2 Chronicles 34:2
in 2 Chronicles 34And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
KJV
And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 34
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Josiah was eight years old when he became king
on 2 Chronicles 34:1-2
Chronicles opens Josiah as Kings does: “Josiah was eight years old when he became king,” and he reigned thirty-one years. The refrain that “he did not turn aside to the right or to the left” is the book's verdict on a reign across two chapters.
This site's exposition
he did not turn aside to the right or to the left
The phrase comes from Deuteronomy 17:20, where the king is told to turn neither to the right nor to the left. Adam Clarke reads it as a steady reform, pressed far enough and kept within due bounds. Matthew Henry notes that there are errors on both sides of the road.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
With zeal immense, Josiah, Himself a prince, acted in such a way As no one before or after him had ever done!—Idols he Dethroned; destroyed unhallowed temples; burned With fire priests on their altars; all the bones Of false prophets were dug up; the altars …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), approved himself to God, trod in the steps of David, and did not decline either to the right hand of to the left: for there are errors on both hands. That while he was young, about sixteen years old, he began to seek after God,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left - He never swerved from God and truth; he never omitted what he knew to be his duty to God and his kingdom; he carried on his reformation with a steady hand; timidity did not prevent him from going far enough; and zeal did not lead him beyond due bounds. He walked in the golden mean, and his moderation was known unto all men. He went neither to the right nor to the left, he looked inward, looked forward, and looked upward.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֥עַשׂ | vaiyaas | and he did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| הַיָּשָׁ֖ר | haiyashar | the right | H3477 → | 119 times |
| בְּעֵינֵ֣י | beeinei | in [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ | vaiyelekh | and he walked | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּדַרְכֵי֙ | bedarkhei | in [the] ways of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| דָּוִ֣יד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אָבִ֔יו | ʾaviv | ancestor his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| סָ֖ר | sar | he turned aside | H5493 → | 299 times |
| יָמִ֥ין | yamin | right | H3225 → | 140 times |
| וּשְׂמֹֽאול׃ | usemol | and left | H8040 → | 54 times |
וַיַּ֥עַשׂand he did
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
הַיָּשָׁ֖רthe right
haiyasharH3477 →119 times
בְּעֵינֵ֣יin [the] eyes of
beeineiH5869 →887 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וַיֵּ֗לֶךְand he walked
vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times
בְּדַרְכֵי֙in [the] ways of
bedarkheiH1870 →707 times
דָּוִ֣ידDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אָבִ֔יוancestor his
ʾavivH1 →1212 times
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
סָ֖רhe turned aside
sarH5493 →299 times
יָמִ֥יןright
yaminH3225 →140 times
וּשְׂמֹֽאול׃and left
usemolH8040 →54 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
Joshua 1:7Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 5:32
So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 4:27
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 22:13
Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
- Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper…
- Joshua 11:15
As the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Deuteronomy 5:32
Through
Deuteronomy 28:14Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.
it leads to
- Isaiah 30:21
And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
- Isaiah 30:21
Through
Deuteronomy 5:32So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
it leads to
- Joshua 23:6
Be very strong, then, so that you can keep and obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, not turning aside from it to the right or to the…
- Joshua 23:6
Through
1 Kings 14:8I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart,…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 28:1
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 28:1
Where this verse is studied
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Pseudo-Tertullian, FIVE BOOKS IN REPLY TO MARCION 3.184-191.