2 kings 15:9 - He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, as his fathers had done. He didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.

Generated Verse: 2 kings 15:9

What does "2 kings 15:9" mean?


This verse is a negative assessment of the reign of Zechariah, King of Israel. Let's break down the meaning:

"He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight": This is a standard phrase used in the books of Kings to describe a king who displeased God. It means he acted against God's laws and commandments. The specifics of what constitutes "evil" are often elaborated upon later in the king's summary, but this verse sets the tone.

"as his fathers had done": This means he continued the practices of his predecessors who were also deemed evil by the narrator/author of Kings. It establishes a pattern of disobedience within the ruling dynasty.

"He didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin": This is the crucial detail. Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the split, is consistently portrayed as the archetype of evil in the eyes of the Deuteronomistic historian (the supposed author/editor of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings). His "sin" was the establishment of alternative worship sites (golden calves at Bethel and Dan) instead of worshipping at the Temple in Jerusalem (which was in the southern kingdom of Judah). This was seen as a direct violation of the command to worship Yahweh in the place he had chosen. So, the phrase implies that Zechariah continued to allow or even encourage the Israelites to worship at these unauthorized sanctuaries, thus leading them astray from proper worship of Yahweh.

In summary: The verse means that Zechariah was a bad king because he continued the heretical religious practices introduced by Jeroboam I, and he thereby led the people of Israel away from the "true" worship of Yahweh as defined by the authors of Kings.

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