And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

2 CHRONICLES 15:16KJV
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2 Chronicles 15:16 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 15:16 mean?

2 Chronicles 15:16 describes how King Asa removed his mother Maachah from her position as queen because she had made an idol, and Asa destroyed her idol by cutting it down, crushing it, and burning it by the brook Kidron. This verse shows Asa taking strong action against idol worship, even when it involved his own family.

The verse is set during the reign of Asa, king of Judah, as he leads religious reforms to turn the nation back to worshiping the God of Israel. Asa’s decision to remove Maachah, his own mother, from being queen (a position of honor and influence) highlights his commitment to these reforms. The destruction of the idol at the brook Kidron is a public act, emphasizing the seriousness with which Asa treated idolatry.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 15:16

  • "Removed" (סוּר, sur): This word means to take away or depose. Asa did not just advise Maachah; he actively took away her official status as queen, showing the seriousness of his reform.
  • "Queen" (גְּבִירָה, gevirah): This term refers to the queen mother, a powerful and respected position in the royal court. Removing Maachah from this role would have been a significant and public action.
  • "Idol" (מִפְלֶצֶת, miphletseth): This word often refers to a repulsive or frightful image, not just any idol. It suggests the object was especially offensive in the context of Israelite worship.
  • "Grove" (אֲשֵׁרָה, asherah): This word refers to a wooden object or pole associated with the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. The verse points out that Maachah’s idol was connected to forbidden religious practices.

Why 2 Chronicles 15:16 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Asa’s reforms were not just public gestures but included difficult personal decisions, even against his own mother, showing his dedication to ending idol worship.
  • The mention of the brook Kidron connects Asa’s actions to other moments in Israel’s history where idols were destroyed there, highlighting a pattern of purifying worship.
  • This verse helps readers understand the seriousness with which idolatry was treated in ancient Judah and the lengths to which faithful leaders would go to uphold their religious convictions.

Where else these words appear

“idol” Hebrew H4656 · used in 2 verses

  • 1 Kings 15:13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

“queen” Hebrew H1377 · used in 6 verses

  • 1 Kings 11:19 And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
  • 1 Kings 15:13 And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
  • Jeremiah 13:18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.

“Kidron” Hebrew H6939 · used in 10 verses

  • 2 Samuel 15:23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.
  • 2 Kings 23:4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
  • 2 Chronicles 29:16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.

“stamped” Hebrew H1854 · used in 12 verses

  • Exodus 30:36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
  • 2 Samuel 22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.