But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
Parallel translations
- WEB But if you turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
- BSB But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods,
- NKJV “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them,
- NASB “But if you turn away and abandon My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
- NLT “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods,
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
God warns that if they turn away to serve other gods, judgment will follow. It states the somber alternative to covenant faithfulness.
Overview
The warning shifts to the consequences of apostasy: forsaking God's statutes and worshiping idols. Idolatry is the great covenant betrayal that breaks fellowship with God. This sober word foreshadows the very sins that would later bring exile, highlighting humanity's need for a Savior who keeps covenant perfectly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Lev 26:14But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
- Deut 28:15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
- Lev 26:33–46And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
- 1 Chr 28:9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
- Deut 4:23–27Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
- 1 Kgs 9:6–7But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
- Deut 28:36–68The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
- 1 Kgs 11:4–8For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
- 1 Sam 12:25But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
- Josh 23:15–16Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
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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 7:19 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.