2 Kings 13:2 kjv
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
2 Kings 13:2 nkjv
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
2 Kings 13:2 niv
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit, and he did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 13:2 esv
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them.
2 Kings 13:2 nlt
But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
2 Kings 13 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ki 12:28-30 | So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold... and the people went to worship before one of them in Bethel and before the other in Dan. This thing became a sin. | Origin of Jeroboam's foundational sin. |
| 1 Ki 13:34 | This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off... | Jeroboam's sin as a lasting cause of downfall. |
| 1 Ki 15:26 | He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. | Recurrent judgment phrase for Israelite kings. |
| 1 Ki 15:34 | He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. | Another king following the same pattern of sin. |
| 1 Ki 16:2 | Forasmuch as I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader... but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel to sin... | Divine judgment for walking in Jeroboam's ways. |
| 1 Ki 16:19 | For all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son which they sinned, and the sin by which they made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger. | Emphasis on kings making Israel sin. |
| 2 Ki 3:3 | Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam... and did not depart from it. | Common phrase: clinging to Jeroboam's sins. |
| 2 Ki 10:29 | However, Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam... | Even reforming kings struggled with these sins. |
| 2 Ki 13:6 | Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam... but the Asherah also remained in Samaria. | Persistence of idolatry and cult objects. |
| 2 Ki 14:24 | He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam... | More Northern kings perpetuating Jeroboam's sin. |
| 2 Ki 15:9 | And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam... | Continuance of sin across generations. |
| 2 Ki 17:21-23 | For he tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord... until the Lord removed Israel from His sight... | Ultimate consequence of persistent idolatry. |
| Deut 6:18 | You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you... | Contrast to "doing evil in the sight of the Lord." |
| Prov 15:3 | The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good. | God's omniscience, implying judgment of actions. |
| Ps 14:1 | The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. | Depicts widespread human depravity (evil). |
| Jer 2:13 | For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me... and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns... | Israel's corporate sin as forsaking God. |
| Eze 36:18-19 | So I poured out My wrath on them for the blood that they had poured out on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. | Judgment based on deeds, especially idolatry. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God... and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image... | Echoes the idolatry seen in Jeroboam's sin. |
| Rom 6:1-2 | Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? | Call to depart from sin, highlighting Jehoahaz's failure to do so. |
| Jas 4:17 | To him who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. | Knowing but not departing from evil is sin. |
| 1 John 3:4 | Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. | Sin defined as breaking God's law. |
| Rev 2:14 | But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel... | Kings leading the people into sin as a stumbling block. |
2 Kings 13 verses
2 Kings 13 2 Meaning
King Jehoahaz, like his predecessors in the northern kingdom of Israel, committed actions that were morally offensive to the Lord. His conduct mirrored and continued the established pattern of idolatry and religious deviation introduced by Jeroboam I, particularly the worship of golden calves. He not only persisted in these sins personally but maintained the religious practices that had led the entire nation of Israel into corporate apostasy, demonstrating a complete unwillingness to turn away from this entrenched disobedience.
2 Kings 13 2 Context
Chapter 13 of 2 Kings introduces Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, as the king of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel has consistently faced cycles of unfaithfulness to the covenant, leading to divine judgment, often through military defeat and oppression by neighboring nations. The immediate context of verse 2 follows the report of Jehoahaz beginning his reign. This verse establishes his moral and spiritual standing before the Lord, which is crucial for understanding the subsequent events of his reign, particularly the oppression by Hazael king of Aram (Syria), which God permitted as a consequence of Israel's unfaithfulness. The historical context reflects a period of great vulnerability and decline for Israel, continually threatened by Aramean power due to its internal spiritual rot caused by adherence to the religious innovations of Jeroboam I.
2 Kings 13 2 Word analysis
- He did what was evil: (Hebrew: vayya'as hara') This phrase signifies active, deliberate disobedience to God's commandments and will. "Evil" (ra') here is not merely unfortunate or bad, but morally corrupt and against divine standards.
- in the sight of the Lord: (Hebrew: be'eyney YHWH) This phrase emphasizes that God is the ultimate judge, and all human actions are fully exposed to His perfect moral discernment. It means His standard of righteousness is the benchmark, not human opinions or cultural norms. It underscores divine accountability.
- and walked in the sins of Jeroboam: (Hebrew: vayyelekh beḥaṭṭo'th yerovʿam) "Walked" (halakh) implies a habitual manner of life, a sustained and settled pattern of behavior. It denotes Jehoahaz's lifestyle and reign were characterized by active participation in the specific "sins" (ḥaṭṭo'th)—plural, indicating the various idolatrous practices and deviations from pure Yahwism instituted by Jeroboam I. This points to Jeroboam's religious system, primarily the golden calves, unauthorized priesthood, and alternative altars, becoming an ingrained national religion rather than a temporary deviation.
- the son of Nebat: This specific patronymic uniquely identifies Jeroboam I, the founder of the Northern Kingdom dynasty and, more significantly, the initiator of its pervasive national apostasy (1 Ki 12:28-33). It distinguishes him from later individuals named Jeroboam.
- which he had made Israel to sin;: (Hebrew: ʾasher heḥeṭiʾ ʾeth yisra'el) The causative Hiphil stem of "sin" (ḥaṭaʾ) used here, "made Israel sin," highlights Jeroboam's responsibility for leading the entire nation astray. This isn't just about his personal failing but his institutionalization of false worship that trapped the populace in corporate sin. This sin was a stumbling block to the whole nation.
- he did not depart from them: (Hebrew: lo' sar mimmennāh) This signifies a stubborn and unrepentant posture. Despite divine warnings, consequences, or prophetic calls, Jehoahaz showed no inclination to abandon the idolatrous path. "Depart" (sūr) implies turning away or removal, highlighting his persistence in error. It underlines his spiritual recalcitrance and unwillingness to seek genuine reform or restoration.
Words-group analysis:
- He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the sins of Jeroboam: This common formula, a key element of the Deuteronomistic History found repeatedly in Kings, is a theological judgment. It summarizes the king's entire reign in moral terms before God, linking personal actions to national religious trajectory. It signals continuous covenant disobedience and idolatry as the reason for Israel's suffering and eventual downfall. The emphasis on "Jeroboam's sins" distinguishes the unique nature of northern kingdom apostasy, tied to their original separation from Judah and the Jerusalem Temple.
- which he had made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them: This emphasizes the profound and pervasive impact of the king's choices. Not only did Jeroboam initiate a corporate sin, but successive kings like Jehoahaz actively maintained and continued it, preventing any national return to Yahweh. The "not departing" highlights the stubborn refusal to repent, a persistent rejection of the true God and His covenant, solidifying Israel's spiritual decline.
2 Kings 13 2 Bonus section
The repeated "walked in the sins of Jeroboam" formula throughout the books of Kings (especially in the Northern Kingdom accounts) highlights a consistent theological viewpoint by the Deuteronomistic historian. It's not just a specific sin but a pervasive national ideology and cultic practice that consistently defines and condemns the kings of Israel. This ongoing judgment is a significant polemic against the Northern Kingdom's illegitimate worship system, underscoring its role in Israel's downfall. The specific mention of "Jeroboam the son of Nebat" constantly links the kings' present idolatry back to the schism of the kingdom and the establishment of an alternative worship center to Jerusalem, directly challenging the validity of the northern religious practices in the eyes of God. This lineage of sin establishes a tragic chain reaction, where one king after another perpetuates the apostasy, preventing any true national repentance and setting the stage for divine intervention in the form of foreign invasion and eventual exile.
2 Kings 13 2 Commentary
2 Kings 13:2 presents a concise yet potent theological judgment against King Jehoahaz. His reign is immediately categorized by its continuation of Israel's national apostasy, directly linked to the religious system established by Jeroboam I. This isn't merely a historical note but a profound statement of divine disapproval. "Doing evil in the sight of the Lord" signifies that his actions were a direct affront to God's holiness and moral law, transcending human perception of right or wrong. The phrase "walked in the sins of Jeroboam" underscores that Jeroboam's initial transgression of erecting golden calves became a deeply entrenched, institutionalized religion in the Northern Kingdom. It was a lifestyle choice, passed down through kings, effectively serving as the national creed, diverging from true worship at the Jerusalem temple. Jehoahaz's failure to "depart from them" speaks volumes about his spiritual stubbornness and the profound lack of repentance within the Northern Monarchy, which ultimately led to God allowing their subjugation by external powers, highlighting the covenant's consequences for disobedience. It serves as a reminder that spiritual inheritance can be both a blessing and a curse, and one must choose actively to depart from generational sin.