2 Chronicles 30:10

KJV

So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

KJV (with Strong's)

So the posts {H7323} passed {H5674} from city {H5892} to city {H5892} through the country {H776} of Ephraim {H669} and Manasseh {H4519} even unto Zebulun {H2074}: but they laughed them to scorn {H7832}, and mocked {H3932} them.

Complete Jewish Bible

So the runners passed from city to city through the territory of Efrayim and M'nasheh, as far as Z'vulun; but the people laughed at them and made fun of them.

Berean Standard Bible

And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun; but the people scorned and mocked them.

American Standard Version

So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
This verse captures the disheartening reception of King Hezekiah's messengers by the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Dispatched with an extraordinary invitation to unite with Judah for a Passover celebration in Jerusalem, these "posts" traveled through the territories of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun, only to be met with derision, laughter, and mockery, highlighting the deep spiritual apathy and rebellion prevalent among these tribes.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within the narrative of King Hezekiah's radical religious reforms and his fervent desire for national spiritual renewal. Following his accession to the throne of Judah, Hezekiah immediately initiated a comprehensive cleansing of the Temple and reinstituted proper Levitical worship, as detailed in [2 Chronicles 29](/2_chronicles/29 "2 Chronicles 29 - Hezekiah's Reforms"). The Passover invitation, described in [2 Chronicles 30:1-9](/2_chronicles/30-1 "2 Chronicles 30:1-9 - Hezekiah's Passover Invitation"), represents an unprecedented extension of grace and an attempt to bridge the centuries-old divide between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The preceding verses emphasize Hezekiah's earnest plea for the people to return to the Lord, reminding them of the consequences of their fathers' apostasy. Verse 10 specifically describes the initial, largely negative, response to this sincere and divinely inspired overture.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The historical backdrop is the late 8th century BCE, a period of immense geopolitical tension. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had long been entrenched in idolatry, following the schism under Rehoboam and Jeroboam I, who established golden calves at Bethel and Dan ([1 Kings 12:25-33](/1_kings/12-25 "1 Kings 12:25-33 - Jeroboam's Idolatry")). By Hezekiah's time, the Northern Kingdom was politically unstable and under severe threat from the rising Assyrian Empire, which had already deported many from their eastern territories. Culturally, the Passover was a foundational feast, commemorating God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Hezekiah's invitation to celebrate it in Jerusalem was a direct challenge to the Northern Kingdom's illegitimate worship centers and a call for a return to covenant faithfulness with the God of Israel. The "posts" or runners were official royal messengers, known for their speed and the authority they carried, making the mockery they received a direct insult to the king and, by extension, to the God he represented.
* **Key Themes:** The verse powerfully illustrates several key themes. Firstly, it highlights the **rejection of God's gracious call**, as the Northern tribes, despite their precarious situation, spurned an opportunity for repentance and restoration. This rejection underscores the theme of **spiritual apathy and hardened hearts**, a recurring motif in Israel's history, where divine invitations were met with indifference or outright hostility. Secondly, it subtly emphasizes **Hezekiah's faithfulness and perseverance**, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to God's will and his profound desire for the unity and spiritual health of all Israel, even in the face of anticipated resistance. Finally, the mockery foreshadows the **impending judgment** that would soon befall the Northern Kingdom, as their continued rebellion and refusal to humble themselves before God ultimately led to their devastating Assyrian exile, a consequence often linked to their unfaithfulness, as seen in [2 Kings 17:7-23](/2_kings/17-7 "2 Kings 17:7-23 - Israel's Exile and Its Causes").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Posts (Hebrew, _râṣ_):** This term refers to swift runners or couriers, often associated with royal or official dispatches. In ancient Near Eastern kingdoms, such messengers were vital for communication and carried the authority of the king. Their rapid movement from "city to city" underscores the urgency and widespread nature of Hezekiah's invitation, indicating a deliberate and extensive effort to reach all the scattered tribes.
* **Laughed them to scorn (Hebrew, _ṣāḥaq_ and _laʿag_):** The KJV's "laughed them to scorn, and mocked them" is a hendiadys, using two verbs to express one intensified idea of derision. _Ṣāḥaq_ primarily means "to laugh," but in this context, it carries the connotation of scornful laughter, often associated with ridicule or contempt. _Laʿag_ specifically means "to mock" or "to deride," implying open contempt and insolence. Together, these words paint a vivid picture of not just passive rejection, but active, public, and aggressive ridicule, demonstrating a profound disrespect for the messengers, the king, and the divine invitation they bore.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun":** This clause describes the diligent and extensive outreach initiated by King Hezekiah. The "posts" (messengers) were not merely sending a general decree but actively traveling across the traditional territories of the Northern Kingdom, indicating a genuine and personal appeal to each community. The mention of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun highlights the specific regions targeted, representing the heartland of the Northern Kingdom, emphasizing the breadth of the invitation.
* **"but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them":** This stark contrasting clause reveals the tragic response to Hezekiah's gracious overture. The conjunction "but" signals a sharp pivot from the messengers' earnest effort to the people's contemptuous reaction. The double expression "laughed them to scorn, and mocked them" intensifies the sense of ridicule and open hostility. It signifies a deep-seated spiritual rebellion and a hardened heart against the call to repentance and return to the Lord, demonstrating not merely disinterest but active, public derision.

#### Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs **Contrast** to highlight the disparity between Hezekiah's earnest, divinely inspired invitation and the Northern tribes' contemptuous response. The diligent movement of the "posts" "from city to city" is set against the static, hardened hearts of those who "laughed them to scorn, and mocked them." This creates a powerful dramatic tension. Furthermore, the use of **Hendiadys** in "laughed them to scorn, and mocked them" intensifies the expression of derision, emphasizing the profound depth of the people's contempt rather than merely stating a simple rejection. This double expression underscores the active and aggressive nature of their spiritual rebellion. The mention of specific tribes (Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulun) also serves as **Synecdoche**, where these parts represent the whole of the Northern Kingdom, indicating a widespread, though not universal, rejection.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse serves as a poignant reminder of humanity's persistent tendency to reject divine invitations, even when offered with grace and for their ultimate good. Hezekiah's Passover invitation, though initiated by a human king, was undoubtedly inspired by God's desire for His people's repentance and restoration. The Northern Kingdom's response of mockery and scorn is a tragic echo of Israel's long history of rebellion against God's prophets and His covenant demands. It underscores the profound spiritual blindness and hardened hearts that can develop when a people consistently choose idolatry and self-will over faithfulness to the Lord. Despite the widespread rejection, the very next verse reveals that a remnant did humble themselves, illustrating God's persistent grace and the individual nature of spiritual response.

* [Proverbs 1:24-27](/proverbs/1-24 "Proverbs 1:24-27 - Wisdom's Rejection and Consequences")
* [Jeremiah 7:23-26](/jeremiah/7-23 "Jeremiah 7:23-26 - Disobedience and Hardened Hearts")
* [Matthew 23:37](/matthew/23-37 "Matthew 23:37 - Jesus Laments Jerusalem's Rejection")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The scene in 2 Chronicles 30:10 is a powerful mirror for contemporary faith. Just as Hezekiah's messengers faced scorn for delivering a life-giving invitation, so too do believers often encounter ridicule or apathy when sharing the Gospel or advocating for biblical truth in a world increasingly hostile to spiritual calls. This verse challenges us to consider our own posture when confronted with God's invitations—do we respond with humility and openness, or with a hardened heart and derision? It reminds us that God's grace is often extended even to those who seem least deserving, and our faithfulness is measured not by the immediate reception of our message, but by our obedience in delivering it. It also serves as a sober warning against spiritual indifference, highlighting the profound consequences of rejecting divine calls for repentance and reconciliation, a path that ultimately leads away from life and into spiritual desolation.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does the mockery faced by Hezekiah's messengers resonate with experiences of sharing faith or biblical principles in today's world?**
* **In what ways might our own hearts become hardened to God's invitations, even subtly, leading to spiritual indifference?**
* **What lessons can we draw from Hezekiah's perseverance in extending the invitation, even when met with scorn?**
* **Considering the ultimate fate of the Northern Kingdom, what are the long-term consequences of consistently rejecting God's grace?**

### FAQ
**Why did the Northern Kingdom mock Hezekiah's messengers?**

Answer: The Northern Kingdom, Israel, had been separated from Judah for over 200 years, establishing their own idolatrous worship centers at Bethel and Dan to prevent their people from going to Jerusalem for worship ([1 Kings 12:25-33](/1_kings/12-25 "1 Kings 12:25-33 - Jeroboam's Idolatry")). Their kings had actively promoted idolatry, and the people had become deeply entrenched in these practices, often combining them with pagan rituals. Hezekiah's invitation to return to Jerusalem for Passover was a direct challenge to their established religious and political autonomy, implying that their worship was illegitimate and that they needed to humble themselves and acknowledge the true God in Jerusalem. This call to repentance and submission to Judah's king and God's true worship was met with scorn because it threatened their comfort in sin, their political independence, and their deeply ingrained idolatrous habits. Their laughter and mockery were a manifestation of their hardened hearts and spiritual rebellion against the God of Israel and His covenant demands.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While 2 Chronicles 30:10 depicts a historical rejection of God's gracious invitation through King Hezekiah, it powerfully foreshadows the ultimate rejection of God's supreme Messenger, Jesus Christ. Just as the "posts" were met with scorn and mockery by those in Ephraim, Manasseh, and Zebulun, so too was Jesus, the very Son of God, derided and ridiculed by many of His own people. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him ([John 1:11](/john/1-11 "John 1:11 - Jesus Rejected by His Own")). The religious leaders and the crowds often "mocked him" ([Luke 23:35](/luke/23-35 "Luke 23:35 - The Rulers Mock Jesus")) and "scoffed" at His claims and miracles, culminating in the ultimate act of public humiliation and execution on the cross ([Matthew 27:27-31](/matthew/27-27 "Matthew 27:27-31 - Jesus Mocked by Soldiers")). Yet, in both instances, God's persistent grace shines through. Just as a remnant in Israel humbled themselves and responded to Hezekiah's call ([2 Chronicles 30:11](/2_chronicles/30-11 "2 Chronicles 30:11 - A Remnant Responds")), so too did a remnant of Israel, and indeed countless Gentiles, respond to the call of Christ, finding salvation and true worship in Him. Jesus's suffering and rejection, therefore, are not merely a historical parallel but the ultimate fulfillment of humanity's tendency to spurn God's outstretched hand, providing the perfect sacrifice that makes true reconciliation possible for all who believe, despite the world's scorn.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

2 Chronicles 36:16

But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till [there was] no remedy.

2 Chronicles 30:6

So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

Job 12:4

I am [as] one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright [man is] laughed to scorn.

Luke 22:63

¶ And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote [him].

Luke 22:64

And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?

Esther 8:14

[So] the posts that rode upon mules [and] camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

Luke 8:53

And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.