And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

1 CHRONICLES 5:25KJV
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1 Chronicles 5:25 (KJV)

What does 1 Chronicles 5:25 mean?

1 Chronicles 5:25 says that some of the Israelites turned away from the God of their ancestors and started worshiping the gods of the people living around them, even though God had already removed those nations from the land. The verse points out their unfaithfulness by describing their actions as spiritual betrayal.

This verse is part of a historical summary given by the author of 1 Chronicles, describing the tribes east of the Jordan River. The writer explains that these Israelites, despite knowing their history and God’s past actions, chose to follow the religious practices of neighboring peoples. The language highlights the seriousness of their disloyalty, setting up the reasons for later consequences in the story.

The Hebrew behind 1 Chronicles 5:25

  • "Transgressed" (מָעַל, ma'al) means to act unfaithfully or break trust, especially in a relationship that expects loyalty. Here, it stresses that the Israelites broke a special covenant with God, not just any rule.
  • "Whoring" (זָנָה, zanah) is a strong term often used in the Hebrew Bible for unfaithfulness to God, comparing idol worship to marital infidelity. This word shows that the betrayal was deeply personal, not just a casual mistake.
  • "God" (אֱלֹהִים, elohim) appears both for the true God and for the false gods of the nations. The same word is used, but the context makes clear when it refers to the God of Israel and when to the idols, highlighting the contrast between true and false worship.

Why 1 Chronicles 5:25 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Israelites’ main failure was not just breaking a rule, but betraying a relationship with God, which the original Hebrew words make especially vivid.
  • The verse connects their actions to the broader story of Israel’s history, showing a repeated pattern of forgetting God’s past help and choosing the ways of surrounding nations.
  • By mentioning that God had already destroyed those nations, the verse underlines the irony and seriousness of the Israelites turning to the very gods that had proven powerless.

Where else these words appear

“transgressed” Hebrew H4603 · used in 35 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • 1 Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
  • Ezra 10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.

“whoring” Hebrew H2181 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 34:31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
  • 1 Kings 3:16 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
  • Ezekiel 16:31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

“destroyed” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
  • Esther 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.