2 Kings 23:3

“The king stood by the pillar and made the covenant before YHWH, to walk after YHWH and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all the heart and with all the soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book; and all the people took their stand in the covenant.”
2 Kings 23:3 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

The kingהַמֶּלֶךְstoodוַיַּעֲמֹדbyעַלthe pillarהָעַמּוּדand madeוַיִּכְרֹתthe covenantאֶת הַבְּרִיתbeforeלִפְנֵיYHWH,יְהוָהto walkלָלֶכֶתafterאַחַרYHWHיְהוָהand to keepוְלִשְׁמֹרhis commandmentsמִצְוֺתָיוand his testimoniesוְאֶת עֵדְוֺתָיוand his statutesוְאֶת חֻקֹּתָיוwith allבְּכָלthe heartלֵבand with allוּבְכָלthe soul,נֶפֶשׁto confirmלְהָקִיםthe wordsאֶת דִּבְרֵיof thisהַזֹּאתcovenantהַבְּרִיתthat were writtenהַכְּתֻבִיםin thisהַזֶּהbook;עַל הַסֵּפֶרand allכָּלthe peopleהָעָםtook their standוַיַּעֲמֹדin the covenant.בַּבְּרִית

2 Kings 23:3, word by word

The kingמֶּלֶךְmelech

king

A king who rules a people.

Where else “melech” appears

stoodיַּעֲמֹדyaamod

stand

To be on one's feet, firm in a place, or to rise up to act.

Where else “yaamod” appears

the pillarעַמּוּדamud

pillar, column

Pillar, column; also a pillar of cloud or of fire.

Where else “amud” appears

and madeיִּכְרֹתyichrot

make a covenant

Literally "cut": to seal a solemn agreement, splitting animals.

Where else “yichrot” appears

the covenantבְּרִיתberit

covenant

The commitment God makes with his people, with promises and commands.

Where else “berit” appears

beforeפְנֵיfene

before

Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.

Where else “fene” appears

YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

to walkלֶכֶתlechet

walk

To conduct oneself day by day in a certain way, as one walks along a road.

Where else “lechet” appears

and to keepשְׁמֹרshemor

keep

To obey the covenant or the commands.

Where else “shemor” appears

his commandmentsמִצְוֺתָיmitsvotay

commandment

An order of God that must be kept.

Where else “mitsvotay” appears

and his testimoniesעֵדְוֺתָיedvotay

testimony

Testimony: the tablets of the covenant, which bear witness to what God commanded; "the ark of the testimony" holds them.

Where else “edvotay” appears

and his statutesחֻקֹּתָיchukotay

statute

Statute: a fixed rule, laid down to be kept always.

Where else “chukotay” appears

the heartלֵבlev

heart

The deepest part of a person: where they think, feel and decide.

Where else “lev” appears

the soulנֶפֶשׁnefesh

soul

A person's innermost self: what they feel and desire.

Where else “nefesh” appears

to confirmהָקִיםhakim

establish

To put something up, or confirm a covenant.

Where else “hakim” appears

the wordsדִּבְרֵיdivre

word

What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.

Where else “divre” appears

that were writtenכְּתֻבִיםketuvim

write

To put words in writing, in a book or tablet, so that they last.

Where else “ketuvim” appears

bookסֵּפֶרsefer

book

A scroll of skin or papyrus on which law, history or a record is written.

Where else “sefer” appears

the peopleעָםam

crowd

The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.

Where else “am” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Josiah renews the covenant

2 Chronicles 34:29-32

See them side by side

2 Kings 23:1-3

¹The king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ²The king went up to the house of YHWH, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, from the small to the great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of YHWH. ³The king stood by the pillar and made the covenant before YHWH, to walk after YHWH and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all the heart and with all the soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book; and all the people took their stand in the covenant.

2 Chronicles 34:29-32

²⁹The king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰The king went up to the house of YHWH, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites and all the people, from great to small; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of YHWH. ³¹The king stood at his post and made the covenant before YHWH, to walk after YHWH and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant that are written in this book. ³²He established in it all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of Elohim, the Elohim of their fathers.

The context

2The king went up to the house of YHWH, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people, from the small to the great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of YHWH.

3 · This verse (above)

4The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out from the temple of YHWH all the utensils made for Baal, for the Asherah, and for all the army of the heavens; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their dust to Bethel.

Read all of 2 Kings 23

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