YHWH): The primary agent behind Judah's distress is unequivocally identified as YHWH, the covenant God of Israel. This emphasizes divine sovereignty and righteous judgment, counteracting any notion that foreign gods were superior or that events were purely happenstance.
- brought Judah low (הִכְנִ֣יעַ יְהוָה֙ אֶת־יְהוּדָ֔ה - hikhniʿa YHWH et-Yehudah): The Hebrew verb kana' (כָּנַע) in the Hiphil stem means "to humble," "to subdue," or "to bring low." It indicates an active, intentional act of God causing their humiliation, not merely allowing it to happen. This "lowering" encompasses their military defeats, economic plundering, and national disgrace.
- because of Ahaz king of Israel: Ahaz was king of Judah, the southern kingdom. The designation "king of Israel" is deeply significant and polemical:
- Derision/Condemnation: It ironically associates Ahaz with the spiritually degenerate and consistently idolatrous Northern Kingdom of Israel, known for its wicked kings and cycles of apostasy that ultimately led to its destruction.
- Apostasy: Ahaz had spiritually abandoned his Davidic heritage and the unique covenant relationship of Judah with YHWH, instead adopting practices typical of Israel's unfaithful monarchs. He reigned as if he were king of a nation that consistently rebelled against God, thereby bringing Judah down to that same spiritual level.
- for he made Judah naked (כִּ֣י הִפְרִ֥יץ בְּיֽהוּדָ֖ה - ki hifritz biYhudah): The Hebrew verb paratza (פָּרַץ) in the Hiphil stem means "to break through," "to burst forth," "to let loose," "to go unrestrained."
- NIV's "promoted godlessness" aligns with this active sense of Ahaz unleashing depravity and sin within Judah, tearing down moral and religious boundaries.
- KJV's "made Judah naked" captures a consequence of this unleashed godlessness. Spiritual nakedness signifies loss of divine protection, exposure to shame and judgment, vulnerability, and being stripped of moral and spiritual coverings before God and man. Ahaz's actions removed Judah's "garments" of righteousness and covenant protection.
- and transgressed sore against the LORD (וּמָעַ֥ל מַ֖עַל בַּֽיהוָֽה - u-ma'al ma'al baYHWH):
- Ma'al (מָעַל) is a strong theological term for "treachery," "faithlessness," "transgression," or "to trespass" especially against God's commands or holy things, often implying a breach of covenant or trust.
- The repetition of the verb and noun form (ma'al ma'al) serves as an intensifier, meaning "he transgressed grievously," "he committed great sacrilege," or "acted with utter faithlessness." This underscores the profound depth and severity of Ahaz's rebellion against God and His covenant, impacting the entire nation.
2 Chronicles 28 19 Bonus section
- Polemics against Polytheism: By explicitly stating that "the LORD brought Judah low," the Chronicler is providing a theological counter-narrative to the common belief that defeats signified the weakness of one's own gods or the strength of an enemy's deities. This verse clarifies that Judah's suffering was a judgment from their own God, not a failure on His part or a victory for the pagan gods Ahaz embraced.
- A King's Accountability: The verse places the full weight of Judah's suffering directly at Ahaz's feet. While individual sins contributed, the narrative singles out the king's pervasive influence and direct promotion of wickedness as the primary catalyst for national humiliation and judgment. This highlights the immense spiritual responsibility inherent in leadership roles, especially a king chosen by God.
- Warning Against Syncretism: Ahaz's reign was characterized by extensive syncretism, mingling the worship of YHWH with practices of Baal, Molech, and Assyrian deities. The text implicitly warns that attempting to serve multiple masters, or abandoning true worship for foreign practices, leads directly to divine discipline and vulnerability, rather than supposed protection from these foreign gods.
2 Chronicles 28 19 Commentary
Second Chronicles 28:19 powerfully encapsulates the Chronicler's theological emphasis on divine retribution. Judah's plight during Ahaz's reign was not random misfortune or the triumph of foreign deities, but the direct, sovereign action of the LORD. God "brought Judah low" as a consequence of Ahaz's profound and intentional wickedness. The description of Ahaz as "king of Israel," instead of Judah, is a biting condemnation. It signifies his spiritual regression and identification with the notoriously apostate Northern Kingdom, highlighting how completely he strayed from the Davidic covenant and its fidelity to God.
His action of "making Judah naked" or "promoting godlessness" illustrates his active role in corrupting the nation, leading them into rampant moral and spiritual degradation. This left them vulnerable and without divine covering, exposed to God's judgment and the incursions of enemies. The double emphasis on ma'al – "transgressed sore" – underscores the extreme gravity of Ahaz's breach of covenant with the LORD. It was a treacherous betrayal, signaling a complete disregard for his obligations as king of God's chosen people. This verse serves as a stark reminder of the principle that a leader's faithfulness (or unfaithfulness) profoundly impacts the well-being and spiritual state of an entire nation.