Bible Strands
2 Kings 21:5
In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative records King Manasseh’s actions in Jerusalem, specifically his construction of pagan altars within the temple complex during his reign.
The words — וַיִּבֶן (va-yiven) and מִזְבָּחֹת (mizbe'hot) literally mean "and he built altars," while בִּשְׁתֵּי חַצְרוֹת (bi-sh'te chatserot) specifies the location as "in both courtyards."
The thread — The architectural reference echoes Solomon’s descriptions of the temple’s courtyards (1 Kings 6:36; 1 Kings 7:12) and sets the stage for Josiah’s later reform that removed temple artifacts (2 Kings 23:4).
Why it lands — The text plainly states that Manasseh placed altars to heavenly hosts in the temple courtyards, directly contravening the prior divine decree to reserve Jerusalem exclusively for Yahweh’s name.
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 he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 7:12 The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 6:36 Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
- 2 Kings 23:4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
- 2 Kings 23:12 He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
- 2 Kings 23:6 He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
- 2 Chronicles 33:5 In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
- 2 Chronicles 33:15 He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.
- Ezekiel 40:28 Next he brought me into the inner court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it had the same measurements as the others.
- Ezekiel 40:32 And he brought me to the inner court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the same measurements as the others.
- Ezekiel 40:37 Its portico faced the outer court, and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side. Eight steps led up to it.