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2 Kings 18:4

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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.

He removed {H5493} the high places {H1116}, and brake {H7665} the images {H4676}, and cut down {H3772} the groves {H842}, and brake in pieces {H3807} the brasen {H5178} serpent {H5175} that Moses {H4872} had made {H6213}: for unto those days {H3117} the children {H1121} of Israel {H3478} did burn incense {H6999} to it: and he called {H7121} it Nehushtan {H5180}.

He removed the high places, smashed the standing-stones, cut down the asherah and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moshe had made; because in those days the people of Isra'el were making offerings to it, calling it N'chushtan.

He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.

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

Commentary

2 Kings 18:4 describes King Hezekiah of Judah's significant religious reforms, highlighting his zealous commitment to pure worship of the Lord. This verse is a powerful statement of his determination to eradicate idolatry from his kingdom.

Context

King Hezekiah ascended to the throne of Judah after his father, King Ahaz, a notoriously wicked king who promoted idolatry and even practiced child sacrifice. In stark contrast, Hezekiah "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD", following the example of his ancestor David. His reign marked a period of spiritual revival and national restoration. This verse details the initial and most radical steps of his religious cleansing, setting him apart from many previous kings who, even if generally righteous, often failed to completely remove the "high places."

Key Themes

  • Radical Reform and Zeal for God: Hezekiah's actions were not superficial; he aggressively dismantled all forms of false worship. This demonstrates a deep commitment to God's commandments, mirroring the call to worship God alone found in Deuteronomy 6:14.
  • Eradication of Idolatry: The verse explicitly lists the objects of his destruction: "high places" (local altars for pagan or syncretistic worship), "images" (pagan pillars or idols), and "groves" (cultic poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah). These were pervasive symbols of foreign worship and spiritual compromise.
  • The Danger of Veneration Turning to Idolatry: The most striking act was the destruction of the "brasen serpent that Moses had made." This object, originally created by divine command for healing in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9), had become an idol to which the people burned incense. King Hezekiah recognized that even a divinely sanctioned object could become an object of worship, thus deflecting devotion from God Himself.

Linguistic Insights

The name King Hezekiah gave to the destroyed brazen serpent, "Nehushtan," is highly significant. It comes from the Hebrew word נְחֻשְׁתָּן (Nehushtan), meaning "a piece of brass" or "bronze thing." By calling it this, Hezekiah stripped the object of any perceived sacredness or power, reducing it to its mere material composition. This was a deliberate act to discredit its idolatrous veneration and emphasize that it was nothing more than an inanimate object, not worthy of worship.

Practical Application

King Hezekiah's actions in 2 Kings 18:4 offer profound lessons for believers today:

  • Beware of Idolatry in Disguise: Idolatry isn't just bowing to statues; it can be anything that takes God's rightful place in our hearts – traditions, possessions, achievements, or even spiritual objects or practices that become ends in themselves rather than means to worship God.
  • Courage for Reform: Hezekiah had the courage to confront deeply entrenched practices, even those with a long history or perceived sacredness. This calls us to examine our own lives and churches for anything that might subtly detract from true worship of God.
  • Focus on the Creator, Not the Created: The story of Nehushtan is a powerful reminder to worship the Creator alone, not His creation or any object associated with His work. Our devotion must be solely to God.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 2 Chronicles 31:1 (7 votes)

    ¶ Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

  • Numbers 21:8 (5 votes)

    And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

  • Numbers 21:9 (5 votes)

    And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

  • 2 Kings 18:22 (3 votes)

    But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: [is] not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

  • 1 Kings 22:43 (3 votes)

    And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; [for] the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

  • Judges 6:25 (3 votes)

    ¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that [is] by it:

  • Deuteronomy 12:2 (3 votes)

    Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: