Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 23:7
The Levites must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jehoiada the priest issues a direct military command to the Levites and the people of Judah during the restoration of the royal line.
The words — הִקִּיפוּ (hi.ki.Fu) = they will surround and כֵלָיו (khe.La/v) = his weapons.
The thread — Exodus 19:12 establishes a physical boundary to keep people from a sacred mountain, while Numbers 3:10 warns that unauthorized persons must not approach the tabernacle. Both passages track the same restriction on crossing into holy space.
Why it lands — The text demands immediate compliance with a protective perimeter, placing the preservation of the king and the temple above individual 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 the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.
Cross-references
- Exodus 19:12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
- Exodus 21:14 But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.
- Numbers 3:10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
- Numbers 3:38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
- 2 Kings 11:8 You must surround the king with weapons in hand, and anyone who approaches the ranks must be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”