Skip to content
mannafest.faith

2 Chronicles 11:16

in 2 Chronicles 11

Those from every tribe of Israel who had set their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

KJV

And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers.

This verse in 2 Chronicles 11

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Such as set their hearts to seek the Lord - All the truly pious joined him out of every tribe, and the whole tribe of Levi, being deprived of their functions, joined him also. Thus he had Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, and probably a part of Simeon; for he had Etam, which was in that tribe, and the truly religious out of all the other tribes, for they could not bear Jeroboam’s idolatry.

This site's exposition

set their hearts to seek

on 2 Chronicles 11:16-17

After the priests, the faithful of the other tribes follow: such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel come to Jerusalem to sacrifice, the verb Chronicles uses to measure every reign, already planted at 1 Chr 16:10-11 and returning through the book to 2 Chr 15:2, if ye seek him, he will be found of you. Their arrival strengthens the kingdom of Judah for three years, during which they walked in the way of David and Solomon. Albert Barnes notes the count matters: the fourth year brings Rehoboam's own apostasy at 12:1, and the fifth brings Shishak, so the three good years are bounded on both sides by the reign the Chronicler actually measures him by.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And after them out of all the tribes of Israel,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Note, (1.) That is best for us which is best for our souls; and, in all our choices, advantages for religion must take place of all outward conveniences. (2.) Where God's faithful priests are his faithful people should be.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

The priests and Levites, refusing to take part in the idolatrous ceremonies, were ejected from their living [2Ch 11:13, 14]. Along with them a large body of the people who faithfully adhered to the instituted worship of God, offended and shocked by the impious innovations, departed from the kingdom.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

priests for the high places i.e., Why did Jeroboam coerce them to abandon [their positions]? Because he stationed pagan priests for the satyrs.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on II Chronicles 11:15:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

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. 4 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

18 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְאַחֲרֵיהֶ֗םand after them

    veachareihemH310715 times

  • מִכֹּל֙from all

    mikolH36055413 times

  • שִׁבְטֵ֣י[the] tribes of

    shivteiH7626190 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael

    yisraelH34782507 times

  • הַנֹּֽתְנִים֙those [who] set

    hanotenimH54142011 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H85310935 times

  • לְבָבָ֔םheart their

    levavamH3824252 times

  • לְבַקֵּ֕שׁto seek

    levakeshH1245225 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H85310935 times

  • יְהוָ֖הYahweh

    yahwehH30686520 times

  • אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of

    ʾeloheiH4302601 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael

    yisraelH34782507 times

  • בָּ֚אוּthey came

    bauH9352568 times

  • יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םJerusalem

    yerushalimH3389643 times

  • לִזְבּ֕וֹחַto sacrifice

    lizboachH2076134 times

  • לַיהוָ֖הto Yahweh

    layahwehH30686520 times

  • אֱלֹהֵ֥י[the] God of

    ʾeloheiH4302601 times

  • אֲבוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃ancestors their

    ʾavoteihemH11212 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 108:1

    My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my being.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 57:7–11

      My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.

    • Psalms 145:21

      My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD; let every creature bless His holy name forever and ever.

    • Psalms 104:33

      I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

    • Psalms 71:15

      My mouth will declare Your righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot know their full measure.

    • Psalms 68:1

      God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.

  • Through

    Daniel 6:14

    As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and he labored until sundown to rescue him.

    it leads to

    • Mark 6:26

      The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.

  • Through

    Hosea 4:8

    They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 56:11

      Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

    • Micah 3:11

      Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…

About 2 Chronicles

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.