who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.
Parallel translations
- WEB who says, ‘I will build me a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself; and it is ceiling with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
- KJV That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
- NKJV Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, And cut out windows for it, Paneling it with cedar And painting it with vermilion.’
- NASB Who says, ‘I will build myself a large house With spacious upstairs rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’
- NLT He says, ‘I will build a magnificent palace with huge rooms and many windows. I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar and paint it a lovely red.’
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
The king lavishes attention on building a grand, cedar-paneled, painted palace. He pursues luxury while neglecting righteousness.
Overview
Jehoiakim's ambition was fixed on spacious rooms, large windows, and costly cedar and vermilion decoration, all signs of self-indulgent extravagance. The detail highlights misplaced priorities: grandeur for himself while justice for others was ignored. Scripture repeatedly warns against such vanity, contrasting it with the true greatness that consists in serving God and neighbor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 2 Sam 7:2he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
- Isa 5:8–9Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.
- Hag 1:4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
- Prov 24:27Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
- Mal 1:4Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.
- Isa 9:9All the people will know it—Ephraim and the dwellers of Samaria. With pride and arrogance of heart they will say:
- 2 Chr 3:5He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.
- Dan 4:30the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
- Luke 14:28–29Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
- Prov 17:19He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
- Song 1:17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 22:14 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.