The Meaning of 2 Kings 16:15 Explained

2 Kings 16:15

KJV: And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to inquire by.

YLT: And king Ahaz commandeth him -- Urijah the priest -- saying, 'On the great altar perfume the burnt-offering of the morning, and the present of the evening, and the burnt-offering of the king, and his present, and the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their present, and their libations; and all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, on it thou dost sprinkle, and the altar of brass is to me to inquire by.'

Darby: And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening oblation, and the king's burnt-offering, and his oblation, and the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their oblation, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offerings, and all the blood of the sacrifices; and the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by.

ASV: And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And king  Ahaz  commanded  Urijah  the priest,  saying,  Upon the great  altar  burn  the morning  burnt offering,  and the evening  meat offering,  and the king's  burnt sacrifice,  and his meat offering,  with the burnt offering  of all the people  of the land,  and their meat offering,  and their drink offerings;  and sprinkle  upon it all the blood  of the burnt offering,  and all the blood  of the sacrifice:  and the brasen  altar  shall be for me to enquire  [by]. 

What does 2 Kings 16:15 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 16:10-20 - High-Handed Idolatry
The calling in of the king of Assyria was fraught with disastrous consequences. "He distressed him and strengthened him not." Well may the Apostle warn us not to be yoked with unbelievers. Such alliances always result in the undoing of God's children. We cannot serve two masters. Thus in the hour of distress, notwithstanding the increasing and noble remonstrances of Isaiah, this same king Ahaz trespassed yet more against Jehovah.
It is remarkable, as showing the folly of the human heart, that in the lowest hour of his degradation before his conqueror Ahaz imitated the altar which he saw at Damascus. For this, the ancient brazen altar in Jehovah's Temple was displaced; and upon it in the sacred fane sacrifices were offered to the gods of the heathen. Alas, there is too much of this in the present day! Men are going back from the simplicity and spirituality of Christ to exploded philosophies and systems, which have failed in the past to satisfy soul hunger. Let us beware of the vacuum of the soul into which such evil things intrude. It is only as we are filled by the indwelling Spirit that we are immune against these temptations. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 16

1  Ahaz's wicked reign
5  Ahaz, assailed by Rezin and Pekah, hires Tiglath-Pileser against them
10  Ahaz, sending a pattern of an altar from Damascus to Urijah,
12  diverts the bronze altar to his own devotions,
17  He raids the temple
19  Hezekiah succeeds him

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 16:15 mean?

- Then commanded King Ahaz - Urijah the priest saying On the [new] altar great burn burnt offering the morning and grain offering the evening and burnt sacrifice of the king his grain offering and with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their grain offering and their drink offerings and all the blood of the burnt offering the blood of the sacrifice On it sprinkle and altar the bronze shall be for me to inquire [by]
[ויצוהו] (וַיְצַוֶּ֣ה) הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־ אָ֠חָז אֶת־ אוּרִיָּ֨ה הַכֹּהֵ֜ן לֵאמֹ֗ר עַ֣ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ הַגָּד֡וֹל הַקְטֵ֣ר עֹֽלַת־ הַבֹּקֶר֩ וְאֶת־ מִנְחַ֨ת הָעֶ֜רֶב וְֽאֶת־ עֹלַ֧ת הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ מִנְחָת֗וֹ וְ֠אֵת עֹלַ֞ת כָּל־ עַ֤ם הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ וּמִנְחָתָ֣ם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֔ם וְכָל־ דַּ֥ם עֹלָ֛ה דַּם־ זֶ֖בַח עָלָ֣יו תִּזְרֹ֑ק וּמִזְבַּ֧ח הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת יִֽהְיֶה־ לִּ֖י לְבַקֵּֽר

[ויצוהו]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: אָבִי 
Sense: entreat, longing, desire.
(וַיְצַוֶּ֣ה)  Then  commanded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־  King 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אָ֠חָז  Ahaz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָחָז  
Sense: king of Judah, son Jotham, father of Hezekiah.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אוּרִיָּ֨ה  Urijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אוּרִיָּה 
Sense: Hittite husband of Bathsheba.
הַכֹּהֵ֜ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
לֵאמֹ֗ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ  the  [new]  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַגָּד֡וֹל  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
הַקְטֵ֣ר  burn 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
עֹֽלַת־  burnt  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
הַבֹּקֶר֩  the  morning 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
מִנְחַ֨ת  grain  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מִנְחָה  
Sense: gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering.
הָעֶ֜רֶב  the  evening 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֶרֶב  
Sense: evening, night, sunset.
עֹלַ֧ת  burnt  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִנְחָת֗וֹ  his  grain  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִנְחָה  
Sense: gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering.
עֹלַ֞ת  with  the  burnt  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
כָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עַ֤ם  the  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאָ֙רֶץ֙  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וּמִנְחָתָ֣ם  and  their  grain  offering 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מִנְחָה  
Sense: gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering.
וְנִסְכֵּיהֶ֔ם  and  their  drink  offerings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נֶסֶךְ 
Sense: drink offering, libation, molten image, something poured out.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
דַּ֥ם  the  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
עֹלָ֛ה  of  the  burnt  offering 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
דַּם־  the  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
זֶ֖בַח  of  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
עָלָ֣יו  On  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
תִּזְרֹ֑ק  sprinkle 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: זָרַק 
Sense: to scatter, sprinkle, toss, throw, scatter abundantly, strew.
וּמִזְבַּ֧ח  and  altar 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַנְּחֹ֛שֶׁת  the  bronze 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְחֹשֶׁת 
Sense: copper, bronze.
יִֽהְיֶה־  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לִּ֖י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
לְבַקֵּֽר  to  inquire  [by] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּקַר  
Sense: to seek, enquire, consider.