Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)He demolished the hilltop shrines and shattered their pillars, and he cut down the Asherah poles. He crushed the bronze serpent that Mosheh had made, because the Israelis had named it ‘Nehushtan’ and had been offering incense to it until then.
Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΑὐτὸς ἐξῆρε τὰ ὑψηλὰ, καὶ συνέτριψε τὰς στήλας, καὶ ἐξωλέθρευσε τὰ ἄλση, καὶ τὸν ὄφιν τὸν χαλκοῦν ὃν ἐποίησε Μωυσῆς, ὅτι ἕως τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων ἦσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ θυμιῶντες αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν Νεεσθάν. (Autos exaʸre ta hupsaʸla, kai sunetripse tas staʸlas, kai exōlethreuse ta alsaʸ, kai ton ofin ton ⱪalkoun hon epoiaʸse Mōusaʸs, hoti heōs tōn haʸmerōn ekeinōn aʸsan hoi huioi Israaʸl thumiōntes autōi; kai ekalesen auton Neʼesthan. )
BrTrHe [fn]removed the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and the brazen serpent which Moses made: because until those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called it Neesthan.
ULTHe himself removed the high places, and he shattered the pillars, and he cut down the Asherah pole. And he crushed the serpent of bronze that Moses had made, because until those days the sons of Israel were offering incense to it (and he called it “Nehushtan”).
USTHe destroyed the places where people worshiped Yahweh, and he broke into pieces the poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. He also broke into pieces the bronze replica of a snake that Moses had made. He did that because the people had named it Nehushtan, and they were burning incense in front of it to honor it.
BSBHe removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan [fn] that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
18:4Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for bronze and also for snake.
WEBBEHe removed the high places, broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
NETHe eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan.
LSVhe has turned aside the high places, and broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cut down the Asherah, and beaten down the bronze serpent that Moses made, for up to these days the sons of Israel were making incense to it, and he calls it “a piece of bronze.”
FBVHe removed the high places, smashed the stone idols, and cut down the Asherah poles. He ground to pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, because up to then the Israelites had been sacrificing offerings to it. It was called Nehushtan.
T4THe destroyed the places where people worshiped Yahweh on the tops of hills, and he broke into pieces the stone pillars for worshiping the goddess Asherah. He also broke into pieces the bronze replica/statue of a snake that Moses had made. He did that because the people had named it Nehushtan, and they were burning incense in front of it to honor it.
LEBHe removed the high places, and he smashed the stone pillars; he cut down the poles of Asherah worship and demolished the bronze serpent which Moses had made, for up to those days the Israelites[fn] were offering incense to it and called it Nehushtan.
BBEHe had the high places taken away, and the stone pillars broken to bits, and the Asherah cut down; and the brass snake which Moses had made was crushed to powder at his order, because in those days the children of Israel had offerings burned before it, and he gave it the name Nehushtan.
JPSHe removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah; and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did offer to it; and it was called Nehushtan.
ASVHe removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
DRAHe destroyed the high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and cut down the groves, and broke the brazen serpent, which Moses had made: for till that time the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called its name Nohestan.
YLThe hath turned aside the high places, and broken in pieces the standing-pillars, and cut down the shrine, and beaten down the brazen serpent that Moses made, for unto these days were the sons of Israel making perfume to it, and he calleth it 'a piece of brass.'
DrbyHe removed the high places, and broke the columns, and cut down the Asherahs, and broke in pieces the serpent of brass that Moses had made; for to those days the children of Israel burned incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
RVHe removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: And he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
WbstrHe removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for till those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
KJB-1769¶ He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.[fn][fn]
KJB-1611¶ [fn][fn]He remooued the high places, and brake the images, and cut downe the groues, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for vnto those dayes the children of Israel did burne incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)
BshpsHe put away the high places, & brake the images, and cut downe the groues, and all to brake the brasen serpent that Moyses had made: For vnto those dayes the children of Israel dyd burne sacrifice to it: and he called it Nehustan. (He put away the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and all to brake the brasen serpent that Moses had made: For unto those days the children of Israel did burn sacrifice to it: and he called it Nehustan.)
GnvaHe tooke away the hie places, and brake the images, and cut downe the groues, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for vnto those dayes the children of Israel did burne incense to it, and hee called it Nehushtan. (He took away the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it, and he called it Nehushtan. )
CvdlHe put awaye the hye places, and brake downe the pilers, & roted out the groues, and brake the brasen serpente which Moses had made. For vnto that tyme had the children of Israel brent incese vnto it. And it was called Nehusthan. (He put away the high places, and brake down the pillars, and rooted out the groves, and brake the brasen serpente which Moses had made. For unto that time had the children of Israel burnt incese unto it. And it was called Nehusthan.)
WyclAnd he distriede hiye places, and al to-brak ymagis, and kittide doun wodis, and he brak the brasun serpent, whom Moyses hadde maad; for `til to that tyme the sones of Israel brenten encense to it; and he clepide the name therof Noestam. (And he destroyed hiye places, and all to-brak images, and kittide down wodis, and he brak the brasun serpent, whom Moses had made; for `til to that time the sons of Israel burntn encense to it; and he called the name thereof Noestam.)
LuthEr tat ab die Höhen und zerbrach die Säulen und rottete die Haine aus und zerstieß die eherne Schlange, die Mose gemacht hatte; denn bis zu der Zeit hatten ihr die Kinder Israel geräuchert, und man hieß sie Nehusthan. (He did ab the Höhen and zerbrach the Säulen and rottete the Haine out_of and zerstieß the eherne Schlange, the Mose made had; because until to the/of_the time hatten you/their/her the children Israel geräuchert, and man was_called they/she/them Nehusthan.)
ClVgIpse dissipavit excelsa, et contrivit statuas, et succidit lucos, confregitque serpentem æneum quem fecerat Moyses: siquidem usque ad illud tempus filii Israël adolebant ei incensum: vocavitque nomen ejus Nohestan.[fn] (Exactly_that dissipavit excelsa, and contrivit statuas, and succidit lucos, he_brokeque serpentem æneum which fecerat Moyses: indeed until to illud tempus children Israel adolebant to_him incensum: he_calledque nomen his Nohestan. )
18.4Confregitque. Ezechias serpentem confregit, quia in Domino Deo speravit, non in æneo serpente. Nohestan vocavit, etc. Quod interpretatur æs eorum, ut quem illi pro numine colebant, in dictis ejus metallum eum esse, non Deum, agnoscerent.
18.4Confregitque. Ezechias serpentem he_broke, because in Master Deo speravit, not/no in æneo serpente. Nohestan he_called, etc. That interpretatur æs their, as which illi for numine colebant, in dictis his metallum him esse, not/no God, agnoscerent.
18:1-12 The accession statement concerning Hezekiah’s reign (18:1-2) is accompanied by a lengthy evaluation of Hezekiah’s spiritual commitment (18:3-7a), followed by background details of the political situation in his time (18:7b-12).
(Occurrence 0) He removed the high places, destroyed the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles
(Some words not found in UHB: he/it removed DOM the,high_places and,smashed DOM the,sacred_pillars and,cut_down DOM the,asherah_poles and,broke_in_pieces serpent the,bronze which/who he/it_had_made Mosheh that/for/because/then/when until the=days the,those they_were sons_of Yisrael burning_incense to=him/it and=he/it_called to=him/it Nəḩushtāʼn )
Alternate translation: “Hezekiah removed the high places of worship, smashed into pieces the memorial stones, and cut down the wooden poles of Asherah”
(Some words not found in UHB: he/it removed DOM the,high_places and,smashed DOM the,sacred_pillars and,cut_down DOM the,asherah_poles and,broke_in_pieces serpent the,bronze which/who he/it_had_made Mosheh that/for/because/then/when until the=days the,those they_were sons_of Yisrael burning_incense to=him/it and=he/it_called to=him/it Nəḩushtāʼn )
This name could be translated “Bronze Serpent Idol.”
The harrowing experience of the attack on Judah by King Sennacherib of Assyria during Hezekiah’s reign is recorded by three different writers of Scripture and even by Sennacherib himself. Many scholars also suspect that this event formed the basis for Herodotus’s story regarding an army of mice eating the bow strings of the Assyrian army during their campaign against the Egyptians (Histories, 2.141). The origins of this event stretch back into the reign of Hezekiah’s father Ahaz, who enticed the Assyrians to attack Israel and Aram in exchange for making Judah a vassal of Assyria (2 Kings 16-17; 2 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 7-8; also see “The Final Days of the Northern Kingdom of Israel” map). Judah continued to be a vassal of Assyria through the early part of Hezekiah’s reign, but Hezekiah also quietly made extensive preparations to throw off the yoke of Assyria one day (2 Kings 18:1-12; 1 Chronicles 4:39-43; 2 Chronicles 29-31; also see “Hezekiah Strengthens Judah” map). Hezekiah also appears to have been hoping for support from Babylon and Egypt regarding his efforts to revolt against Assyria’s rule, but the prophet Isaiah warned Judah against placing their hopes in these foreign powers (Isaiah 30:1-5; 31:1-3; 39:1-8; 40:10-15; 2 Kings 20:12-19). After a few years spent quashing rebellion among the Babylonians, the Kassites, and the Medes in the east, Sennacherib turned his sights westward and began a campaign to subdue the various vassal nations that were refusing to submit to Assyria’s rule any longer. He first reconquered the Phoenician cities of Sidon and Tyre and then moved south to Philistia. He subdued Joppa, Beth-dagon, Bene-berak, and Azor and then moved to capture the cities of the Shephelah, which guarded the entrances to the valleys leading into the central hill country of Judah. While Sennacherib was attacking Lachish he sent his officers to demand Hezekiah’s surrender. This may be the Assyrian advance upon Jerusalem from the north described in Isaiah 10:28-32, but this is not certain (see “Assyria Advances on Jerusalem” map). Hezekiah sent officers back to Sennacherib with gold and silver taken from Temple and the royal treasury, but he would not surrender. The officers then traveled to Libnah to meet with Sennacherib, for he gone to fight there by that time. In the meantime King Tirhakah of Cush, who was ruling over Egypt at this time, came to attack Sennacherib, so Sennacherib sent his officials back to Hezekiah with a message that Jerusalem would be taken if he resisted. Hezekiah laid the letter from the officials before the Lord and prayed, and the Lord sent word through the prophet Isaiah that Jerusalem would not be taken. Then that very night the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers (probably those with Sennacherib fighting the Egyptians), and Sennacherib went back to Assyria. There while he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch, Sennacherib’s sons killed him and fled to Ararat (see “Ararat” map).
Throughout his reign, Hezekiah strengthened Judah by restoring proper worship of the Lord and preparing the nation for revolt against Assyria. Though the Bible does not clearly say, both of these aspects of Hezekiah’s reign may have been borne out of a desire to undo the detrimental choices of his father, Ahaz, who had promoted idolatry through Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-4) and made Judah a vassal to the king of Assyria in exchange for help against Israel and Aram (2 Kings 16-17; 2 Chronicles 28; Isaiah 7-8; see also “The Final Days of the Northern Kingdom of Israel” map). Later, when Hezekiah was a teenager, he witnessed Assyria’s grueling three year siege to capture Samaria (2 Kings 17:1-6; 18:9-12), perhaps cementing his resolve to throw off Judah’s yolk of servitude to Assyria (2 Kings 18:7). Whatever the reasons for his actions as king, Hezekiah spent considerable resources promoting the worship of the Lord and preparing for the inevitable Assyrian attack that would follow Judah’s refusal to submit to Assyria any longer. Hezekiah began by directing the priests and Levites to consecrate themselves and restore ritual purity to the Temple and all its furnishings (2 Chronicles 29). He sent word throughout all Israel and Judah to come and celebrate Passover together once again in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 30). Though only a few from Israel accepted Hezekiah’s invitation, the Passover was a time of great celebration and worship for all who did come from Israel and Judah. After this, the worshipers went throughout Israel and Judah and destroyed the pagan worship centers (2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 31:1). Hezekiah also conducted a series of actions to strengthen Judah against the coming Assyrian attack. On the west he attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza (2 Kings 18:8). Part of this effort may have included a Simeonite attack on some Meunites in the valley of Gerar (as in the Septuagint; the Hebrew reading Gedor is likely due to a misreading of the letter r as the similarly shaped letter d), which is recounted in 1 Chronicles 4:39-41. Elsewhere in Scripture the Meunites appear to have lived in the region of Seir (2 Chronicles 20), south of Judah, but a remnant of them may have fled toward Gerar during Uzziah’s time when he attacked them and likely took some of them captive to serve at the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezra 2:50; Nehemiah 7:52; also see “Resurgence of Israel and Judah” map). Other Simeonites attacked a remnant of Amalekites living in Seir, thus providing increased protection on Judah’s southern border (1 Chronicles 4:39-43). Hezekiah also fortified Jerusalem and redirected various sources of water away from enemies who might lay siege to the city (2 Chronicles 32:1-8). As part of these preparations Hezekiah commissioned the hewing of a tunnel that channeled water from the Gihon spring (probably also called the “waters of Shiloah” in Isaiah 8:6) away from the eastern side of the city and deposited it in the Lower Pool (also called the Pool of Siloam) further inside the city walls. Hezekiah also repaired portions of the wall that were broken down and built a second wall outside it, likely in the Kidron Valley. He also produced many weapons and shields. The writer of Chronicles appears to portray these preparations as being in keeping with Hezekiah’s other acts of faithfulness and righteousness. Some scholars, however, suspect that Isaiah 22:1-14 may reflect another perspective regarding Hezekiah’s preparations, though it is not certain that this passage refers to Hezekiah’s efforts.
