And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.
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.
- BSB And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
- 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 25:14Now after Amaziah had come from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense 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 29:13The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;
- 2 Chr 24:2Joash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
- Acts 8:21You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.
- 1 Sam 16:7But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
- 2 Chr 26:4He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
- 2 Kgs 14:4However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
- Jas 1:8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
- Hos 10:2Their heart is divided. Now they will be found guilty. He will demolish their altars. He will destroy their sacred stones.
- Ps 78:37For their heart was not right with him, neither were they faithful in 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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