2 Kings 16:10 kjv
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
2 Kings 16:10 nkjv
Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.
2 Kings 16:10 niv
Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction.
2 Kings 16:10 esv
When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.
2 Kings 16:10 nlt
King Ahaz then went to Damascus to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria. While he was there, he took special note of the altar. Then he sent a model of the altar to Uriah the priest, along with its design in full detail.
2 Kings 16 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ahaz's Idolatry & Reign | ||
| 2 Kgs 16:2 | Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem... | Ahaz's wicked reign. |
| 2 Kgs 16:3-4 | he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel... and even made his son pass through the fire... | Ahaz's extreme wickedness, child sacrifice, idolatry. |
| 2 Chr 28:1-5 | Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign... but he did not do what was right... | Parallel account, reiterates Ahaz's evil. |
| 2 Chr 28:20-25 | when Ahaz distressed him, he sinned yet more against the LORD... cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God | Ahaz's further sacrilege and destruction of temple. |
| Trust in Man vs. God | ||
| Isa 7:10-13 | Ask a sign... But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” | Ahaz rejects God's offer of help, distrusts God. |
| Isa 8:6-7 | because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently... | Judah rejects God's quiet protection for human alliance. |
| Ps 146:3-5 | Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. | Warning against trusting human rulers over God. |
| Jer 17:5-8 | Cursed is the man who trusts in man... Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. | Contrasting fate of those who trust man vs. God. |
| Consequences of Foreign Alliances/Idolatry | ||
| Deut 17:16 | he shall not acquire many horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt for horses. | A king should not rely on foreign power. |
| Hos 8:9 | Indeed they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey acting alone... | Ephraim's folly in seeking foreign allies. |
| Jer 2:18-19 | Now what have you to gain by going to Egypt...? What do you gain by going to Assyria...? | Israel forsakes the Living God for foreign broken cisterns. |
| Against Idolatry & Pagan Practices | ||
| Ex 20:3-5 | You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... | The First and Second Commandments, against idolatry. |
| Deut 12:29-31 | take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them... by asking, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?’ | Warning against adopting pagan worship methods. |
| Lev 18:3 | You shall not do according to the deeds of the land of Egypt... or of the land of Canaan... | God's people not to imitate pagan practices. |
| Jer 10:2-3 | Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles...” | Do not adopt foreign idolatrous customs. |
| Acts 17:29 | Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by art and man’s devising. | Do not confine God to man-made idols. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image... | Describing the spiritual blindness of idol worship. |
| 2 Cor 6:14-17 | What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness...? | No mixing of God's people with idolatry. |
| Priestly Responsibility & Failure | ||
| 2 Kgs 16:11-16 | And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. | Urijah's compliance with Ahaz's command. |
| Mal 2:7-8 | For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge... But you have turned aside from the way... | Priests are to uphold the Law, not lead astray. |
| Ezek 22:26 | Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy. | Condemnation of priests failing their sacred duties. |
2 Kings 16 verses
2 Kings 16 10 Meaning
King Ahaz of Judah, having allied with Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria against Aram and Israel, traveled to Damascus to meet the Assyrian king. While there, he observed a pagan altar, possibly Assyrian, and was so captivated by its design that he immediately sent a detailed blueprint and exact specifications of this altar to Urijah, the high priest in Jerusalem, commanding its replication. This act demonstrated Ahaz's profound apostasy, a willing embrace of foreign idolatry and syncretism, actively introducing pagan worship elements into the very heart of Yahwistic worship.
2 Kings 16 10 Context
2 Kings Chapter 16 focuses on the idolatrous reign of King Ahaz of Judah. Preceding verse 10, the chapter establishes Ahaz's extreme wickedness (v. 2-4), contrasting sharply with his forefather David. During his reign, Judah was threatened by a coalition of Aram (Syria) and Israel (the Syro-Ephraimite War). Despite the prophet Isaiah's warnings to trust in the LORD (Isaiah 7), Ahaz, in his desperation and lack of faith, chose to appeal for help to Tiglath-Pileser III, the powerful king of Assyria, even offering the treasures of the Temple and his own palace as tribute (v. 5-9). This decision marks a pivotal moment, shifting Judah from potential divine protection to vassalage under an imperial power. Verse 10 specifically describes the humiliating vassal visit of Ahaz to Tiglath-Pileser in Damascus after Assyria's victory over Aram. In this setting, instead of reflecting on God's sovereignty or the nation's spiritual state, Ahaz became captivated by a pagan altar's design, leading to the pivotal decision detailed in this verse—to import and replicate its idolatrous form into the heart of Jerusalem's worship, further signifying Judah's spiritual compromise and subjugation to foreign influences.
2 Kings 16 10 Word analysis
So King Ahaz went (וַיֵּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז – wayyelekh hammelekh Ahaz): "Went" (halakh) denotes a purposeful journey, underscoring Ahaz's personal engagement and initiation in this apostate act. "Ahaz" means "he has grasped" or "possessor," which is tragically ironic given his inability to grasp the truth or possess spiritual wisdom, instead grasping onto human alliances and foreign deities.
to Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׂק – dammeśeq): The capital of Aram, long an antagonist of Israel and Judah. Its defeat by Assyria established it as a major hub under imperial influence, highlighting the setting of Ahaz's moral compromise.
to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria (לִקְרַאת תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר – liqra't Tiglath-Pileser melekh Ashshur): This meeting solidifies Judah's submission to Assyria. Ahaz's presence signified vassalage and tribute payment, fundamentally changing Judah's geopolitical and religious orientation towards dependency on a pagan superpower rather than the LORD.
and saw the altar (וַיִּרְאֶה אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ – wayyir'eh 'et hammizbeakh): "Saw" (ra'ah) implies more than a glance; it suggests careful observation and deep impression. The "altar" (mizbeakh), a place for worship and sacrifice, being pagan (likely Assyrian or Aramaic), reveals Ahaz's spiritual insensitivity and active fascination with practices anathema to Yahwistic worship.
that was in Damascus. (אֲשֶׁר בְּדַמֶּשֶׂק – asher beDammeśeq): Emphasizes its foreign, non-Yahwistic origin, making Ahaz's subsequent actions even more egregious.
And King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest (וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל אוּרִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן – wayyishlakh 'el Uriyahu hakKohen): "Sent" (shalach) indicates a directive, an authoritative command from the king. "Urijah the priest" (Uriyahu hakKohen): He was the High Priest of Judah, ironically named "My light is Yahweh." His duty was to uphold the Mosaic Law and the purity of Temple worship. His later compliance (v. 11) is a profound indictment of priestly leadership failing to stand against idolatry.
the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. (אֶת מַרְאֵה הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְאֶת תַּבְנִיתוֹ כְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂהוּ – 'et mar'eh hammizbeakh w''et tabnitho kekol ma'asehu):
- "fashion" (mareh): The visual appearance, the overall look.
- "pattern" (tabnith): This term is highly significant. It means blueprint, detailed plan, or model. Critically, tabnith is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe the divinely given blueprints for the Tabernacle and the Temple (e.g., Ex 25:9, 1 Chr 28:11, 19). Its application here to a pagan altar for exact replication signifies a profound inversion and mockery of God's precise instructions for holy worship, a deliberate appropriation of sacred language for an unholy purpose.
- "according to all the workmanship thereof" (kekol ma'asehu): Emphasizes meticulous detail and accuracy in replication. Ahaz desired an exact copy, indicating his obsession with integrating this foreign cult object into Judah's spiritual landscape.
2 Kings 16 10 Bonus section
- The exactness of the design sent to Urijah—"the fashion," "the pattern," "according to all the workmanship thereof"—highlights Ahaz's complete devotion to reproducing the foreign idol. This contrasts sharply with God's own detailed instructions for the construction of His holy sanctuary and its vessels (e.g., Exodus 25-30), implying that Ahaz was treating a pagan altar with the reverence and meticulousness due only to divine command.
- This act directly sets the stage for the narrative in 2 Kings 16:11-18, where Urijah the priest readily complies with Ahaz's blasphemous command, replacing the LORD's brazen altar with the new pagan one. This illustrates a severe failure of the religious establishment to stand for divine truth against ungodly authority, leading to the desecration of the Temple and a blurring of the lines between true worship and idolatry.
- Ahaz’s sin in this verse marks a further degradation of the kingship in Judah, aligning it more with the wicked kings of Israel (v. 3) who repeatedly provoked God through idolatry. His actions weakened Judah's spiritual defenses and paved the way for later religious reforms under Hezekiah but also foreshadowed eventual judgment and exile.
2 Kings 16 10 Commentary
2 Kings 16:10 is a pivotal verse that encapsulates King Ahaz's profound apostasy and the religious compromise of Judah. Having chosen reliance on Assyria over trust in the LORD, Ahaz's visit to Damascus was not just political homage but a gateway to spiritual corruption. His fascination with the pagan altar demonstrates a deliberate turning away from Yahweh's covenant commands. The meticulous order to replicate this altar in Jerusalem, sent to the High Priest Urijah, shows Ahaz's active intention to integrate foreign, idolatrous worship directly into the very sanctuary of God, subverting sacred space and corrupting the priesthood. This act went beyond personal sin; it was an institutional betrayal of the LORD, mirroring Judah's political vassalage with spiritual subjugation. Ahaz’s actions represent the dangerous allure of syncretism and the tragic consequences when leaders fail to prioritize God's exclusive worship.