2 Chronicles 34:31
in 2 Chronicles 34So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
KJV
And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 34
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem
on 2 Chronicles 34:29-31
Where Kings has prophets, Chronicles names “the priests and the Levites,” a change Albert Barnes calls typical of this book's credit to the Levites. The king himself reads the covenant “in their hearing”. He then stands by the pillar and makes the covenant before he binds the nation to it.
This site's exposition
the king stood by the pillar
Joash was crowned standing by his pillar in 23:13, so the place was the king's own station in the temple court. The covenant binds all his heart and all his soul, the words of Deuteronomy 6:5. Matthew Henry notes that the king then urged the people to give their consent.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), and urged the people to declare their consent likewise to this covenant, and solemnly to promise that they would faithfully perform, fulfil, and keep, all and every thing that was on their part to be done, according to this covenant: this they did; they could not for shame do otherwise.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Much of this we had 2 Kings xxii. 1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the L ORD , and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:87%@v1-3
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Made a covenant - See on 2Ki 23:3 (note). And see the notes on that and the preceding chapter, 2 Chronicles 33 (note), for the circumstances detailed here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּעֲמֹ֨ד | vaiyaamod | and he stood | H5975 → | 521 times |
| הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עָמְד֗וֹ | amedo | place his | H5977 → | 9 times |
| וַיִּכְרֹ֣ת | vaiyikhrot | and he made | H3772 → | 288 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַבְּרִית֮ | haberit | the covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָה֒ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָלֶ֜כֶת | lalekhet | to walk | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֣י | ʾacharei | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְלִשְׁמ֤וֹר | velishmor | and to keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִצְוֹתָיו֙ | mitzvotav | commandments his | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וְעֵֽדְוֹתָ֣יו | veedevotav | and testimonies his | H5715 → | 59 times |
| וְחֻקָּ֔יו | vechukav | and statutes his | H2706 → | 127 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | with all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְבָב֖וֹ | levavo | heart his | H3824 → | 252 times |
| וּבְכָל־ | uvekhol- | and with all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| נַפְשׁ֑וֹ | nafsho | being his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ | laasot | to observe | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דִּבְרֵ֣י | divrei | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַבְּרִ֔ית | haberit | the covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
| הַכְּתוּבִ֖ים | haketuvim | which was written | H3789 → | 224 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַסֵּ֥פֶר | hasefer | the scroll | H5612 → | 186 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיַּעֲמֹ֨דand he stood
vaiyaamodH5975 →521 times
הַמֶּ֜לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
עַל־at
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
עָמְד֗וֹplace his
amedoH5977 →9 times
וַיִּכְרֹ֣תand he made
vaiyikhrotH3772 →288 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַבְּרִית֮the covenant
haberitH1285 →284 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָה֒Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָלֶ֜כֶתto walk
lalekhetH1980 →1546 times
אַחֲרֵ֣יafter
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְלִשְׁמ֤וֹרand to keep
velishmorH8104 →468 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מִצְוֹתָיו֙commandments his
mitzvotavH4687 →181 times
וְעֵֽדְוֹתָ֣יוand testimonies his
veedevotavH5715 →59 times
וְחֻקָּ֔יוand statutes his
vechukavH2706 →127 times
בְּכָל־with all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
לְבָב֖וֹheart his
levavoH3824 →252 times
וּבְכָל־and with all
uvekhol-H3605 →5413 times
נַפְשׁ֑וֹbeing his
nafshoH5315 →754 times
לַעֲשׂוֹת֙to observe
laasotH6213 →2628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דִּבְרֵ֣י[the] words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
הַבְּרִ֔יתthe covenant
haberitH1285 →284 times
הַכְּתוּבִ֖יםwhich was written
haketuvimH3789 →224 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַסֵּ֥פֶרthe scroll
haseferH5612 →186 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 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
2 Kings 23:3So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul,…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 11:17
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 11:14
And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and…
- 2 Kings 11:17
Through
2 Chronicles 23:16Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 29:10
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 29:10
Through
2 Chronicles 6:13Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 8:54
Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward…
- Nehemiah 8:4
Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum,…
- Ezra 9:5
At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
- 1 Kings 8:54
Through
2 Kings 11:14And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 23:3
So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul,…
- 2 Kings 23:3
Through
2 Chronicles 15:12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
it leads to
- Acts 24:14
I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and…
- Acts 24:14
Where this verse is studied
About 2 Chronicles
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.