2 Chronicles 30 7

2 Chronicles 30:7 kjv

And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see.

2 Chronicles 30:7 nkjv

And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see.

2 Chronicles 30:7 niv

Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see.

2 Chronicles 30:7 esv

Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see.

2 Chronicles 30:7 nlt

Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see.

2 Chronicles 30 verses

2 Chronicles 30 7 Meaning

This verse serves as an urgent plea from King Hezekiah to the people of Judah and Israel during his national revival, warning them against repeating the spiritual transgressions of their ancestors. He cautions them not to follow the path of their "fathers and brethren" who acted unfaithfully against the Lord God of their covenant, which inevitably led to divine judgment and resulted in their present "desolation"—a state of ruin and emptiness clearly visible to the current generation. It underscores the principle that continued rebellion against God leads to dire consequences and highlights the importance of learning from historical failures.

2 Chronicles 30 7 Context

This verse is a pivotal part of King Hezekiah's spiritual revival in Judah, following a long period of religious apostasy under his father, Ahaz. Recognizing the spiritual decay and the impending Assyrian threat, Hezekiah dedicates his reign to restoring proper worship of the Lord. In 2 Chronicles chapter 30, Hezekiah extends an unprecedented invitation to all of Israel, including the remaining scattered tribes of the already fallen Northern Kingdom, to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover, a foundational covenant festival largely neglected. Verse 7 is a direct appeal by the messengers sent throughout Israel to persuade the people to respond to this call. The historical context is crucial: the Northern Kingdom of Israel had recently been conquered by the Assyrians (722 BCE), their cities lay in ruin, and many of their people had been exiled or scattered. This palpable "desolation" serves as the concrete, visual evidence Hezekiah's messengers reference ("as ye see"), illustrating the grim consequences of ancestral rebellion. This appeal serves as a direct polemic against the pervasive idolatry and faithlessness that led to the Northern Kingdom's downfall and threatened Judah.

2 Chronicles 30 7 Word analysis

• And be ye not like your fathers, and like your brethren,
• Be ye not like: A direct negative imperative, urging immediate avoidance of a specific pattern. It's a call for deliberate change.
• your fathers: Refers primarily to preceding generations of Judah's monarchy and people who engaged in idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness (e.g., Ahaz, Manasseh, even some aspects of Solomon's reign). It also encompasses the general lineage of covenant-breaking Israel.
• your brethren: Specifically points to the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They were ethnically related (brethren), but politically and religiously estranged, having established calf worship and various idolatries (e.g., Jeroboam I onwards, leading to their downfall in 722 BCE). The separation and desolation of the North serve as a direct object lesson.
• which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers,
• trespassed: The Hebrew word is ma'al (מָעַל). It signifies more than just a general sin; it implies an act of unfaithfulness, treachery, or sacrilege, particularly against a sacred trust or covenant. It denotes a breach of loyal obligation and can include acts of profanation or dishonesty against God's holy things or commands. It suggests a deliberate violation of sworn allegiance.
• against the Lord God: Refers to YHWH Elohim (יהוה אלהים). This emphasizes the covenant God of Israel, the One who redeemed them and with whom they had a special relationship. Trespassing against Him is therefore a betrayal of a profound, intimate, and exclusive relationship.
• of their fathers: Further underscores the lineage and covenant history, reminding the audience that it was the very God of their ancestors, who had been faithful to the covenant, against whom their previous generations rebelled.
• who therefore gave them up to desolation,
• who therefore gave them up: The Hebrew word is nathan (נָתַן), meaning "to give, place, put, permit." In this context, it describes God's active yet judicial decision to surrender or abandon His unfaithful people to the consequences of their actions and to the hands of their enemies. It is not passive abandonment but a deliberate act of divine judgment, withdrawing His protection. This concept of God "giving up" His people is seen elsewhere in the Bible, signifying judgment when His people persistently refuse to turn from sin.
• to desolation: The Hebrew term is shammah (שַׁמָּה). This means ruin, devastation, horror, astonishment, or waste. It points to a state of being laid waste, often due to divine judgment. It describes not just physical destruction but also the resultant psychological and spiritual shock or dread associated with such a catastrophe. The desolation included shattered cities, barren land, and the loss of national identity through exile.
• as ye see.
• as ye see: This phrase directly appeals to the visible, empirical evidence of God's judgment. For the audience in Judah, it would conjure images of the devastated cities and deported populations of the Northern Kingdom, and the continued threat posed by the Assyrians. For the remnant from the Northern Kingdom, it would be their lived reality—their land was indeed desolate. This makes the warning profoundly immediate and undeniable. It is a powerful rhetorical device emphasizing that the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness are not abstract, but observable and impactful.

• Words-Group by words-Group Analysis
• "And be ye not like your fathers, and like your brethren": This forms the central exhortation, directly challenging the cycle of ancestral sin. It’s a call to break a historical pattern, demanding a distinct and different moral and spiritual alignment from previous generations, particularly those in the now-destroyed Northern Kingdom whose apostasy led to their demise.
• "which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers": This phrase specifies the nature and target of the past transgression. It wasn't just general wrongdoing but a profound act of unfaithfulness and rebellion against the covenant relationship with their ancestral God. This highlights the severity of breaking spiritual commitments.
• "who therefore gave them up to desolation": This powerfully links cause and effect: trespass leading directly to divine judgment. "Gave them up" emphasizes God's sovereign hand in allowing the consequences of their sin, delivering them over to the horror of their fate, highlighting His justice and faithfulness to His own warnings.
• "as ye see": This grounding phrase roots the entire warning in the contemporary reality. It prevents the message from being abstract history, making the threat tangible and the need for repentance immediate and undeniable based on recent historical events.

2 Chronicles 30 7 Bonus section

• Hezekiah's strategy of pointing to the past and the visible evidence ("as ye see") demonstrates keen pastoral insight. He was not merely condemning, but using a very recent and traumatic historical event (the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria) as a compelling object lesson for the survivors of Judah and the scattered remnant of Israel. This leverages real-world consequences as a powerful deterrent.
• The phrase "gave them up" carries a theological weight implying not God's impotence, but a sovereign judicial act. It is the withdrawing of divine protection and the allowing of the natural (or supernatural) consequences of profound apostasy to take their course. This theme recurs throughout Scripture, particularly when a people persistently rejects the knowledge of God (e.g., Rom 1:24, 26, 28).
• The call for Judah and the Northern remnant to assemble together at Jerusalem for Passover was itself an act of prophetic hope, foreshadowing a future spiritual re-gathering of all Israel under proper worship, even after the initial national division. The plea in verse 7 serves to break down generations of religious and political animosity rooted in false worship and separate identities.

2 Chronicles 30 7 Commentary

Hezekiah's impassioned appeal in 2 Chronicles 30:7 is a profound lesson in divine judgment and the wisdom of learning from history. It emphasizes that God's character is consistent: faithfulness brings blessing, while unfaithfulness (trespassing, or ma'al) against Him, particularly the "Lord God of their fathers"—the covenant-keeping God—leads to severe consequences. The visible "desolation" of the Northern Kingdom was a tangible proof, not of God's weakness, but of His just hand "giving up" (nathan) a people to the outcome of their own stubborn rebellion. This verse challenges the hearers (and readers) to choose a different path than their predecessors, to not harden their hearts, but to humble themselves and return wholly to the Lord. It serves as a reminder that neglecting God and His covenant invites severe national and personal ruin, underscoring the urgency of sincere repentance and wholehearted devotion to prevent further calamity.