2 Raja-raja 17:16

17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, ¹  and worshiped ²  Baal.

2 Raja-raja 21:3

21:3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole just like King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky ³  and worshiped ⁴  them.

2 Raja-raja 21:5

21:5 In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky.

2 Raja-raja 23:4-5

23:4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests, ⁵  and the guards ⁶  to bring out of the Lord’s temple all the items that were used in the worship of ⁷  Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. ⁸  The king ⁹  burned them outside of Jerusalem in the terraces ¹⁰  of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. ¹¹  23:5 He eliminated ¹²  the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices ¹³  on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices ¹⁴  to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)

[17:16]  ¹ tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.

[17:16]  ² tn Or “served.”

[21:3]  ³ sn See the note at 2 Kgs 17:16.

[21:3]  ⁴ tn Or “served.”

[23:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “the priests of the second [rank],” that is, those ranked just beneath Hilkiah.

[23:4]  ⁶ tn Or “doorkeepers.”

[23:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “for.”

[23:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “all the host of heaven” (also in v. 5).

[23:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “fields.” For a defense of the translation “terraces,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 285.

[23:4]  ¹¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[23:5]  ¹² tn Perhaps, “destroyed.”

[23:5]  ¹³ tn Or “burn incense.”

[23:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “burned incense.”