John Gill Commentary 2 Kings 21:7

John Gill Commentary

2 Kings 21:7

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

2 Kings 21:7

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"And he set the graven image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;" — 2 Kings 21:7 (ASV)

Ver. 7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he has made in the
house
Which was either an image that had been placed in a grove planted by him, and now removed into the house or temple of the Lord; or, as some think, this was a representation of a grove, a carved grove of gold or silver, in the midst of which an image was placed in the temple; though what Selden observes F2 , seems best of all, that this was an image of Asherah, as in the original text; that is, of Astarte or Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, (1 Kings 11:5) , the same the Phoenicians are said to call Astroarche, and affirm it to be the moon F3 : in (2 Chronicles 33:7) it is called a carved image the idol he had made; and an Arabic writer F4 says, it had four faces, which seems to be a figure of the cherubim; but, according to Suidas F5 , it was the statue of Jupiter, who also says it had four faces:

of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son :
that is, of which house or temple:

in this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the
tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever ;
see (1 Kings 8:29) (9:3) (See Gill on 2 Kings 21:3).


FOOTNOTES:

  • F2: De Dis Syris, Syntagm. 2. c. 2. p. 233.
  • F3: Herodian. l. 5. c. 15.
  • F4: Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 3. p. 66.
  • F5: In voce (manasshva) .