Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 23:17
So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelite populace acting immediately after Jehoiada formalizes a covenant with King Joash and the people to belong to the LORD. The crowd moves to the former state sanctuary to execute its dismantling.
The words — וַיִּתְצֻהוּ (va/yi.te.Tzu./hu) translates literally as "and they pulled it down," describing the physical demolition of Baal's temple. מִזְבְּחֹתָיו (miz.be.cho.Ta/v) means "its altars," specifying the religious structures targeted alongside the carved idols.
The thread — This systematic removal of foreign worship sites mirrors the command in Deuteronomy 12:3 to tear down altars and smash sacred pillars, and parallels the purge of Baal's prophets in 1 Kings 18:40.
Why it lands — The text requires a decisive break from syncretism by destroying the physical infrastructure of idolatry before covenant worship can be restored. It demands that outward religious commitment must be accompanied by the concrete rejection of opposing spiritual systems.
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
Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 12:3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.
- 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.
- 2 Kings 10:25 When he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them. Do not let anyone out.” So the guards and officers put them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
- 2 Kings 11:18 So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. And Jehoiada the priest posted guards for the house of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
- 2 Chronicles 34:4 Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
- 2 Chronicles 34:7 He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 2:18 and the idols will vanish completely.
- Zechariah 13:2 And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.