And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
Parallel translations
- WEB He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.
- KJV And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.
- NKJV And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.
- NASB He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, only not wholeheartedly.
- NLT Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly.
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
Amaziah did right in the LORD's eyes, but not with a perfect or wholehearted heart. Divided devotion falls short of true faithfulness.
Overview
The Chronicler's qualified verdict signals that Amaziah's obedience lacked full sincerity and perseverance. Outward conformity without a wholehearted heart proved unstable, as his later idolatry would show. This warns that God desires not mere external religion but undivided love, the very wholeness Christ alone perfectly renders to the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 2 Chr 25:14When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them.
- Jas 4:8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Isa 29:13Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
- 2 Chr 24:2And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
- Acts 8:21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
- 2 Chr 26:4And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
- 2 Kgs 14:4Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
- Jas 1:8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
- Hos 10:2Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.
- Ps 78:37Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
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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 25:2 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
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