Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
Parallel translations
- WEB However Yahweh would not destroy Judah, for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give to him a lamp for his children always.
- KJV Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.
- NKJV Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.
- NASB However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give him a lamp through his sons always.
- NLT But the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for he had promised his servant David that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.
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
Despite Jehoram's wickedness, God refused to destroy Judah for David's sake, keeping His promise to give David a lasting lamp. God's covenant faithfulness preserved the line.
Overview
The 'lamp' recalls God's covenant with David that his dynasty would endure (2 Samuel 7). Even when David's heirs failed grievously, God upheld His promise rather than abandon the line. This unbreakable commitment ultimately points to Christ, the true Son of David, the Light of the world, in whom the Davidic promise finds its everlasting fulfillment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Kgs 11:36I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.
- 2 Sam 7:12–13And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
- Luke 1:32–33He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- 2 Sam 7:15But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of your way.
- Hos 11:9I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.
- Isa 37:35‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
- 1 Kgs 15:4–5Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.
- 2 Chr 21:7Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
- Jer 33:25–26This is what the LORD says: If I have not established My covenant with the day and the night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,
- Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- 2 Sam 21:17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
- 2 Kgs 19:34‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
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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 8:19 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.