Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 23:16
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jehoiada acts to establish a covenant between himself, the king, and the people immediately following the execution of Athaliah and preceding the destruction of the Baal temple.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יִּכְרֹ֤ת (va/i.yikh.Rot) literally means "and he made," paired with בְּרִ֔ית (be.Rit), "a covenant," to denote the formal establishment of the agreement.
The thread — This covenant-making pattern appears in 2 Kings 11:17, 2 Chronicles 29:10, and Nehemiah 9:38 as a recurring mechanism for national religious realignment.
Why it lands — The text states that a formal, binding commitment to exclusive loyalty to the LORD replaces prior religious allegiances. This requires the reader to recognize that national renewal begins with a documented, mutual pledge of allegiance.
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 Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the Lord’s people.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 11:17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people.
- 2 Chronicles 29:10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us.
- Nehemiah 9:38 In view of all this, we make a binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
- Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
- Deuteronomy 26:17 Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.
- Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.
- Joshua 24:21 “No!” replied the people. “We will serve the LORD!”
- 2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.
- 2 Chronicles 15:14 They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns.
- 2 Chronicles 34:31 So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.