2 Kings 18:3-5
New English Translation
3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done.[a] 4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole.[b] He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time[c] the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan.[d] 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 18:3 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”
- 2 Kings 18:4 tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
- 2 Kings 18:4 tn Heb “until those days.”
- 2 Kings 18:4 tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nekhash hannekhoshet), “bronze serpent.”
- 2 Kings 18:5 tn Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”
2 Kings 18:3-5
New International Version
3 He did what was right(A) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(B) had done. 4 He removed(C) the high places,(D) smashed the sacred stones(E) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake(F) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.[a])
5 Hezekiah trusted(G) in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake.
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