2 Kings 16 15

2 Kings 16:15 kjv

And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brazen altar shall be for me to enquire by.

2 Kings 16:15 nkjv

Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, "On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."

2 Kings 16:15 niv

King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."

2 Kings 16:15 esv

And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, "On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."

2 Kings 16:15 nlt

He told Uriah the priest, "Use the new altar for the morning sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offerings of all the people, as well as their grain offerings and liquid offerings. Sprinkle the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the new altar. The bronze altar will be for my personal use only."

2 Kings 16 verses

2 Kings 16 15 Meaning

This verse details King Ahaz’s explicit command to Urijah the priest, instructing him to conduct all daily and special sacrifices on the "great altar" – a newly constructed, foreign-influenced altar. This command fundamentally reorganizes Temple worship, demoting the legitimate bronze altar ordained by God to a secondary, informal use. It represents a profound shift from Yahweh-centric worship based on Mosaic law to syncretism, integrating elements of foreign cult practices through the medium of the new altar.

2 Kings 16 15 Context

King Ahaz’s reign (735-715 BC) over Judah was marked by profound apostasy. Faced with a military threat from the Syro-Ephraimite alliance (King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel), Ahaz rejected the prophet Isaiah’s counsel to trust God and instead formed an alliance with Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. This alliance meant submission to Assyria, which extended beyond politics into religious assimilation. During his visit to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser, Ahaz admired the Assyrian altar, had its specifications sent to Jerusalem, and commanded the chief priest, Urijah, to construct a replica. Upon his return, Ahaz offered sacrifices on this new altar, the "great altar." Verse 15 details the final operational decree by Ahaz to Urijah, officially transferring the established Temple rituals from the God-ordained bronze altar to this new, pagan-inspired structure. The older, divinely commissioned bronze altar, symbolic of legitimate worship and atonement under Mosaic Law, was shamefully demoted and stripped of its primary sacred function.

2 Kings 16 15 Word analysis

• And King Ahaz: Refers to Ahaz, king of Judah (735-715 BC), noted in 2 Kgs 16:2 as walking "in the ways of the kings of Israel," particularly engaging in idolatry and child sacrifice. His name implies "He [God] has grasped," an ironic counterpoint to his rejection of divine leading.
• commanded (וַיְצַוֵּהוּ - vayitzavvehu): Root צָוָה (tsawah), meaning "to command" or "to instruct." Here, it signifies a royal decree. The authority of the king is applied to religious matters, specifically overriding Mosaic Law and the priest's duty.
• Urijah the priest: The high priest at the time (cf. Isa 8:2, where he serves as a witness). His name means "Yahweh is my light" or "Flame of Yahweh," making his compliance with Ahaz's syncretistic agenda deeply ironic and tragic, highlighting the priestly corruption. His failure to resist or uphold God's law represented a major compromise of the Mosaic priesthood.
• saying, "Upon the great altar (הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַגָּדוֹל - ha-mizbeaḥ ha-gadol):" This refers to the altar Ahaz had built after the one he saw in Damascus (2 Kgs 16:10-12). It was "great" in size or perhaps in its perceived significance by Ahaz. Its origin in Damascus makes it inherently foreign and implicitly idolatrous in the context of Yahweh-worship, directly violating God's command for a single, specific altar.
• burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening grain offering: These are the olah (burnt offering) and minchah (grain offering), standard daily sacrifices prescribed in Exod 29:38-42 and Num 28:1-8. Their transfer to the "great altar" signified the complete assimilation of established Temple worship into the new, defiled structure, perverting their very purpose of atonement and fellowship with God.
• and the king’s burnt offering: Ahaz's personal sacrifice, indicating his personal endorsement and leadership in this syncretism.
• and the grain offering of all the people of the land: The offerings of the entire community, indicating that this change was enforced nationally, leading to widespread spiritual defilement.
• and their drink offerings (נְסָכִים - nesakhim): Libations of wine or other liquids, a common accompanying element in many biblical sacrifices (Num 15:5-10). Their inclusion means no part of the established ritual was exempt from the transfer to the new altar.
• and throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice: Blood represented the life and atonement (Lev 17:11). Its application to this new altar implies a profound defilement of the very act of atonement, attempting to consecrate a profane structure with sacred blood, thus making the blood itself part of the perversion.
• And the altar of bronze (הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת - ha-mizbeaḥ ha-n'ḥoshet) shall be for me to inquire by": This refers to the original, legitimate bronze altar that stood in the Temple courtyard (Exod 27:1-8, 2 Chr 4:1). "Inquire by" suggests it became a place for casual consultation, personal inquiry, or possibly relegated to mere ritual consultation without its former sanctity and primary sacrificial function. It was effectively desacralized by the king and relegated from its central role as the place of divine appointment and atonement, stripped of its glory.

Words-group analysis

• "King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest": This phrase starkly highlights the perverse reversal of authority. The king, meant to uphold God's law, now dictates worship practices, and the priest, who should guard God's covenant, obeys the king over God. This is a clear abuse of both royal and priestly offices.
• "great altar" versus "altar of bronze": This juxtaposition embodies the core conflict: human innovation and foreign influence (the "great altar" from Damascus) overriding divine command and ancient covenant tradition (the "altar of bronze" from Moses). It is a physical manifestation of Judah's spiritual rebellion and syncretism.
• "all...all...all...": The repeated use of "all" (e.g., "all the blood," "all the people") emphasizes the comprehensive nature of Ahaz's reform. He did not merely introduce an alternative; he wholly transferred the existing, legitimate cultic practices onto a defiled foundation, leaving no room for Yahweh-ordained worship in its pure form.

2 Kings 16 15 Bonus section

• The Polemic against Syncretism: This verse powerfully illustrates the biblical condemnation of syncretism – the blending of true worship with pagan or worldly practices. Ahaz's actions were not merely adding a new god but perverting the very rituals intended for Yahweh. This undermines the exclusivity of Yahweh's covenant with Israel and stands as a stark warning against worshipping God in ways He has not commanded, which effectively turns worship into idolatry.
• The Significance of Ahaz's Intent: Ahaz's primary motivation appears to be political and strategic, seeking favor with Assyria. However, the Bible makes it clear that attempts to manipulate the divine through adopted foreign rituals are unacceptable. This contrasts sharply with righteous kings who diligently cleansed the Temple and reinstituted pure Yahweh worship.
• The Bronze Altar's Unstated Presence: The original bronze altar, though relegated, was not destroyed. It stands as a silent testament to God's past instructions and covenant, perhaps a constant visual reminder of Ahaz's profound rebellion, ready to be restored to its proper function by future faithful kings like Hezekiah.
• The Peril of Priestly Complacency: Urijah's compliance serves as a solemn lesson on the danger of religious leaders compromising their divine duty for political favor or personal safety. It shows how the spiritual guardian can become an instrument of spiritual decline.

2 Kings 16 15 Commentary

2 Kings 16:15 marks a pivotal and devastating moment in Judah's spiritual history under King Ahaz. It is the institutionalization of religious apostasy at the highest level, directly under royal decree and with the complicity of the high priest. By replacing the divinely ordained bronze altar with a replica of a foreign altar and commanding all sacrifices—the very means of approaching God for atonement and fellowship—to be performed upon it, Ahaz corrupted the Temple worship system at its core. This act desecrated the sacred covenant between God and His people, demonstrating a trust in pagan alliances and human innovations rather than in the Lord. The relegation of the legitimate bronze altar to a trivial function further underscores the extent of Ahaz’s contempt for the purity of Yahweh's worship, laying a heavy foundation for future divine judgment against Judah. This event highlights the peril of spiritual compromise when political expediency outweighs divine obedience.