2 Chronicles 14

2 Chronicles · Chapter 14

2 Chronicles 14:3

1So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.2And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:4And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.6And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.7Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.8And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.9And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.10Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.11And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.12So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.13And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.14And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.15They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles.for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,

In context

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he removedוַיָּ֛סַרvai-YA-sarH5493G
departed

יָסוּר (ya.sur) those departing, revolting

[the] altars ofמִזְבְּח֥וֹתmiz-be-CHOTH4196
sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) sacrifice Aramaic of miz.be.ach (מִזְבֵּחַ "altar" H4196)

the foreignnessהַנֵּכָ֖רha-ne-KHARH5236
foreign

נֵכָר (ne.khar) 1) foreign, alien, foreignness, that which is foreign 1a) foreignness, foreign gods 1b) alien, foreigner 1c) foreign (vanities)

and the high placesוְהַבָּמ֑וֹתve-ha-ba-MOTH1116
high place

בָּמָה (ba.mah) 1) high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform) 1a) high place, mountain 1b) high places, battlefields 1c) high places (as places of worship) 1d) funeral mound?

and he broke downוַיְשַׁבֵּר֙vay-sha-BERH7665
to break

שָׁבַר (sha.var) 1) to break, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench 1a2) to break, rupture (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked 1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig) 1c) (Piel) to shatter, break 1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth 1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)

the sacred pillarsהַמַּצֵּב֔וֹתha-ma-tze-VOTH4676
pillar

מַצֵּבָה (mats.tse.vah) 1) pillar, mastaba, stump 1a) pillar 1a1) as monument, personal memorial 1a2) with an altar 1b)(Hoph) stock, stump (of tree)

and he cut downוַיְגַדַּ֖עvay-ga-DA'H1438
to cut down/off

גָּדַע (ga.da) 1) to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off 1a) (Qal) to hew, chop in two 1b) (Niphal) to be chopped off, be hewn off 1c) (Piel) to cut off or down in two, hew off or down in two 1d) (Pual) to chop down, hew down

the Asherah polesהָאֲשֵׁרִֽים׃ha-'a-she-RIMH0842
Asherah

אֲשֵׁרָה (a.she.rah) § Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)" a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images her images sacred trees or poles set up near an altar

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.