Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 15:13
And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — This decree issues during a national covenant renewal, immediately following the people's pledge to seek the God of their fathers with all their heart and soul. It establishes the enforceable boundary for that collective oath.
The words — The Hebrew יִדְרֹ֛שׁ (yid.Rosh) literally means "he will seek," while יוּמָ֑ת (yu.Mat) translates to "he will be put to death." These verbs structurally anchor the covenant's requirement and its penalty.
The thread — The capital penalty for covenant abandonment runs parallel to Exodus 22:20 and Deuteronomy 13:5, which mandate destruction for those who worship other gods or advocate rebellion against Yahweh. The same legal logic appears in Deuteronomy 29:18 regarding the heart turning away.
Why it lands — The text states that refusal to pursue Yahweh, regardless of age or gender, warrants execution. It demands exclusive covenant loyalty and treats religious apostasy as a capital offense against the national covenant.
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
That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
Cross-references
- Exodus 22:20 If anyone sacrifices to any god other than the LORD alone, he must be set apart for destruction.
- Deuteronomy 29:18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit,
- Deuteronomy 13:5 Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.
- Deuteronomy 17:2 If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant
- 1 Kings 18:40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
- Psalms 115:13 He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.
- Acts 26:22 But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:
- Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
- Genesis 19:11 And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
- Exodus 12:29 Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.