1 Kings 14:24

Translation
King James Version
And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And there were also sodomites H6945 in the land H776: and they did H6213 according to all the abominations H8441 of the nations H1471 which the LORD H3068 cast out H3423 before H6440 the children H1121 of Israel H3478.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Also there were male and female cult-prostitutes in the land attached to these shrines, doing all the disgusting things which the nations did that ADONAI had expelled ahead of the people of Isra'el.
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Berean Standard Bible
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
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American Standard Version
and there were also sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Jehovah drove out before the children of Israel.
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World English Bible Messianic
and there were also sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
There were also Sodomites in the lande, they did according to all the abominations of the nations, which the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.
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Young's Literal Translation
and also a whoremonger hath been in the land; they have done according to all the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel.
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See also
Deuteronomy 23:171 Corinthians 6:91 Kings 15:122 Kings 23:7Genesis 19:51 Kings 22:46Romans 1:24
See on the biblical-era map
City Plan: Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon
City Plan: Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon View full PDF
Shishak’s Invasion
Shishak’s Invasion View full PDF
The Sins of Jeroboam
The Sins of Jeroboam View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 9,243 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

1 Kings 14:24 offers a profound and sobering indictment of the kingdom of Judah under King Rehoboam, revealing a society deeply entrenched in spiritual and moral apostasy. This verse explicitly details the presence of male cult prostitutes and the widespread adoption of "all the abominations of the nations," practices that were anathema to Yahweh and for which He had previously dispossessed the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. It serves as a stark commentary on Judah's wholesale abandonment of the Mosaic covenant, highlighting a pervasive religious syncretism and moral degradation that would inevitably invite divine judgment, mirroring the very reasons for the expulsion of the land's former occupants.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within the somber narrative of 1 Kings 14, which chronicles the spiritual decline of the southern kingdom of Judah. Following the death of King Solomon, whose own tragic compromises with idolatry are detailed in 1 Kings 11:1-8, his son Rehoboam not only perpetuated but intensified the nation's apostasy. The immediate preceding verses, 1 Kings 14:22-23, lay the groundwork by describing Judah's widespread idolatry, including the erection of high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. Verse 24 then adds a particularly egregious and specific dimension to this moral and spiritual decay, highlighting a form of cultic prostitution that was anathema to Yahweh, thereby deepening the theological rationale for the impending divine judgment.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Rehoboam's reign (c. 931-913 BC) was a period of significant religious syncretism and political instability for Judah, occurring after the division of the united monarchy. The "abominations of the nations" refer directly to the idolatrous and immoral practices of the Canaanite peoples, from whom the Israelites were commanded to remain separate and whose practices they were strictly forbidden to adopt (e.g., Deuteronomy 12:29-31). These practices often involved fertility cults, which included ritual prostitution (both male and female) performed in association with the worship of deities like Baal and Asherah. The explicit mention of "sodomites" (male cult prostitutes) indicates that Judah had not merely adopted the worship of these foreign gods but had fully embraced the most abhorrent practices associated with them, directly violating God's laws against sexual immorality and cultic impurity (e.g., Leviticus 18:22 and Deuteronomy 23:17-18).
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within 1 Kings and the broader Deuteronomistic History. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Profound Moral and Religious Corruption, demonstrating how far Judah had fallen from the covenant fidelity expected of God's chosen people. Secondly, it highlights the Repetition of Past Sins, drawing a direct parallel between Judah's current practices and the "abominations" that led to the expulsion of the Canaanites. This serves as a grave warning that God's judgment is impartial and applies equally to His covenant people if they persist in rebellion, as seen in Leviticus 18:24-30. Finally, the verse reinforces the theme of Consequences of Apostasy, showing that turning away from the Living God to embrace idolatry and its accompanying immoralities inevitably invites divine judgment, which materializes in the subsequent invasion by Shishak, king of Egypt, detailed in 1 Kings 14:25-26.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Sodomites (Hebrew, qâdêsh', H6945): The KJV translation "sodomites" for the Hebrew term קָדֵשׁ (qâdêsh') is an interpretive rendering, though contextually appropriate. Derived from the root meaning "to be holy" or "set apart," qâdêsh' literally refers to a "consecrated" or "sacred person." However, in this context, and others like Deuteronomy 23:17, it is used ironically or euphemistically to denote a male devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry, specifically a male cult prostitute. These individuals were "consecrated" not to Yahweh, but to pagan deities, participating in ritualistic sexual acts within pagan temples as part of fertility cults. This practice was a direct and egregious violation of God's law, a profound defilement of the land, and a stark indicator of Judah's syncretistic apostasy.
  • Abominations (Hebrew, tôwʻêbah', H8441): The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (tôwʻêbah') denotes something disgusting (morally), an abhorrence, or an abomination. It is frequently used in the Old Testament to describe practices that are utterly repugnant to God, such as idolatry, child sacrifice, divination, and various forms of sexual immorality. The use of the plural "all the abominations" emphasizes the comprehensive nature of Judah's departure from God's standards, indicating a pervasive embrace of practices that God had explicitly condemned and for which He had previously judged the Canaanite inhabitants of the land.
  • Cast out (Hebrew, yârash', H3423): The Hebrew verb יָרַשׁ (yârash'), in its Hiphil stem (as used here), means "to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place)," or by implication, "to seize," "to inherit," or "to expel." The phrase "which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel" serves as a powerful theological and historical reminder. It highlights God's righteous judgment against the Canaanite nations due to their detestable practices (e.g., Leviticus 18:24-28). By engaging in the same "abominations," Judah was effectively inviting the same divine judgment, underscoring the principle that God is just and consistent in His dealings with all nations, including His own covenant people.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And there were also sodomites in the land:" This clause immediately introduces a grave spiritual and moral issue. The presence of qadeshim (male cult prostitutes) signifies that the nation of Judah had not only adopted foreign deities but had also integrated the most offensive and impure aspects of pagan worship into their society. This was a direct affront to God's holiness and a violation of His covenant laws, which explicitly forbade such practices. It indicates a deep-seated corruption that extended beyond mere individual sin to institutionalized religious perversion, demonstrating a profound spiritual decline.
  • "[and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel." This second clause provides the theological and historical context for the severity of Judah's sin. It explicitly links Judah's current practices to the very "abominations" (idolatry, sexual immorality, child sacrifice, etc.) for which God had previously dispossessed the Canaanite nations. This parallel serves as a stark warning: if God judged the Canaanites for these sins, He would certainly judge His own covenant people, Israel, for committing the same offenses. The phrase emphasizes the comprehensive nature ("all the abominations") of Judah's apostasy, indicating a complete departure from their divine calling to be a holy nation set apart for Yahweh.

Literary Devices

The verse employs several impactful literary devices that amplify its theological message. Irony is powerfully evident in the term "sodomites" (Hebrew qâdêsh'), which literally means "holy one" but is used to describe individuals engaged in profoundly unholy, pagan cultic prostitution. This stark contrast highlights the perversion of true holiness and the corruption of sacred concepts. Allusion is skillfully used by referencing "all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out." This immediately brings to mind the detailed accounts in the Pentateuch, particularly Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy 18, where God explicitly condemns Canaanite practices and warns Israel against adopting them. This allusion serves as a theological shorthand, reminding the reader of God's past judgments and the covenant stipulations. Furthermore, the verse employs Foreshadowing, as the detailed description of Judah's deep moral and spiritual decay implicitly predicts the impending divine judgment and the subsequent invasion by Shishak, which immediately follows in the narrative, illustrating the direct consequences of their apostasy.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

1 Kings 14:24 serves as a potent reminder of God's unwavering standard of holiness and the severe consequences of covenant infidelity. The theological principle is clear: God's covenant with Israel demanded exclusive worship and moral purity, distinguishing them from the surrounding pagan nations. When Israel, and specifically Judah here, adopted the very "abominations" for which God dispossessed the Canaanites, they forfeited their privileged position and invited divine judgment. This verse underscores that God's justice is impartial; He holds His people to the same, if not higher, standards of righteousness. It highlights the dangers of spiritual syncretism, where the worship of Yahweh is mixed with pagan practices, leading to profound moral corruption and a breakdown of the covenant relationship.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

1 Kings 14:24 stands as a timeless and sobering warning for believers today, emphasizing the enduring call to holiness and the perils of spiritual and moral compromise. Just as ancient Judah was called to be distinct from the surrounding pagan cultures, so too are followers of Christ called to be set apart, living according to God's immutable standards rather than conforming to the values and practices of a fallen world. This verse challenges us to examine our own lives and communities for any "abominations"—whether overt acts of sin or subtle forms of idolatry where anything takes precedence over God. It reminds us that true worship demands not only correct doctrine but also righteous living, and that a departure from God's revealed will inevitably leads to spiritual decline and, ultimately, to consequences, both personal and corporate. It calls us to cultivate a radical devotion to God, ensuring that our hearts, homes, and churches are places of purity and genuine worship, untainted by the world's corrupting influences, recognizing that God's standards of holiness are eternal and unchanging.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what ways might we, as individuals or as a church, be susceptible to "abominations" or practices that subtly compromise our devotion to God in today's cultural context?
  • How does the historical parallel between Judah's sins and those of the Canaanites challenge our understanding of God's justice and His expectations for His people?
  • What practical steps can we take to ensure that our pursuit of holiness is not merely external but deeply rooted in a transformed heart that prioritizes God above all else?

FAQ

What does "sodomites" mean in this context, and how is it different from the sin of Sodom in Genesis 19?

Answer: In 1 Kings 14:24, the KJV term "sodomites" translates the Hebrew word qâdêsh' (קָדֵשׁ), which literally means "holy one" or "consecrated one." However, it is used here to refer specifically to male cult prostitutes. These individuals were "consecrated" to pagan deities and engaged in ritualistic sexual acts within pagan temples as part of fertility cults (e.g., associated with Baal and Asherah worship). This practice was a direct violation of God's law and a profound defilement of the land. While the KJV's choice of "sodomites" might conceptually link it to the severity of the sexual sin described in Genesis 19, the primary meaning in 1 Kings 14:24 is cultic prostitution, a religious-sexual practice tied to idolatry, rather than the general homosexual acts described in Genesis 19:4-5. The sin of Sodom was characterized by a violent, attempted gang rape, highlighting a pervasive wickedness and disregard for hospitality, while the qadeshim were part of an institutionalized, religiously sanctioned system of sexual immorality and idolatry.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The profound moral and spiritual degradation described in 1 Kings 14:24, marked by the presence of cultic prostitution and "all the abominations of the nations," powerfully underscores humanity's desperate need for a radical transformation that no human king or law could ultimately provide. This verse, with its depiction of a people utterly failing to live up to God's holy standards and falling prey to the very sins that led to the expulsion of the Canaanites, foreshadows the ultimate solution found in Jesus Christ. He is the true and perfect "Holy One" (Luke 4:34), who perfectly fulfilled God's law and lived a life untainted by the "abominations" of sin. Christ's sacrifice on the cross purifies us from all unrighteousness, removing the defilement that plagued ancient Judah and continues to plague humanity (1 John 1:7). Furthermore, Jesus established a new covenant, not based on external laws that could be broken, but on an internal transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit, enabling believers to genuinely live lives of holiness and purity (Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10). He is the ultimate temple, rendering all corrupt cultic practices obsolete, and through Him, we are made a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5) called to offer spiritual sacrifices, demonstrating that true worship is now in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24), far removed from the perversions of Rehoboam's Judah.

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Commentary on 1 Kings 14 verses 21–31

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

Judah's story and Israel's are intermixed in this book. Jeroboam out-lived Rehoboam, four or five years, yet his history is despatched first, that the account of Rehoboam's reign may be laid together; and a sad account it is.

I. Here is no good said of the king. All the account we have of him here is, 1. That he was forty-one years old when he began to reign, by which reckoning he was born in the last year of David, and had his education, and the forming of his mind, in the best days of Solomon; yet he lived not up to these advantages. Solomon's defection at last did more to corrupt him than his wisdom and devotion had done to give him good principles. 2. That he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where God put his name, where he had opportunity enough to know his duty, if he had but had a heart to do it. 3. That his mother was Naamah, an Ammonitess; this is twice mentioned, Kg1 14:21, Kg1 14:31. It was strange that David would marry his son Solomon to an Ammonitess (for it was done while he lived), but it is probable that Solomon was in love with her, because she was Naamah, a beauty (so it signifies), and his father was loth to cross him, but it proved to have a very bad influence upon posterity. Probably she was daughter to Shobi the Ammonite, who was kind to David (Sa2 17:27), and David was too willing to requite him by matching his son into his family. None can imagine how lasting and how fatal the consequences may be of being unequally yoked with unbelievers. 4. That he had continual war with Jeroboam (Kg1 14:30), which could not but be a perpetual uneasiness to him. 5. That when he had reigned but seventeen years he died, and left his throne to his son. His father, and grandfather, and grandson, that reigned well, reigned long, forty years apiece. But sin often shortens men's lives and comforts.

II. Here is much evil said of the subjects, both as to their character and their condition.

1.See here how wicked and profane they were. It is a most sad account that is here given of their apostasy from God, Kg1 14:22-24. Judah, the only professing people God had in the world, did evil in his sight, in contempt and defiance of him and the tokens of his special presence with them; they provoked him to jealousy, as the adulterous wife provokes her husband by breaking the marriage-covenant. Their fathers had been bad enough, especially in the times of the judges, but they did abominable things, above all that their fathers had done. The magnificence of their temple, the pomp of their priesthood, and all the secular advantages with which their religion was attended, could not prevail to keep them to it. Nothing less than the pouring out of the Spirit from on high will keep God's Israel in their allegiance to him. The account here given of the wickedness of the Jews agrees with that which the apostle gives of the wickedness of the Gentile world (Rom 1:21, Rom 1:24), so that both Jew and Gentile are alike under sin, Rom 3:9. (1.) They became vain in their imaginations concerning God, and changed his glory into an image, for they built themselves high places, images, and groves (Kg1 14:23), profaning God's name by affixing to it their images, and God's ordinances by serving their idols with them. They foolishly fancies that they exalted God when they worshipped him on high hills and pleased him when they worshipped him under the pleasant shadow of green trees. (2.) They were given up to vile affections (as those idolaters Rom 1:26, Rom 1:27), for there were sodomites in the land (Kg1 14:24), men with men working that which is unseemly, and not to be thought of, much less mentioned, without abhorrence and indignation. They dishonoured God by one sin and then God left them to dishonour themselves by another. They profaned the privileges of a holy nation, therefore God gave them up to their own hearts' lusts, to imitate the abominations of the accursed Canaanites; and herein the Lord was righteous. And, when they did like those that were cast out, how could they expect any other than to be cast out like them?

2.See here how weak and poor they were; and this was the consequence of the former. Sin exposes, impoverishes, and weakens any people. Shishak, king of Egypt, came against them, and so far, either by force or surrender, made himself master of Jerusalem itself that he took away the treasures both of the temple and of the exchequer, of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, which David and Solomon had amassed, Kg1 14:25, Kg1 14:26. These, it is likely, tempted him to make his descent; and, to save the rest, Rehoboam perhaps tamely surrendered them, as Ahab, Kg1 20:4. He also took away the golden shields that were made but in his father's time, Kg1 14:26. These the king of Egypt carried off as trophies of his victory; and, instead of them, Rehoboam made brazen shields, which the life-guard carried before him when he went to church in state, Kg1 14:27, Kg1 14:28. This was an emblem of the diminution of his glory. Sin makes the gold become dim, changes the most fine gold, and turns it into brass. We commend Rehoboam for going to the house of the Lord, perhaps the oftener for the rebuke he had been under, and do not condemn him for going in pomp. Great men should honour God with their honour, and then they are themselves most honoured by it.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 21–31. Public domain.
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Ishodad of MervAD 850
BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 14:24
“There was also prostitution in the land.” [The Scripture] does not refer to the mere [prostitution] of bodies, nor to that of the soul, which is idolatry, but to that [prostitution] spread by demons among the Gentiles in order to corrupt God’s creature and work, namely, humanity. And this [form of prostitution] did not exist among the people. It is in this regard that the Fathers warned the children of the church, “[to abstain] from prostitution, from anything that has been strangled and from blood.” This is a first form of that prostitution: before being united in marriage according to the law, the virgins had intercourse with the priests of the demons. A second form took place when in the course of one or two years the virgins devoted themselves to prostitution for the satisfaction of Satan and later became property of men, that is, they sat along the roads and sold their bodies.
Richard ChallonerAD 1781
The effeminate: Catamites, or men addicted to unnatural lust.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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