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.