2 Kings 3 27

2 Kings 3:27 kjv

Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 3:27 nkjv

Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great indignation against Israel. So they departed from him and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 3:27 niv

Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 3:27 esv

Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 3:27 nlt

Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would have been the next king, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelites withdrew and returned to their own land.

2 Kings 3 verses

2 Kings 3 27 Meaning

2 Kings 3:27 describes a horrifying act of desperation by King Mesha of Moab, who, on the verge of defeat by the combined forces of Israel, Judah, and Edom, sacrificed his own eldest son on the city wall as a burnt offering. This extreme ritual act, performed for his god Chemosh, seemingly produced an unexpected effect: a great and ambiguous "wrath" fell upon Israel, leading the invading allied forces to retreat in confusion and return to their own lands, ending the campaign against Moab.

2 Kings 3 27 Context

This verse marks the climax of the military campaign against Moab, as detailed in 2 Kings Chapter 3. The united forces of King Jehoram of Israel, King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and the king of Edom have besieged the Moabite capital, Kir Hareseth. Earlier in the chapter, these kings consulted the prophet Elisha after being stranded without water in the desert. Elisha prophesied divine victory over Moab, enabling them to destroy their land, fell their trees, stop their springs, and fill their fields with stones. The battle had progressed with the allies successfully devastating the Moabite countryside. Cornered, King Mesha's only hope was a desperate breakthrough attempt, which failed. As his final, shocking act, King Mesha resorts to sacrificing his firstborn son—the heir to his throne—on the city wall, in full view of the Israelite camp. This event is not recorded on the Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele), a parallel account from Mesha's perspective that describes the war but attributes Moab's victories to Chemosh without mentioning the child sacrifice. The original audience would have viewed child sacrifice with absolute abhorrence, understanding it as a grave detestable practice strictly forbidden by Yahweh.

2 Kings 3 27 Word analysis

• Then he took: A direct and immediate action by King Mesha, showing his extreme desperation in a last-ditch effort.
• his eldest son: The Hebrew word for son is ben (בֵּן). The significance is immense; the firstborn son was the heir, the future of the lineage, and the most precious possession, making his sacrifice the ultimate offering to a deity.
• who was to reign in his place: This highlights the profound nature of the sacrifice—giving up not just a child, but the very succession of his kingdom, demonstrating an unparalleled level of commitment to his god Chemosh in their theology.
• and offered him as a burnt offering: The Hebrew term is ʿolah (עֹלָה), a sacrifice completely consumed by fire. While ʿolah is a common term for Israelite sacrifices to Yahweh (e.g., Lev 1:3), its application here describes a human sacrifice to a pagan god, emphasizing the profound pagan detestability of the act.
• on the wall: This implies a public, visible location, indicating Mesha’s intent to impress upon the besiegers or to appeal dramatically to his god, showing utter abandonment and public display of his commitment.
• And great wrath: The Hebrew term is qeṣeph gadol (קֶצֶף גָּדוֹל), literally "great wrath," "great indignation," or "great fury." This phrase is theologically complex and highly debated among scholars.
  • Interpretation 1: God's wrath. Some interpret this as Yahweh's wrath upon Israel for either allowing themselves to witness such an abomination, or for engaging in a campaign where a pagan act seemed to yield results, potentially tainting them or revealing some unseen sin. It might signify God's displeasure with them, though not a direct punitive act.
  • Interpretation 2: Human wrath/horror. Others view it as a great indignation or revulsion that seized the Israelite and allied forces upon witnessing such a heinous act. This profound horror or emotional disturbance could have caused them to withdraw due to moral outrage or psychological shock.
  • Interpretation 3: Divine "discomfort"/pressure on Israel. Perhaps the divine "wrath" was not direct judgment but God signaling to Israel to remove themselves from the proximity of such immense wickedness and the perceived success of paganism, lest they be defiled or confused. It was a catalyst for withdrawal, preventing further exposure to Mesha’s evil act or any misconception that Chemosh had prevailed.
  • Interpretation 4: Pagan "wrath." Less commonly, some suggest it could be a wrath from Chemosh, somehow impacting the Israelite camp, a concept not aligning with Israelite theology of God's sole power.
• came upon Israel: This phrasing suggests the "wrath" was directed or perceived by Israel. It was the catalyst for their withdrawal, implying a sudden, forceful, and compelling reason for their change in strategy.
• and they departed from him: The allied forces retreated from besieging Mesha and Moab. This signifies the immediate consequence of the "great wrath"—the abandonment of the military campaign.
• and returned to their own land: The campaign was ended, despite the prior clear divine prophecy of victory through Elisha, creating a puzzling end to a divinely sanctioned war. This sudden turn highlights the immense impact of the preceding event.

2 Kings 3 27 Bonus section

• The qeṣeph gadol (great wrath) may relate to a concept of spiritual contamination or intense revulsion from witnessing such an egregious act of child sacrifice, something explicitly forbidden by Yahweh and an abomination to Him. God would not want His people lingering or conquering "through" such an act, or for any notion to arise that a pagan deity had power equal to or greater than Him by receiving such a sacrifice.
• The incident may also highlight the sovereign control of God, even over the outcomes influenced by pagan acts. While not condoning the sacrifice, God permitted its psychological or spiritual impact to lead to Israel's withdrawal, perhaps to protect them from further defilement or to make a statement about the nature of true victory versus human-orchestrated conquest.
• The narrative serves as a reminder that victory is ultimately from the Lord, and human means, even under divine guidance, can be affected by unholy acts, underscoring the spiritual nature of warfare.

2 Kings 3 27 Commentary

The sacrifice of the crown prince by Mesha in 2 Kings 3:27 serves as a horrific illustration of desperate devotion to a pagan deity, mirroring the extreme practices that God had strictly forbidden to Israel. It functions as a dramatic climax, abruptly halting the Israelite-led allied victory that Elisha had prophesied. The ambiguity of "great wrath" is crucial: it does not necessarily denote God's punitive judgment against Israel. Rather, it may signify a profound moral and spiritual revulsion, a supernatural disruption, or a God-instigated horror that compelled the Israelite forces to withdraw. This event reminds us of the stark contrast between Yahweh's covenant love and the abhorrent demands of pagan idolatry, revealing the cost of serving false gods and emphasizing the absolute holiness required by God from His people, even in the midst of war. The impact was so severe that it undermined the divine victory Elisha had foretold, either through an unspecified spiritual consequence, or by inciting overwhelming psychological revulsion in the besiegers.