Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 5:25
But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and they prostituted themselves with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Chronicler records this judgment concerning the Transjordan tribes immediately after listing their family leaders and immediately before describing their deportation to Assyria.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יִּֽמְעֲל֔וּ (va/yi.mə.a.lu) translates to "they acted unfaithfully," while וַ/יִּזְנ֗וּ (va/yi.zə.nu) literally means "they played the prostitute."
The thread — The prostitution metaphor for spiritual rebellion appears in Hosea 1:2 and Revelation 17:5, where it functions as a title for Babylon rather than marital covenant language. The failure to remove foreign inhabitants is noted in Psalm 106:34, which parallels the land context of this verse.
Why it lands — The text states that the tribes abandoned the God of their ancestors to worship the gods of the conquered land, directly triggering their exile. It asks the reader to recognize that religious compromise with surrounding cultures produces concrete historical judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
Cross-references
- Psalms 106:34 They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
- Hosea 1:2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”
- Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
- Exodus 34:15 Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.
- 2 Kings 17:7 All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods
- Hosea 9:1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing floor.
- Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
- Judges 2:12 Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,
- Judges 2:17 Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
- Judges 8:33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.