2 Chronicles 33:17 kjv
Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.
2 Chronicles 33:17 nkjv
Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
2 Chronicles 33:17 niv
The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
2 Chronicles 33:17 esv
Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
2 Chronicles 33:17 nlt
However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the LORD their God.
2 Chronicles 33 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 17:3-5 | "Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside... brings it to the entrance of the tent of meeting..." | Command for centralized animal sacrifice. |
| Deut 12:5-6 | "but to the place the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes... there you are to go, and there bring your burnt offerings..." | Command to bring offerings to the chosen central sanctuary. |
| Deut 12:13-14 | "Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings in just any place... but only in the place the Lord will choose..." | Warning against unauthorized worship locations. |
| 1 Kgs 3:2 | "The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, because there was no temple built for the Name of the Lord until then." | High places were common before Temple, became problematic after. |
| 1 Kgs 15:14 | "But the high places were not removed; nevertheless, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life." | King Asa's incomplete reform. |
| 1 Kgs 22:43 | "But the high places were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." | King Jehoshaphat's incomplete reform. |
| 2 Kgs 12:3 | "The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." | King Joash's incomplete reform. |
| 2 Kgs 14:4 | "The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there." | King Amaziah's incomplete reform. |
| 2 Kgs 18:4 | "[Hezekiah] removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones..." | King Hezekiah's thorough reform, praised by Chronicler. |
| 2 Kgs 23:5 | "He did away with the idolatrous priests... who burned incense on the high places..." | King Josiah's removal of all problematic high places. |
| 2 Chr 15:17 | "The high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless, Asa’s heart was fully committed all his life." | Chronicler's perspective on Asa, similar to 1 Kgs 15:14. |
| 2 Chr 20:33 | "The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their ancestors." | Chronicler's perspective on Jehoshaphat, attributing incomplete reform to people. |
| 2 Chr 33:3-5 | "[Manasseh] rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down... he built altars to all the starry hosts... he built altars in the house of the Lord." | Manasseh's initial wickedness and building of idolatrous high places. |
| 2 Chr 33:15 | "He also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the temple... all the altars he had built... and threw them outside the city." | Manasseh's active removal of idolatrous elements post-repentance. |
| Isa 57:7 | "You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; there you went up to offer your sacrifices." | Prophetic denunciation of high places used for idolatry. |
| Jer 3:6 | "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and committed adultery there." | Israel's use of high places for spiritual idolatry. |
| Eze 20:28 | "When I brought them to the land I had sworn to give them... they built their high places on every high hill and under every leafy tree..." | God's people adopting pagan worship practices at high places. |
| Amos 7:9 | "The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste..." | Prophetic judgment on Israel's religious corruption, including high places. |
| Ps 78:67-68 | "He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved." | God's choice of Zion (Jerusalem) as the central place of worship. |
| Mt 4:10 / Lk 4:8 | "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." | New Testament principle of exclusive worship of God, applying to who is worshipped. |
| Rom 10:1-3 | "My heart’s desire and prayer for Israel is that they may be saved... for they are ignorant of God’s righteousness..." | Describes Israel's zeal for God, yet not according to knowledge (can relate to form over true understanding). |
| Phil 3:3 | "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh." | New Covenant worship is spiritual, not tied to specific locations or outward rituals alone. |
2 Chronicles 33 verses
2 Chronicles 33 17 Meaning
This verse details a specific limitation or nuance concerning King Manasseh’s reforms following his repentance and restoration. While he removed idolatry, the long-standing tradition of worshipping at local "high places" persisted among the people of Israel, even though their sacrifices at these sites were now exclusively directed towards Yahweh, the Lord their God, rather than idols. It highlights the challenge of completely altering deeply ingrained popular religious customs, distinguishing between idolatrous worship and improper, yet Yahweh-directed, worship practices.
2 Chronicles 33 17 Context
The preceding verses (2 Chr 33:1-10) detail King Manasseh’s extraordinary wickedness, including his erection of high places for Baal and all the starry hosts, practices directly antithetical to Yahweh worship. He surpassed previous kings in apostasy, defiling even the temple. His subsequent capture by the Assyrians (v. 11) marked a turning point. Verses 12-16 describe his profound repentance in exile, God’s mercy, and Manasseh’s restoration to his throne. Upon return, Manasseh actively sought to undo his previous evil: removing foreign gods, the idol from the temple, and all idolatrous altars from Jerusalem (v. 15). He repaired the Lord’s altar, sacrificed peace and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God (v. 16). Verse 17 acts as a crucial qualification, clarifying that despite Manasseh's sincere personal conversion and zealous efforts against overt idolatry, the people's deeply entrenched practice of worshiping at local high places (though now directed to Yahweh) was not eradicated. This detail provides insight into the practical limits of even a powerful king's influence on deeply rooted popular traditions and hints at ongoing spiritual challenges.
2 Chronicles 33 17 Word analysis
- Nevertheless (אַךְ - ʾakh): This word serves as a strong adversative, introducing a contrasting or qualifying statement. It signals that despite the positive reforms described previously, there was an important exception or limitation that followed.
- the high places (הַבָּמוֹת - ha-bâmôth): Refers to elevated worship sites. These pre-dated Israel, being common Canaanite cultic locations. While initially used by early Israelites, after the Law commanded centralized worship (Deut 12) and especially after the Temple was built in Jerusalem, such sites, even if for Yahweh, became irregular and problematic due to their potential for syncretism, unapproved rituals, or competition with the designated sanctuary. Manasseh had previously built idolatrous high places (v. 3).
- were not removed (לֹא־סָרוּ - loʾ-saru): "Were not removed" or "did not depart." This phrase emphasizes the persistence of these sites, implying a failure or inability to eliminate them entirely. The passive voice suggests that while Manasseh initiated reform (v. 15 for idolatrous sites), these specific Yahweh-worshipping high places remained ingrained in popular practice. It may reflect the people's stubborn adherence to tradition, which even the king's newfound zeal couldn't fully overturn.
- from Israel (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל - mi-Yisraʾel): Broadly refers to the land where the twelve tribes resided, but in the Chronicler’s context, often emphasizes the ideal unified nation and implies the ongoing issue affected the populace broadly, beyond just Jerusalem.
- however (רַק - raq): Similar to 'only' or 'except'. It introduces a distinction or clarification regarding the nature of the worship taking place at these persistent high places.
- the people (הָעָם - ha-ʿam): Highlights popular adherence rather than royal sanction. This shows the difficulty of changing widespread societal religious habits.
- still sacrificed there (הֵם־מְזַבְּחִים שָׁם - hem-mezabbekhîm sham): This continuous action ("still sacrificing") denotes an ongoing, entrenched practice. "There" specifically points to these non-centralized high places. It underscores that the worship rituals themselves continued.
- but only to the LORD their God (רַק לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם - raq la-YHWH Elohehem): This is the crucial qualification. It differentiates this continuing practice from idolatry. The sacrifices were now solely to Yahweh, the true God of Israel, indicating a repentance from false worship. However, it still signified a partial obedience or a lack of full conformity to the Law's demands for centralized worship at the Temple.
- "Nevertheless the high places were not removed from Israel": This phrase acknowledges a significant incomplete aspect of the religious reform, contrasting with Manasseh's previous comprehensive cleansing of idolatry (v. 15). It points to an underlying issue of popular religious practice that lingered despite official decrees. This mirrors a common theme in the books of Kings and Chronicles regarding other 'good' kings who couldn't fully eradicate the high places (e.g., Asa, Jehoshaphat).
- "however, the people still sacrificed there, but only to the LORD their God": This segment defines the nature of the persistent worship. It wasn't idolatrous in its object (Yahweh, not idols), but it was still an improper manner or place of worship according to the Law, which commanded one central sanctuary. It shows a mixture of partial obedience and human tradition, where people's accustomed religious practices held strong even when the object of their worship was corrected.
2 Chronicles 33 17 Bonus section
This verse subtly introduces a polemic against the form or location of worship, even when the object of worship is correct. The Deuteronomic ideal, strongly upheld by the Chronicler, mandated worship at one chosen place (the Temple in Jerusalem). The persistence of high places, even for Yahweh, indicated a failure to fully comply with this divine command, symbolizing an incomplete surrender to God's ways. Scholars suggest this reflects the difference between individual, royal repentance and the pervasive inertia of popular religious custom. The Chronicler's narrative of Manasseh is unique compared to the Book of Kings, which does not record his repentance. By including this detail of the persisting high places, the Chronicler maintains historical honesty while still magnifying God's mercy towards Manasseh and highlighting the challenges to a true national reformation. It underscores that outward actions, even when seemingly pious, may still fall short of God's perfect will if not aligned with His full instruction.
2 Chronicles 33 17 Commentary
2 Chronicles 33:17 offers a nuanced postscript to Manasseh's dramatic repentance and initial reforms. While he diligently purged the land of overt idolatry and foreign altars, this verse highlights the challenge of dislodging deep-seated popular religious habits. The high places, traditional sites of worship, remained because the people continued to utilize them. Crucially, their sacrifices there were now "only to the LORD their God." This marks a genuine shift from idolatry (his great sin) to true worship. However, it also indicates a significant spiritual compromise: while the object of worship was now correct (Yahweh), the method and location remained unauthorized according to the Mosaic Law's insistence on centralized worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. This demonstrates that personal repentance and official decrees, while powerful, do not instantly or entirely erase a culture's ingrained traditions, especially when those traditions have a semblance of 'rightness' by being directed to God. The Chronicler emphasizes Manasseh's sincerity while acknowledging the practical limitations and the people's continued attachment to convenience over strict obedience to the Law's purity regarding worship practices. This partial adherence, even for Yahweh, reflects a foundational issue contributing to Israel's ongoing spiritual struggles and ultimately, their future judgment.