But sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not in the ways of Israel.
- BSB but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel.
- NKJV but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.
- NASB but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did.
- NLT He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jehoshaphat sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, not in Israel's ways. He chose covenant obedience over the northern kingdom's idolatry.
Overview
Jehoshaphat deliberately distances himself from the apostate practices of Israel and pursues God's law. The contrast highlights the choice every generation faces between faithfulness and conformity to surrounding sin. His obedient seeking of God models the wholehearted devotion the gospel calls believers to in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Kgs 12:28Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
- Luke 1:6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
- 1 Th 2:12That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
- 1 Th 4:1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
- 2 Kgs 17:19Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
- 2 Kgs 8:18And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- Hos 4:15Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.
- Jer 3:7–8And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
- 1 Kgs 12:30And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
- 1 Kgs 12:33So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
- 1 Kgs 16:31–33And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
- 1 Kgs 13:33–34After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 17:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.