2 Kings 21:12 kjv
Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
2 Kings 21:12 nkjv
therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.
2 Kings 21:12 niv
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
2 Kings 21:12 esv
therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
2 Kings 21:12 nlt
So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror.
2 Kings 21 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 18:24-25 | "Do not defile yourselves...for by all these the nations...became defiled...so the land became defiled, and I punished its iniquity..." | Consequences of idolatry/defilement |
| Deut 28:15-68 | "But if you will not obey...all these curses shall come upon you..." (extensive list of curses including calamities and terror) | Covenant curses for disobedience |
| 1 Sam 3:11 | "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle." | Foreshadows God's judgment making ears tingle (on Eli's house) |
| Isa 3:8 | "For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence." | Reasons for Judah's fall |
| Jer 19:3 | "...Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle.'" | Direct parallel, specific to Jerusalem, with "ears will tingle" |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "...I am bringing against this land...I will make them a desolation and a horror...and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Babylon as the instrument of judgment |
| Jer 32:29 | "The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it...because of all the evil..." | Fire as a judgment, due to evil |
| Ez 9:8 | "While they were striking down, and I was left alone, I fell on my face and cried, 'Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all that remains of Israel in pouring out your wrath on Jerusalem?'" | Extent of divine wrath on Jerusalem |
| Ez 14:13 | "Son of man, if a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it..." | Consequences of faithlessness/idolatry |
| Hos 8:1 | "...They have transgressed my covenant and rebelled against my law." | Covenant breach as cause for judgment |
| Nah 1:6 | "Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him." | God's fierce indignation against sin |
| Matt 24:21 | "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." | Future eschatological judgment/tribulation |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." | God's righteous wrath against unrighteousness |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "...But according to your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath...He will render to each one according to his works..." | Justice in judgment for unrepentance |
| Heb 10:30-31 | "For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." | God's ultimate justice and vengeance |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" | Judgment beginning with God's people |
| 2 Ki 24:3-4 | "Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them from his presence, because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done..." | Direct attribution of judgment to Manasseh's sin |
| Jer 15:4 | "And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem." | Judgment due to Manasseh's specific actions |
| Lam 1:12 | "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, with which the Lord has afflicted me on the day of his fierce anger." | Expression of the overwhelming nature of Jerusalem's sorrow |
| Ezra 9:6-7 | "O my God, I am ashamed...For our iniquities have risen higher than our heads...From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt..." | Acknowledging inherited guilt and deserved judgment |
| Ps 78:58-60 | "They provoked him to anger...So God heard, and was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals..." | God abandoning His dwelling due to provocation |
| Neh 9:28-31 | "But when they had rest, they did evil again...you withdrew and gave them to the hand of their enemies...many times you delivered them...yet in your great mercies you did not make a complete end of them." | Cycles of disobedience, judgment, and God's patience/mercy |
| Zeph 1:14-16 | "The great day of the Lord is near...A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom..." | The dreadful "Day of the Lord" |
2 Kings 21 verses
2 Kings 21 12 Meaning
2 Kings 21:12 states a definitive and severe judgment pronounced by the Lord, the God of Israel, upon Jerusalem and Judah. Because of the extreme wickedness, particularly during Manasseh's reign, the Lord declares He will bring a catastrophe so horrifying that all who merely hear of it will experience an intense physical reaction of shock and dread, signifying its unprecedented and terrifying nature.
2 Kings 21 12 Context
This verse delivers a pronouncement of irreversible judgment during the reign of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-18). Manasseh, the son of the righteous King Hezekiah, tragically reversed all his father's reforms. He rebuilt the high places, erected altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole, worshiped the host of heaven, practiced divination, magic, and dealt with mediums. Most abominably, he sacrificed his own son by fire, demonstrating the ultimate depravity. Furthermore, Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, symbolizing severe oppression and murder. His actions surpassed even the detestable practices of the Canaanites whom the Lord had driven out before Israel, drawing a clear parallel of extreme covenant violation. Despite repeated warnings from the prophets (2 Ki 21:10), Manasseh and the people stubbornly refused to turn from their evil ways. The Lord's patience reached its absolute limit, leading to this severe decree. This divine word highlights that a threshold of sin had been crossed, making judgment inevitable for the apostasy and innocent blood shed within the holy city.
2 Kings 21 12 Word analysis
Therefore (לָכֵן, lakhen): Signifies a logical consequence or conclusion drawn from what has just been described. It marks the divine response to the pervasive and persistent wickedness of Manasseh and Judah (detailed in 2 Kin 21:1-11), establishing a direct cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and God's judgment.
thus says (כֹּה אָמַר, koh amar): A formal prophetic declaration formula, emphasizing divine authority and direct speech from God. It highlights that this judgment is not human speculation but an unequivocal word from the Sovereign of all creation.
the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH): The covenant name of God, indicating His personal relationship and faithfulness to His people, Israel. However, here it underscores that this judgment comes from the very God they were meant to obey and serve, demonstrating His justice in holding them accountable to the covenant they repeatedly broke.
the God of Israel (אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, 'Elohei Yisra'el): Reaffirms God's specific relationship with Israel as His chosen people, implying His inherent right and obligation to judge them when they deviate severely from His covenant. It emphasizes that this judgment is from their own God, whom they provoked.
Behold (הִנֵּה, hinneh): An interjection demanding immediate attention, indicating something profoundly significant and imminent. It serves as a stark warning and a call to witness the terrifying reality of what is about to transpire.
I am bringing (אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא, anokhi mevi): Stresses divine initiative and agency. God Himself is the one orchestrating and delivering this calamity; it is not a random occurrence but a sovereign act of justice.
such calamity (רָעָה, ra'ah): This Hebrew term signifies evil, harm, disaster, or affliction. Its use here conveys an unprecedented, extreme, and devastating event or series of events that will afflict Judah and Jerusalem. It suggests a judgment so terrible that it defies common comparison.
upon Jerusalem and Judah: Specifies the targets of God's wrath. Jerusalem, as the capital and religious center, bears primary culpability due to its deep-seated idolatry and innocent blood shed within its walls. Judah represents the broader kingdom under Manasseh's corrupting influence.
that whoever hears of it (כֹּל שֹׁמְעָיו, kol shom'av): Denotes the widespread knowledge and profound impact of this judgment. It signifies that the disaster will not be confined to a local event but will be notorious, discussed far and wide due to its unprecedented severity.
both his ears will tingle (תִּצַּלְנָה שְׁתֵּי אָזְנָיו, titzzalnah shte ozenav): An idiomatic expression for extreme shock, horror, or dread. The sound of a ringing or vibrating in the ears is metaphorically linked to hearing something so horrific and astounding that it causes a physical sensation of overwhelming terror and disbelief. This phrase has appeared previously (1 Sam 3:11) to denote God's astounding judgment.
"thus says the LORD, the God of Israel": This divine pronouncement sequence highlights the ultimate authority behind the judgment. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty and covenant fidelity even in executing punishment. This is not a human prediction but a divine decree.
"I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah": This phrase emphasizes God's active involvement in the impending disaster. It's a direct, intentional act of divine judgment, not a passive consequence. The calamity's scale will be immense, engulfing the heart of the kingdom.
"whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle": This is a powerful, graphic idiom that conveys the utterly shocking and unprecedented nature of the impending doom. It implies widespread terror and incredulity, showing the profound degree of devastation that will elicit such a visceral reaction from anyone who even gets wind of it. It indicates a public, notorious, and extremely harrowing catastrophe.
2 Kings 21 12 Bonus section
The gravity of the pronouncement in 2 Kings 21:12 signals a theological principle often seen in biblical narratives: there can be a 'point of no return' in corporate sin, where God's just wrath is finally poured out. Manasseh's generation essentially sealed Judah's fate. While later kings like Josiah would attempt reforms, the deep roots of idolatry and corruption established by Manasseh were too ingrained in the people to be fully purged, as noted in Jer 15:4. This verse underscores the tragic culmination of generations of sin, highlighting God's immense patience preceding His inevitable judgment. It also illustrates a form of divine warfare or "holy war" where the Lord fights against His own covenant people for their severe covenant breaking.
2 Kings 21 12 Commentary
2 Kings 21:12 presents a climactic moment in Judah's spiritual decline, a divine declaration of ultimate judgment. The verse is profoundly solemn, framed by the authoritative prophetic formula "thus says the LORD, the God of Israel." This immediately establishes the divine, unquestionable source of the coming catastrophe. The term "calamity" (ra'ah) here is potent, denoting an evil or disaster so overwhelming that it defies easy description. It speaks to the accumulation of Judah's sins, particularly those perpetrated under King Manasseh, whose extreme idolatry, child sacrifice, divination, and immense shedding of innocent blood reached a point of no return. God, holy and just, whose patience had been tested beyond measure, declares an irreversible action.
The most vivid imagery in the verse is the idiom "both his ears will tingle." This conveys the extreme nature of the impending judgment. It will be so horrifying, so utterly devastating, that even mere rumor or a verbal account of it will cause a physical sensation of terror and shock, marking it as historically unparalleled for Judah. This judgment is not a mere natural disaster but a divine, deliberate response to their profound rebellion against their covenant Lord. It demonstrates God's righteousness, revealing that sin, especially prolonged and defiant wickedness, ultimately carries dire consequences, leading to an irrevocable turning point where only judgment remains. This prophecy foreshadows the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem, illustrating that even His chosen people are not immune to divine justice when they utterly forsake Him.