The Meaning of 2 Kings 16:4 Explained

2 Kings 16:4

KJV: And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

YLT: and he sacrificeth and maketh perfume in high places, and on the heights, and under every green tree.

Darby: And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

ASV: And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he sacrificed  and burnt incense  in the high places,  and on the hills,  and under every green  tree. 

What does 2 Kings 16:4 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 16:1-9 - Seeking Help From Wrong Sources
Ahaz was one of the most wicked kings of Judah. He not only passed his children through the lines of fire, but seems to have burned some of them, 2 Chronicles 28:3. He filled Judah with the abominations of the heathen. The hills and woodlands of the Holy Land were contaminated by all the excesses of nature-worship. When therefore Syria and Israel confederated against him, Ahaz naturally turned to creature-aid. In spite of the remonstrances of Isaiah, he offered a bribe to the king of Assyria to do what God Almighty would have done, under happier conditions. This was the first step toward the utter undoing of Judah.
The first ten or twelve chapters of Isaiah cast a flood of light on the inner politics of this dark epoch. They give a glimpse also of Isaiah's profound emotions at the evils that threatened his fatherland. No servant of God can view the present state of civilization without grave concern, and we are bound to resist, so far as we can, the influences which are engaged in the work of moral disintegration. We are citizens of heaven, but also of earth, and must render to Caesar such things as naturally belong to him. [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 16:4 mean?

And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every tree green
וַיְזַבֵּ֧חַ וַיְקַטֵּ֛ר בַּבָּמ֖וֹת וְעַל־ הַגְּבָע֑וֹת וְתַ֖חַת כָּל־ עֵ֥ץ רַעֲנָֽן

וַיְזַבֵּ֧חַ  And  he  sacrificed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
וַיְקַטֵּ֛ר  and  burned  incense 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
בַּבָּמ֖וֹת  on  the  high  places 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
וְעַל־  and  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
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.
הַגְּבָע֑וֹת  the  hills 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
וְתַ֖חַת  and  under 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֵ֥ץ  tree 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
רַעֲנָֽן  green 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָעַן 
Sense: (Palel) to be or grow luxuriant or fresh or green adj.