2 Kings 21:7 kjv
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
2 Kings 21:7 nkjv
He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;
2 Kings 21:7 niv
He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.
2 Kings 21:7 esv
And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.
2 Kings 21:7 nlt
Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the LORD had told David and his son Solomon: "My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem ? the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.
2 Kings 21 7 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference---|---|---Exod 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." | Direct command against idolatry and idol-making.Deut 12:2-4 | "...destroy all the places... on the high mountains and on the hills... and tear down their altars... You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way." | Command to eradicate pagan worship sites and not defile Yahweh's worship.1 Kgs 8:13 | "I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever." | Solomon's dedication, affirming the Temple as God's perpetual dwelling.1 Kgs 9:3 | "My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." | God's promise regarding His presence in the Temple if obedient.1 Kgs 11:4-8 | "For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods... for he went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites." | Earlier kings' sins with pagan deities, foreshadowing Manasseh's idolatry.2 Kgs 17:10-11 | "They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations whom the Lord carried away before them had done." | Practices of the northern kingdom, warnings against which Judah fell into.Ps 78:58 | "For they provoked him with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their carved images." | Reflects God's anger at idolatry.Ps 132:13-14 | "For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: 'This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell...'" | Affirmation of Zion and the Temple as God's chosen dwelling.Isa 1:12-13 | "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me." | Prophetic rebuke of corrupted worship.Jer 7:1-11 | Temple sermon where Jeremiah warns that the Temple will not save them if they commit abominations within it. | God warns against trust in the Temple while practicing idolatry.Jer 32:34-35 | "But they set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. They built the high places of Baal... to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech..." | Another example of Temple profanation, specifically linking it to child sacrifice as Manasseh did.Ezek 5:11 | "Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things..." | Prophetic indictment for Temple defilement.Ezek 8:5-18 | Ezekiel's vision of abominations within the Temple, including idol worship, creeping things, and Tammuz. | Vivid portrayal of idolatry directly within the Temple grounds.Mal 2:11 | "Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord..." | A later indictment of Judah's defilement of the sanctuary.Rom 1:21-23 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him... exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." | New Testament perspective on humanity's inclination towards idolatry.1 Cor 3:16-17 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." | Principle of holiness and desecration applied to the individual as God's temple.2 Cor 6:16 | "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God..." | Emphasizes the incompatibility of God's dwelling with idols.Rev 21:22 | "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb." | Vision of the new Jerusalem where God's direct presence replaces the need for a physical temple.Acts 7:48 | "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands..." | Stephen's speech highlighting that God's presence is not limited by physical structures, but also emphasizing the holy nature of His chosen dwelling.Heb 9:8 | "...the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy place has not yet been opened as long as the first tabernacle is still standing." | Highlights the Temple's holiness and foreshadows its ultimate purpose in Christ.Heb 10:29 | "How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant..." | Draws parallel to profaning what is holy, linking it to spiritual consequences.
2 Kings 21 verses
2 Kings 21 7 Meaning
2 Kings 21:7 states that King Manasseh took a carved idol of Asherah and placed it in the very Temple in Jerusalem, the place of which Yahweh Himself had explicitly declared that His name would dwell there permanently, for both Judah and Israel. This act was a profound violation of God's covenant and His sanctuary, embodying extreme idolatry and defiance.
2 Kings 21 7 Context
This verse is situated in the midst of the narrative of King Manasseh's incredibly wicked reign over Judah, spanning 55 years (2 Kgs 21:1-18; 2 Chr 33:1-20). He reversed the religious reforms of his father, Hezekiah, who had purged idolatry from Judah. Manasseh systematically reintroduced and promoted pagan worship throughout the land, including erecting high places, building altars for Baal, and worshipping "all the host of heaven." The act described in verse 7—placing an Asherah image directly within the sacred confines of the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem—is presented as the zenith of his blasphemous idolatry. It signifies a profound desecration of the singular place where God had chosen to make His name dwell, challenging the very foundation of the Israelite covenant and identity. This unprecedented level of apostasy ultimately set the stage for Judah's eventual destruction and exile, as prophesied later in 2 Kings 21:10-15.
2 Kings 21 7 Word analysis
- And he set: Refers to King Manasseh, underscoring his personal and authoritative responsibility for this act of desecration. The active verb implies a deliberate and intentional action, not merely passive tolerance of idolatry.
- a carved image: (Heb. פֶּסֶל - pesel) Implies an idol made by human hands, sculpted or hewn, highlighting the emptiness of an object given divine honor. This term contrasts starkly with the living God who cannot be contained by human artifice.
- of the Asherah: (Heb. אֲשֵׁרָה - Asherah) This refers to both the Canaanite goddess, consort of El or Baal, and a cultic wooden pole or tree symbol representing her. It was a primary symbol of pagan fertility worship prevalent among Israel's neighbors. Its presence symbolized syncretism, blending the worship of Yahweh with pagan practices, which was strictly forbidden by God's law. Placing it in the Temple was a direct polemic against Yahweh's singularity and holiness.
- that he had made: Reiterates Manasseh's active role and ownership of the abomination. He crafted or commissioned it, emphasizing his initiative in apostasy.
- in the house: Refers specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem, God's chosen dwelling place among His people.
- of which the LORD had said: (Heb. אֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְהוָה - asher amar Yahweh) Emphasizes that this act was a direct and blatant contradiction to Yahweh's explicit pronouncements regarding His dwelling place. It highlights Manasseh's direct defiance of divine command.
- To David and to Solomon His son: Refers to the promises and covenant made with the Davidic dynasty regarding the perpetual presence of God's name in the Temple (e.g., 2 Sam 7, 1 Kgs 8-9). This specific promise makes Manasseh's act particularly heinous as it desecrates the very legacy he inherited.
- 'In this house and in Jerusalem': Clearly specifies the consecrated location that God chose for His name to dwell and for His permanent covenantal presence.
- 'which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel': Underscores God's sovereignty and deliberate choice of Jerusalem and the Temple as His sacred dwelling, making the defilement even more offensive.
- 'I will put my name forever': A powerful declaration of God's permanent presence, covenant fidelity, and identification with the Temple. The "name" of God signifies His very presence, character, and authority. Placing a pagan idol where God had sworn to put His eternal name was an ultimate affront to His nature and covenant.
2 Kings 21 7 Bonus section
The phrase "I will put my name forever" implies not just a physical dwelling but a declaration of Yahweh's authority and unique identity in that place. It's a statement of His unwavering commitment to His people, conditioned on their faithfulness. Manasseh's act was thus an attempt to usurp God's sovereignty and dilute His presence with pagan deities, fundamentally redefining Israel's relationship with God. This episode also stands as a potent polemic against syncretism, affirming that Yahweh, the God of Israel, tolerates no rival gods within His sacred domain or in the worship of His people. The consequences that followed, culminating in the Babylonian exile, were directly attributed by prophets to Manasseh's egregious sins, especially the defilement of the Temple and the innocent blood he shed (2 Kgs 24:3-4).
2 Kings 21 7 Commentary
Manasseh's placing of the Asherah image in the Temple of Yahweh was not merely another instance of idolatry; it was a profound act of blasphemy and spiritual adultery. It violated God's explicit commands and desecrated the sanctity of the one place He had chosen to reside among His people. The Asherah pole, representing fertility cults and polytheism, stood as a direct challenge to Yahweh's singularity, holiness, and covenant relationship with Israel. This audacious act demonstrated Manasseh's complete disregard for God's holiness and His foundational covenant with His people, which stipulated exclusive worship. It marked the pinnacle of Israel's descent into apostasy during the monarchy and foreshadowed the severe divine judgment that would fall upon Judah. It vividly illustrates how deeply embedded pagan worship had become in Judah, even infiltrating the holiest sanctuary.