1 Kings 14:15
in 1 Kings 14For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For Jehovah will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking Jehovah to anger.
KJV
For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.
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This verse in 1 Kings 14
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The general prophecy of Moses Deu 29:28, that the disobedient Israelites would be rooted up out of their land, and cast into another land, is here for the first time repeated, and is definitively applied to the ten tribes, which are to be removed “beyond the river” (the Euphrates, 1Ki 4:21, 1Ki 4:24), and “scattered.” On the fulfillment of this prophecy, and especially on the “scattering” of the ten tribes, see 2Ki 17:6 note. Groves - See Exo 34:13 note.
This site's exposition
raise him up a king over Israel
on 1 Kings 14:14-16
Verse 14 closes with one of the chapter's hardest phrases, but what? even now, and the bench divides over whether it names an already-rising rival or simply breaks off Ahijah's sentence in urgency, both readings held here without a verdict between them. Verse 15 promises Israel's own exile centuries early, root up Israel out of this good land and scatter them beyond the river, the Assyrian deportation described before it has a name attached to it. Verse 16 gives the book's first who made Israel to sin, a refrain that falls sixteen more times before Josiah burns the Bethel altar at 2 Ki 23:15, and every northern king from here forward is weighed against this one sentence.
This site's exposition
as a reed is shaken in the water
John Wesley reads the reed as a picture of the kingdom to come, tossed by invasions, rival kings and civil wars. Albert Barnes notes that the warning of Deuteronomy 29:28 is here first applied to the ten tribes. Assyria fulfilled it at 2 Kings 17:6.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
David - Who though he fell into some sins, yet, first, he constantly persevered in the true worship of God; from which thou art revolted. Secondly, he heartily repented of, and turned from all his sins whereas thou art obstinate and incorrigible.
Is shaken - Hither and thither, with every wind. So shall the kingdom and people of Israel be always in an unquiet and unsettled posture, tossed to and fro by foreign invasions and civil wars; by opposite kings and factions, and by the dissensions of the people.
And the Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
For the Lord shall smite Israel - See this prophecy fulfilled, 1Ki 15:28-30, when Baasha destroyed all the house and posterity of Jeroboam.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Who will cut off the house of Yerovom this day and also those that will be born. Those who are already born to him this day, and those who are destined to be born to him from now on, so did [Targum] Yonoson render.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
29 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִכָּ֨ה | vehikah | and he will strike down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| יְהוָ֜ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָנ֣וּד | yanud | it sways | H5110 → | |
| הַקָּנֶה֮ | hakaneh | <the> reed | H7070 → | |
| בַּמַּיִם֒ | bamayim | in the water | H4325 → | 581 times |
| וְנָתַ֣שׁ | venatash | and he will pluck up | H5428 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| מֵ֠עַל | meal | from on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הָאֲדָמָ֨ה | haadamah | the ground | H127 → | 225 times |
| הַטּוֹבָ֤ה | hatovah | <the> good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| הַזֹּאת֙ | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַן֙ | natan | he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לַאֲב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם | laavoteihem | to ancestors their | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְזֵרָ֖ם | vezeram | and he will scatter them | H2219 → | |
| מֵעֵ֣בֶר | meever | from [the] other side | H5676 → | 90 times |
| לַנָּהָ֑ר | lanahar | of the River | H5104 → | 119 times |
| יַ֗עַן | yaan | because | H3282 → | 99 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָשׂוּ֙ | ʾasu | they have made | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲשֵׁ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾashereihem | Asherah poles their | H842 → | 40 times |
| מַכְעִיסִ֖ים | makhisim | provoking to anger | H3707 → | 54 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְהִכָּ֨הand he will strike down
vehikahH5221 →499 times
יְהוָ֜הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
יָנ֣וּדit sways
yanudH5110 →
הַקָּנֶה֮<the> reed
hakanehH7070 →
בַּמַּיִם֒in the water
bamayimH4325 →581 times
וְנָתַ֣שׁand he will pluck up
venatashH5428 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
מֵ֠עַלfrom on
mealH5921 →5755 times
הָאֲדָמָ֨הthe ground
haadamahH127 →225 times
הַטּוֹבָ֤ה<the> good
hatovahH2896 →538 times
הַזֹּאת֙<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָתַן֙he gave
natanH5414 →2011 times
לַאֲב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔םto ancestors their
laavoteihemH1 →1212 times
וְזֵרָ֖םand he will scatter them
vezeramH2219 →
מֵעֵ֣בֶרfrom [the] other side
meeverH5676 →90 times
לַנָּהָ֑רof the River
lanaharH5104 →119 times
יַ֗עַןbecause
yaanH3282 →99 times
אֲשֶׁ֤רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עָשׂוּ֙they have made
ʾasuH6213 →2628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֲשֵׁ֣רֵיהֶ֔םAsherah poles their
ʾashereihemH842 →40 times
מַכְעִיסִ֖יםprovoking to anger
makhisimH3707 →54 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 52:5Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
it leads to
- Proverbs 2:22
but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
- Psalms 27:13
Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
- Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This…
- Proverbs 2:22
Through
2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people…
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 5:26
So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And…
- 2 Kings 17:6
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the…
- 1 Kings 15:20
And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.
- Joshua 20:7
So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
- 2 Kings 16:7
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are…
- 1 Chronicles 5:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); F. W. Farrar, The First Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Keil, The Books of the Kings.
