2 Chronicles 28:21

Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator records King Ahaz’s actions after Tiglath-pileser of Assyria arrived to afflict Judah rather than strengthen him. The account focuses on Ahaz’s desperate attempt to secure his throne by stripping sacred and royal wealth.

The words — The Hebrew verb חָלַק (cha.laq) literally means he had plundered or divided, describing Ahaz’s seizure of resources. The conjunction כִּי (ki) functions as a causal marker, framing the subsequent clause as the reason for the narrative’s conclusion.

The thread — This pattern of stripping temple and palace treasuries for foreign aid appears in 2 Kings 16:8 and 2 Kings 18:15, while 2 Chronicles 12:9 records a prior seizure of those same treasures by Shishak of Egypt.

Why it lands — The text states that the transferred tribute did not help Ahaz. This demands a reader acknowledge that political bribes cannot override divine judgment or secure lasting safety.

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

כִּֽי־ki-for חָלַ֤קcha.Lakhe had plundered אָחָז֙'a.ChazAhaz אֶת־'et-<obj.>בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house of יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>בֵּ֥יתbeit[the] house of הַמֶּ֖לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king וְהַשָּׂרִ֑יםve./ha./sa.Rimand/ the/ officials וַיִּתֵּן֙va/i.yi.Tenand/ he had given לְמֶ֣לֶךְle./Me.lekhto/ [the] king of אַשּׁ֔וּר'a.ShurAssyria וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not לְעֶזְרָ֖הle./'ez.Rahfor/ helpלֽוֹ׃l/ofor/ him

King James Version

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

Cross-references

2 Kings 16:8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
2 Chronicles 12:9 So King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made.
Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.

People named

Ahaz