2 Kings 23:13-15

New English Translation

¹³The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Destruction,^[a] that King Solomon of Israel had built for the detestable Sidonian goddess Astarte, the detestable Moabite god Chemosh, and the horrible Ammonite god Milcom. ¹⁴He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah poles, and filled those shrines^[b] with human bones.

¹⁵He also tore down the altar in Bethel at the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin.^[c] He burned all the combustible items at that high place and crushed them to dust, including the Asherah pole.^[d]

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Footnotes

2 Kings 23:13 sn This is a derogatory name for the Mount of Olives, involving a wordplay between מִשְׁחָה (mishkhah), “anointing,” and מַשְׁחִית (mashkhit), “destruction.” See HALOT 644 s.v. מַשְׁחִית and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 289.
2 Kings 23:14 tn Heb “their place.”
2 Kings 23:15 tn Heb “And also the altar that is in Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin, also that altar and the high place he tore down.” The more repetitive Hebrew text is emphatic.
2 Kings 23:15 tn Heb “he burned the high place, crushing to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole.” High places per se are never referred to as being burned elsewhere. בָּמָה (bamah) here stands by metonymy for the combustible items located on the high place. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 289.

New English Translation (NET)

2 Kings 23:13-15 New English Translation

Footnotes

2 Kings 23:13-15

New English Translation