2 Kings 15:35

KJV

Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.

KJV (with Strong's)

Howbeit the high places {H1116} were not removed {H5493}: the people {H5971} sacrificed {H2076} and burned incense {H6999} still in the high places {H1116}. He built {H1129} the higher {H5945} gate {H8179} of the house {H1004} of the LORD {H3068}.

Complete Jewish Bible

However, the high places were not taken away; and the people still sacrificed and offered on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of ADONAI.

Berean Standard Bible

Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.

American Standard Version

Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Second Kings 15:35 offers a succinct yet profound assessment of King Jotham's reign in Judah, highlighting a paradox typical of many righteous kings: his commendable efforts in fortifying the Jerusalem Temple contrasted sharply with his failure to eradicate the pervasive and compromising practice of worship at the "high places." This verse underscores a persistent spiritual struggle within Judah, where official piety coexisted with unauthorized worship, revealing a deep-seated popular adherence to practices that diluted exclusive devotion to Yahweh.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse concludes the summary of King Jotham's sixteen-year reign (c. 750-735 BC), immediately following the general positive assessment that "he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did" (2 Kings 15:34). The phrase "Howbeit" (or "Nevertheless") signals a crucial qualification to this praise, introducing the chronic problem of the high places that plagued many otherwise good kings in Judah. This pattern of partial obedience, where kings are commended for their general righteousness but criticized for failing to remove the high places, is a recurring motif throughout the books of [1 Kings](/1_kings/1 "1 Kings - The Divided Kingdom") and [2 Kings](/2_kings/1 "2 Kings - The Decline and Fall of Israel and Judah"), serving as a literary device to underscore the deep-seated spiritual compromise within the nation. The mention of building the Temple gate then provides a stark **juxtaposition**, showcasing Jotham's zeal for centralized, legitimate worship alongside his inability to purge decentralized, unauthorized practices.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The "high places" (Hebrew: _bamot_) were elevated sites, often natural hills or constructed mounds, used for religious worship. Historically, before the establishment of the Jerusalem Temple, some high places might have been legitimate sites for Yahwistic worship (e.g., [1 Samuel 9:12-14](/1_samuel/9-12 "1 Samuel 9:12-14 - Saul Meets Samuel at the High Place")). However, following the construction of the Temple by Solomon, God's command for centralized worship in [Deuteronomy 12:2-14](/deuteronomy/12-2 "Deuteronomy 12:2-14 - Centralized Worship Commanded") rendered all other altars illegitimate. These high places often became centers for syncretistic worship, blending Yahwistic practices with Canaanite fertility cults, or simply served as convenient alternatives to the arduous journey to Jerusalem, fostering a diluted form of devotion. The fact that "the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places" indicates a deeply entrenched popular custom, suggesting that even a righteous king like Jotham found it politically or practically impossible to eradicate this pervasive spiritual compromise. Jotham's construction of "the higher gate of the house of the LORD" likely refers to an improvement or fortification of the northern gate of the Temple complex, possibly in response to the growing Assyrian threat, demonstrating his commitment to the physical infrastructure of official Yahwistic worship.

* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully illustrates several enduring themes. Firstly, it highlights **Partial Obedience and Spiritual Compromise**, a recurring flaw in many of Judah's kings, including [King Asa](/1_kings/15-14 "1 Kings 15:14 - Asa's Partial Obedience") and [King Jehoshaphat](/1_kings/22-43 "1 Kings 22:43 - Jehoshaphat's Reign and the High Places"). These rulers were generally righteous but failed to enforce comprehensive spiritual reform, allowing popular unauthorized worship to persist. Secondly, the verse speaks to the **Persistence of Idolatry and Unauthorized Worship**, demonstrating the deep-seated nature of spiritual impurity among the populace, even in the face of prophetic warnings and divine commands. The "high places" represent a constant spiritual drain, undermining the covenant relationship with Yahweh. Lastly, it raises the theme of **Outward Piety Versus Inner Purity**. Jotham's commendable architectural contributions to the Temple stand in stark contrast to the spiritual rot of the high places, illustrating the danger of focusing on external religious acts or structures while neglecting the deeper, more challenging issues of exclusive devotion and spiritual purity within the nation and among its people.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **High places (Hebrew, _bāmôt'_):** These refer to elevated cultic sites, often hills or artificial mounds, which served as local centers for religious worship. While some may have initially been dedicated to Yahweh, they were consistently condemned in the Deuteronomistic history (Joshua-Kings) after the establishment of the central Temple in Jerusalem. Their existence facilitated syncretism, diluted centralized worship, and often involved practices contrary to Yahwistic purity, making their removal a litmus test for a king's full obedience.
* **Removed (Hebrew, _sûr'_):** This verb implies an active, deliberate act of taking away, turning aside, or eradicating. The use of the negative ("were not removed") emphasizes Jotham's failure to actively dismantle these sites, indicating a lack of decisive action against a deeply ingrained spiritual problem, rather than mere oversight. It highlights a conscious omission in his otherwise righteous reign.
* **Higher gate (Hebrew, _sha'ar ha'elyon'_):** This likely refers to a specific, significant entrance to the Temple complex, possibly the northern gate. Its construction or improvement by Jotham signifies his dedication to the physical house of the LORD and the centralized worship it represented. This architectural endeavor stands as a tangible act of piety, contrasting sharply with the intangible spiritual failure regarding the high places.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Howbeit the high places were not removed:"** This opening clause immediately qualifies the positive assessment of Jotham's reign (2 Kings 15:34). It highlights a critical spiritual deficiency, indicating that despite his general righteousness, Jotham did not undertake the necessary, decisive action to dismantle the unauthorized worship centers. This failure represents a significant compromise in his commitment to exclusive Yahwistic worship, echoing the pattern of several preceding kings.
* **"the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places."** This clause explains _why_ the high places needed to be removed: they were actively being used for unauthorized worship. The phrase "the people" emphasizes the pervasive nature of this practice, suggesting it was deeply ingrained in popular religious life. The continuation of sacrifices and incense burning signifies a persistent spiritual problem, indicating that the nation's spiritual health remained compromised, even under a king who generally "did right."
* **"He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD."** This final clause presents a striking contrast. While failing to remove the high places, Jotham actively contributed to the central Temple, the legitimate site of worship. This act demonstrates his zeal for the official cult and his commitment to the physical infrastructure of Yahwism. The juxtaposition of this positive action with the preceding negative highlights the complexity of Jotham's reign and the tension between outward religious acts and the deeper, more challenging aspects of spiritual purity.

#### Literary Devices
The verse employs **Juxtaposition** as its primary literary device, placing Jotham's failure to remove the high places in direct contrast with his initiative to build the "higher gate of the house of the LORD." This sharp contrast underscores the king's paradoxical reign: a commitment to the physical structure of legitimate worship coexisting with a tolerance for unauthorized spiritual practices. Furthermore, the mention of "high places" serves as a **Repetition** of a recurring motif throughout the Deuteronomistic history, signaling a persistent spiritual problem that kings were repeatedly challenged, and often failed, to address. This repetition emphasizes the chronic nature of Judah's spiritual compromise. There is also a subtle **Irony** at play: a king praised for doing "right in the sight of the LORD" nevertheless permits a practice explicitly condemned by divine law, revealing the complexities and compromises inherent in human leadership.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The account of King Jotham in 2 Kings 15:35 offers profound theological insights into the nature of obedience, spiritual compromise, and the challenge of radical reform. It reveals that outward acts of piety, even significant ones like Temple construction, do not negate the necessity of addressing deeper, systemic spiritual impurities. The persistence of the high places, despite the presence of generally righteous kings, underscores the pervasive nature of human sin and the difficulty of uprooting deeply entrenched cultural and religious practices that deviate from God's revealed will. This narrative serves as a timeless warning against partial obedience, illustrating that God desires wholehearted, exclusive devotion, not merely adherence to certain aspects of His command while neglecting others. It highlights the constant tension between God's ideal for His people and their persistent inclination towards syncretism and self-devised worship.

* [Deuteronomy 12:2-4](/deuteronomy/12-2 "Deuteronomy 12:2-4 - God's Command for Centralized Worship")
* [1 Kings 15:14](/1_kings/15-14 "1 Kings 15:14 - King Asa's Partial Obedience")
* [Jeremiah 7:21-23](/jeremiah/7-21 "Jeremiah 7:21-23 - Obedience Over Sacrifice")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
King Jotham's story in 2 Kings 15:35 serves as a potent mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to examine the areas of our lives where we might exhibit partial obedience or tolerate spiritual compromise. It's easy to focus on outward expressions of faith—attending church, serving in ministry, giving financially—our "higher gates" that are commendable and visible. Yet, this verse compels us to ask if we are simultaneously neglecting our "high places"—those hidden areas of our hearts or habits where we allow competing loyalties, unconfessed sin, or diluted devotion to persist. True spiritual health demands a radical, comprehensive commitment to God's will, not just in the public sphere but in the private corners of our lives. We are called to be vigilant against syncretism, not just with pagan gods, but with the idols of materialism, self-reliance, comfort, or approval that subtly erode our exclusive devotion to Christ. Jotham's failure reminds us that even good intentions and visible acts of piety are insufficient if we fail to actively dismantle anything that competes with God's rightful place as supreme in our lives.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **What "high places" (areas of compromise or diluted devotion) might exist in my own life or in the collective life of my community?**
* **Am I more focused on outward expressions of faith ("building higher gates") than on the internal purification of my heart and the removal of spiritual compromises?**
* **What specific, decisive actions can I take to "remove" these spiritual high places and cultivate a more holistic and exclusive devotion to God?**
* **How does the persistence of the high places in Judah's history speak to the challenge of true spiritual transformation, both individually and corporately?**

### FAQ
**What exactly were "high places" and why were they a problem?**

Answer: "High places" (Hebrew: _bamot_) were elevated sites, often hills or constructed mounds, used for religious worship. While some may have been used for legitimate Yahwistic worship in earlier periods (e.g., [1 Samuel 9:12](/1_samuel/9-12 "1 Samuel 9:12 - Samuel at the High Place")), they became problematic after the establishment of the central Temple in Jerusalem. God commanded centralized worship at the Temple in [Deuteronomy 12](/deuteronomy/12 "Deuteronomy 12 - Centralized Worship"). The high places were a problem because they often led to syncretism (mixing Yahwistic worship with pagan practices), encouraged idolatry, and undermined the exclusive, centralized worship of Yahweh, fostering a diluted and unauthorized form of devotion.

**Did all "good" kings fail to remove the high places?**

Answer: No, not all. While many righteous kings, like Asa ([1 Kings 15:14](/1_kings/15-14 "1 Kings 15:14 - Asa's Partial Obedience")), Jehoshaphat ([1 Kings 22:43](/1_kings/22-43 "1 Kings 22:43 - Jehoshaphat's Reign and the High Places")), and Jotham, are noted for failing to remove them, there were exceptions. King Hezekiah ([2 Kings 18:4](/2_kings/18-4 "2 Kings 18:4 - Hezekiah's Reform")) and King Josiah ([2 Kings 23:8](/2_kings/23-8 "2 Kings 23:8 - Josiah's Reform")) are explicitly praised for their thorough reforms, which included the destruction of the high places, demonstrating a more complete obedience to God's commands.

**What is the significance of Jotham building "the higher gate of the house of the LORD" in contrast to the high places?**

Answer: This detail highlights a striking **juxtaposition** in Jotham's reign. Building or improving a gate of the Jerusalem Temple, the legitimate center of Yahwistic worship, was a commendable act of piety and dedication to God's house. It demonstrated his zeal for official, centralized worship. However, this positive action is immediately contrasted with his failure to remove the high places, which represented unauthorized, decentralized, and often syncretistic worship. The contrast underscores that outward acts of religious devotion, while good, do not excuse or compensate for a lack of comprehensive obedience in other areas, particularly concerning the purity of worship and the eradication of spiritual compromise.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of King Jotham, caught between commendable outward piety and a failure to eradicate deep-seated spiritual compromise, finds its ultimate resolution and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The "high places" represent humanity's persistent inclination to worship God on our own terms, in our own chosen places, often mixing truth with human tradition or self-serving practices, rather than in the way God has prescribed. This reflects the universal problem of idolatry and partial obedience. Jesus, however, is the perfect King who completely fulfills God's will, demonstrating absolute and unblemished obedience, even unto death on the cross ([Philippians 2:8](/philippians/2-8 "Philippians 2:8 - Christ's Obedience to Death")). He did not merely build a "higher gate" to the house of the Lord; He himself _is_ the true "gate" and the "way" to God, through whom all genuine worship and access to the Father is made possible ([John 10:9](/john/10-9 "John 10:9 - Jesus, the Gate") and [John 14:6](/john/14-6 "John 14:6 - Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Life")). Furthermore, Jesus did not tolerate any "high places" in His ministry or teaching; He consistently called for worship "in spirit and in truth," transcending geographical locations and demanding complete devotion of the heart ([John 4:23-24](/john/4-23 "John 4:23-24 - Worship in Spirit and Truth")). Through His perfect sacrifice, He cleansed the true temple—His own body and, by extension, the church—removing the spiritual "high places" of sin, self-righteousness, and false worship, making true and uncompromised communion with God possible for all who believe ([Hebrews 10:19-22](/hebrews/10-19 "Hebrews 10:19-22 - Access Through Christ's Blood")). Thus, where Jotham's reign revealed a persistent spiritual struggle, Christ's work offers complete victory and the path to unreserved, pure devotion.

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 Kings 12:3

But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

2 Chronicles 23:20

And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.

2 Kings 15:4

Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.

2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

2 Chronicles 27:3

He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

2 Chronicles 27:9

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 32:12

Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?