2 Kings 15:4

Translation
King James Version
Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Save that the high places H1116 were not removed H5493: the people H5971 sacrificed H2076 and burnt incense H6999 still on the high places H1116.
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Complete Jewish Bible
However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered on the high places.
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Berean Standard Bible
Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.
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American Standard Version
Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
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World English Bible Messianic
However the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
But the hie places were not put away: for the people yet offered, and burned incense in the hie places.
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Young's Literal Translation
only, the high places have not turned aside--yet are the people sacrificing and making perfume in high places.
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See also
2 Kings 14:42 Kings 12:31 Kings 15:142 Chronicles 17:62 Kings 18:42 Chronicles 34:32 Chronicles 32:12
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Menahem's Coup and Reign
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In the KJVVerse 9,930 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Second Kings 15:4 serves as a pivotal qualifier in the assessment of King Azariah (also known as Uzziah) of Judah, revealing a persistent spiritual compromise that marred even the reigns of otherwise righteous monarchs. Despite Azariah's general adherence to Yahweh's commands, this verse highlights his failure, like many predecessors, to eradicate the "high places"—unauthorized worship sites where the populace continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense. It underscores a profound and enduring challenge within Judah: the difficulty of achieving complete spiritual obedience and the persistent allure of decentralized, often syncretistic, worship practices, even when a king's heart was largely devoted to the Lord.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within the Deuteronomistic History (Joshua–Kings), which consistently evaluates Israelite and Judean kings based on their fidelity to the Mosaic covenant, often against the standard of King David. Second Kings 15 opens with a positive appraisal of Azariah's long reign (52 years), stating he "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done" 2 Kings 15:3. However, verse 4 immediately introduces a critical caveat that functions as a recurring refrain throughout Kings. This precise phrase, "Save that the high places were not removed," appears in the evaluations of other "good" kings such as Jehoshaphat 1 Kings 22:43 and Joash 2 Kings 12:3, emphasizing that this particular failure was a deeply entrenched national issue. Its consistent repetition underscores the pervasive nature of this spiritual compromise and foreshadows the eventual downfall of Judah, which was partly attributed to its persistent spiritual infidelity and failure to fully embrace exclusive Yahweh worship.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The "high places" (Hebrew: bâmôt) were elevated sites, whether natural hills or constructed platforms, used for religious worship and sacrifice throughout the ancient Near East. These sites were common in Canaanite religion for offerings to various deities, and their presence predated Israelite settlement. While some bâmôt might have been used for legitimate Yahweh worship in earlier periods (e.g., before the Temple's construction), their continued existence after the establishment of the central sanctuary in Jerusalem constituted a direct violation of Mosaic Law. Deuteronomy 12 explicitly commanded that all sacrifices be brought to "the place the LORD your God will choose" Deuteronomy 12:5, specifically to avoid syncretism and ensure the purity and unity of Israelite worship. The people's persistent use of high places, even for Yahweh, represented a dangerous blending of legitimate worship with pagan forms and decentralized, often corrupt, practices. It reflected a lack of full commitment to God's prescribed worship order, allowing for a localized, personalized spirituality rather than the unified, communal worship centered at the Temple.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within 2 Kings and the broader Deuteronomistic History. Firstly, it highlights the theme of Incomplete Obedience or Partial Reform. Even kings generally deemed "righteous" by the biblical author often proved unable or unwilling to fully eradicate all forms of illicit worship. This demonstrates that spiritual purity was an ongoing struggle, not a one-time achievement, and that genuine righteousness demands thoroughness. Secondly, it underscores the Persistence of Illicit Worship among the populace. The phrase "the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places" indicates a deep-seated popular attachment to these local shrines. This popular resistance to full reform often undermined the efforts of even well-intentioned monarchs, illustrating the challenge of leading a nation to complete spiritual fidelity. Finally, the verse speaks to the Accountability of Leadership. The king's failure to remove the high places, despite his overall righteousness, is presented as a significant blemish on his reign. It demonstrates that leadership inaction can perpetuate spiritual compromise and contribute to national sin, ultimately leading to divine judgment, as seen in the later exile of Judah 2 Kings 25. This stands in stark contrast to later reformers like King Hezekiah, who actively "removed the high places" 2 Kings 18:4, and Josiah, who carried out an even more comprehensive purge 2 Kings 23.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • High Places (Hebrew, bâmâh', H1116): From an unused root meaning "to be high," this term (H1116) refers to elevated sites, either natural hills or artificial mounds, which served as locations for religious worship and sacrifice. While some bâmôt were initially used for legitimate Yahweh worship (e.g., 1 Samuel 9:12), their association with Canaanite fertility cults and their use outside the divinely ordained central sanctuary (the Temple in Jerusalem) made them objects of divine disapproval. Their continued existence symbolized a persistent spiritual compromise and a failure to fully centralize and purify Israelite worship as commanded in the Torah.
  • Sacrificed (Hebrew, zâbach', H2076): This primitive root (H2076) means "to slaughter an animal, usually in sacrifice." In the context of the high places, it refers to the performance of sacrificial rites. The problem was not the act of sacrificing itself, which was central to Israelite worship, but the unauthorized location and often the manner in which it was done, outside the parameters of God's explicit commands for a unified, pure worship system centered at the Temple.
  • Burnt Incense (Hebrew, qâṭar', H6999): This primitive root (H6999) means "to smoke" or "to turn into fragrance by fire, especially as an act of worship." Incense burning was a significant part of ancient worship, creating a fragrant offering that ascended to the deity. While legitimate incense burning occurred in the Temple, its practice on the high places, often in conjunction with unauthorized sacrifices and sometimes to foreign gods, further marked these sites as centers of illicit and syncretistic worship, contributing to the spiritual pollution of the land.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Save that the high places were not removed:" This opening clause functions as a critical exception or qualification to the generally positive assessment of King Azariah's reign. It highlights a significant and persistent failure in his spiritual reforms. The non-removal of these sites indicates either an inability, an unwillingness, or a lack of priority on the part of the king to fully implement the Mosaic commands regarding centralized worship. This omission is consistently noted as a flaw even in otherwise righteous kings, underscoring its gravity in the eyes of the biblical author and its contribution to the nation's spiritual decline.
  • "the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places." This second clause explains the direct consequence of the high places remaining: the populace continued their unauthorized worship practices there. The word "still" (Hebrew, 'od) emphasizes the ongoing, entrenched nature of this problem. It was not a new development but a persistent habit, demonstrating the deep-rooted popular attachment to these local shrines and the challenge of fully transitioning the nation to the exclusive, centralized worship at the Jerusalem Temple. This continuation of illicit worship practices by the people underscores the king's responsibility in allowing such spiritual compromise to persist and illustrates the difficulty of genuine spiritual reform against popular religious inertia.

Literary Devices

The verse employs Irony by immediately following a positive assessment of Azariah's reign ("did that which was right in the sight of the LORD") with a glaring exception of spiritual failure. This creates a tension, highlighting the nuanced and often incomplete nature of obedience, even among those deemed righteous. Furthermore, the Repetition of this exact phrase or very similar sentiments across the reigns of multiple kings in 1 and 2 Kings (e.g., Joash, Amaziah, Jehoshaphat) functions as a Leitmotif, a recurring theme or phrase that emphasizes the pervasive and persistent nature of the "high places" problem throughout Judah's history. This repetition underscores the deep spiritual struggle and the consistent failure of leadership to fully eradicate a practice that God had explicitly forbidden, ultimately contributing to the narrative's overarching theme of Israel's covenant infidelity and its consequences.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

This verse powerfully illustrates the biblical concept of incomplete obedience and the enduring challenge of spiritual purity. While Azariah was generally righteous, his failure to remove the high places reveals a significant area of compromise that allowed the people to persist in practices contrary to God's revealed will. Theologically, this highlights that true devotion requires not just a general inclination towards righteousness but a thorough and uncompromising commitment to God's commands, even when it involves dismantling deeply entrenched, culturally accepted forms of worship that deviate from divine standards. The high places, whether used for Yahweh or foreign gods, represented a fragmented and often syncretistic spirituality, undermining the singularity of Yahweh's worship and the unity of His people. This persistent issue ultimately contributed to the spiritual decay that led to Judah's judgment and exile, serving as a stark reminder that partial obedience is still disobedience in the eyes of a holy God who demands exclusive worship and fidelity.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

The enduring presence of the "high places" in Judah, even under generally righteous kings, serves as a profound spiritual mirror for believers today. It compels us to examine our own lives for areas of "incomplete obedience"—those lingering habits, hidden compromises, or culturally accepted practices that, while perhaps not overtly sinful, subtly divert our full devotion from God or are not fully aligned with His Word. Just as the high places represented a decentralized and often syncretistic worship that competed with the pure, centralized worship at the Temple, we must ask ourselves if there are "high places" in our hearts or lives where we allow fragmented loyalties, partial surrender, or comfortable compromises to reside. True spiritual health and vibrant faith demand a thorough cleansing, a relentless pursuit of holiness that leaves no room for anything that dilutes our singular devotion to Christ. This often requires courageous and uncomfortable dismantling of old patterns, even those that feel familiar or are socially accepted, to ensure that our worship and lives are fully consecrated to the Lord alone, reflecting an undivided heart.

Questions for Reflection

  • What are the "high places" in my own life—areas of compromise or partial obedience that hinder my complete devotion to God?
  • How does the persistence of the high places in Judah's history challenge my understanding of what it means to be truly righteous and fully obedient?
  • In what ways might I be allowing cultural norms, personal preferences, or even "good" intentions to subtly undermine God's clear commands for my life and worship?
  • What specific steps can I take to actively "remove" these spiritual high places and ensure my worship is singular, pure, and fully consecrated to the Lord?

FAQ

What exactly were the "high places" and why were they problematic?

Answer: The "high places" (Hebrew: bâmôt) were elevated sites, often natural hills or man-made platforms, used for religious worship and sacrifice throughout the ancient Near East. While some might have been used for legitimate worship of Yahweh in early Israelite history (e.g., before the Temple was built), they became problematic for several reasons. Firstly, God commanded a centralized place of worship in Deuteronomy 12, where all sacrifices were to be brought to the "place the LORD your God will choose" Deuteronomy 12:11. This was to prevent syncretism, ensure purity of worship, and maintain the unity of the people around a single, divinely ordained sanctuary. Secondly, the high places were often associated with Canaanite fertility cults and pagan practices, leading to spiritual corruption and the worship of other gods. Even when used for Yahweh worship, they often incorporated pagan rituals or reflected a fragmented, unauthorized approach to God, undermining the exclusive and holy nature of His covenant with Israel. Their continued existence represented a failure to fully obey God's command for pure and centralized worship.

Why did "good" kings like Azariah fail to remove the high places, despite doing "that which was right in the sight of the LORD"?

Answer: The failure of otherwise "good" kings like Azariah (Uzziah) to remove the high places highlights the deep-seated nature of this problem and the complexities of leadership. Several factors likely contributed:

  1. Popular Entrenchment: The high places were deeply ingrained in the popular religious life of the people. They were local, convenient, and traditional. Removing them would have been highly unpopular and potentially politically destabilizing, requiring immense courage and spiritual conviction.
  2. Lack of Full Conviction/Courage: While these kings were generally righteous, they may have lacked the full spiritual conviction or political courage to undertake such a comprehensive and unpopular reform. It required a level of zeal that few possessed (King Hezekiah and Josiah being notable exceptions, as seen in 2 Kings 18:4 and 2 Kings 23:8).
  3. Misunderstanding of God's Will: Some kings might have genuinely believed that worshiping Yahweh at these local shrines was acceptable, perhaps viewing them as legitimate alternatives or supplements to the Temple, despite the clear commands in the Torah. Their understanding of God's exclusive demands may have been incomplete.
  4. Practical Difficulties: The sheer number and widespread distribution of these sites across the land would have made their complete eradication a monumental and logistically challenging task.
    This persistent failure underscores that even those with good intentions can fall short of complete obedience, and that true reform requires unwavering commitment to God's standards above all else, prioritizing divine commands over popular sentiment or political expediency.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The persistent failure to remove the high places, even under righteous kings, vividly foreshadows humanity's inherent inability to achieve complete spiritual purity and obedience through the Law. It demonstrates the deep-seated nature of sin and compromise within the human heart, which even the most well-intentioned efforts cannot fully eradicate. This recurring deficiency in the Old Covenant points directly to the necessity of a New Covenant and a perfect High Priest. Jesus Christ, unlike the kings of Judah, perfectly fulfilled the Law and offered the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice, rendering all other sacrificial systems, including those on the high places, obsolete Hebrews 10:11-14. He is the true "place" where worship is to occur, not in a physical temple or on a high place, but "in spirit and truth" John 4:23-24. Through His atoning work, Christ not only removes the penalty of sin but also empowers believers to live lives of genuine, internal righteousness, transforming our hearts so that we become the very "temple of the Holy Spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19. The "high places" in our lives—any lingering idols, compromises, or areas of partial obedience—are now to be dismantled by the power of the Spirit, as we are called to present our bodies as "living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" Romans 12:1-2, fully devoted to Him alone, in the freedom and power of the New Covenant.

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Commentary on 2 Kings 15 verses 1–7

This is a short account of the reign of Azariah. 1. Most of it is general, and the same that has been given of others; he began young and reigned long (Kg2 15:2), did, for the most part, that which was right, Kg2 15:3 (it was happy for the kingdom that a good reign was a long one), only he had not zeal and courage enough to take away the high places, Kg2 15:4. 2. That which is peculiar, Kg2 15:5 (that God smote him with a leprosy) is more largely related, with the occasion of it, Ch2 26:16, etc., where we have also a fuller account of the glories of the former part of his reign, as well as of the disgraces of the latter part of it. He did that which was right, as Amaziah had done; like him, he began well, but failed before he finished. Here we are told, (1.) That he was a leper. The greatest of men are not only subject to the common calamities, but also to the common infirmities, of human nature; and, if they be guilty of any heinous sin, they lie as open as the meanest to the most grievous strokes of divine vengeance. (2.) God smote him with this leprosy, to chastise him for his presumptuous invasion of the priests' office. If great men be proud men, some way or other God will humble them, and make them know he is both above them and against them, for he resisteth the proud. (3.) That he was a leper to the day of his death. Though we have reason to think he repented and the sin was pardoned, yet, for warning to others, he was continued under this mark of God's displeasure as long as he lived, and perhaps it was for the good of his soul that he was so. (4.) That he dwelt in a separate house, as being made ceremonially unclean by the law, to the discipline of which, though a king, he must submit. He that presumptuously intruded into God's temple, and pretended to be a priest, was justly shut out from his own palace, and shut up as a prisoner or recluse, ever after. We suppose that his separate house was made as convenient and agreeable as might be. Some translate it a free house, where he had liberty to take his pleasure. However, it was a great mortification to one that had been so much a man of honour, and a man of business, as he had been, to be cut off from society and dwell always in a separate house: it would almost make life itself a burden, even to kings, though they have never any to converse with but their inferiors; the most contemplative men would soon be weary of it. (5.) That his son was his viceroy in the affairs both of his court (for he was over the house) and of his kingdom (for he was judging the people of the land); and it was both a comfort to him and a blessing to his kingdom that he had such a son to fill up his room.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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Ishodad of MervAD 850
BOOKS OF SESSIONS 2 KINGS 15:3
In the book of Chronicles [it is written]: Uzziah “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his father David, and God made him prosper.” “He built” fortresses “and palaces and high towers which were reinforced with iron bolts.” “But when he had become strong, he grew proud; he became an infidel to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to make the censer-bearers of perfumes smoke. But the priest Azariah went in after him and said to him, ‘It is not for you, king, [to make offerings].’ And the king was angered with the priests and ordered them to be driven out of the sanctuary. But at the same time a leprous disease broke out of the holy place on his forehead.” And when he died, “they did not bury him in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, ‘He is leprous.’ ”He was struck with leprosy because, besides kingship, he dared arrogate priesthood, without remembering what had happened to the people of Dathan and Korah and what had happened to Jeroboam. That is why he received a punishment on a part of his body that was conspicuous. And since no prophet had reproached him, except for the priest Azariah, the gift of prophecy was withheld from [all prophets] until the death of Uzziah. And the bronze bull which they worshiped bellowed and produced a tremendous noise, while blood, ravaging and plagues reigned among the people. And the prophet Zechariah referred to these events when he said, “And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah.”
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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