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In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 21:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of Yahweh’s house.
  • KJV And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
  • NKJV And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
  • NASB He built altars for all the heavenly lights in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord.
  • NLT He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple.

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

He builds altars to the host of heaven in both courts of the temple. The defilement spreads through the sacred precincts.

Overview

Manasseh extends his star-worship into the very courts of the LORD's house, multiplying the offense against God. The systematic corruption of holy space shows the thoroughness of his apostasy. Such defilement underscores how far Judah had strayed and heightens the longing for the holy King who would restore right worship of God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • 1 Kgs 7:12The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.
  • 2 Kgs 23:12He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
  • 2 Kgs 23:4Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
  • 1 Kgs 6:36Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
  • Ezek 42:3Gallery faced gallery in three levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.
  • Ezek 43:5Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
  • Ezek 40:28Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others.
  • 2 Chr 33:15He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.
  • Ezek 44:19When they go out to the outer court, to the people, they are to take off the garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.
  • Ezek 40:37Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.
  • 2 Chr 33:5In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
  • Ezek 40:32And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others.
  • 2 Kgs 23:6He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
  • Ezek 40:47Next he measured the court. It was square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the altar was in front of the temple.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Kings 21:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.

How 2 Kings 21:5 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.