Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

2 CHRONICLES 34:25KJV
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2 Chronicles 34:25 (KJV)

What does 2 Chronicles 34:25 mean?

2 Chronicles 34:25 says that because the people abandoned God and worshipped other gods, making offerings to them, God’s anger would be poured out on their land and would not be stopped. The verse explains that their actions provoked God, so judgment was coming as a result.

This verse is part of a message from God delivered by the prophetess Huldah to King Josiah’s messengers. The people of Judah had turned away from God, worshipping other gods and making offerings to them, which was seen as a serious betrayal. The warning is clear: their repeated disobedience would bring about God’s wrath on their nation, and this punishment would not be turned aside.

The Hebrew behind 2 Chronicles 34:25

  • "forsaken" (עָזַב, ʿazav): This word means to abandon or leave behind. It shows that the people’s relationship with God was broken by their choice, not by accident.
  • "incense" (קָטַר, qatar): This word refers to burning incense, a common act of worship in ancient times. Here, it highlights that the people were actively participating in rituals to other gods, not just passively drifting away.
  • "wrath" (חֵמָה, chemah): This word means intense anger or fury. It emphasizes the seriousness of God’s response, not just disappointment but a strong, active reaction.
  • "quenched" (כָּבָה, kabah): This word means to extinguish or put out, like putting out a fire. Saying God’s wrath "shall not be quenched" paints a picture of a punishment that will run its full course and cannot be stopped.

Why 2 Chronicles 34:25 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s anger is not arbitrary but is a direct response to the people’s deliberate choices to worship other gods and reject Him.
  • The language shows that the people’s actions were active and intentional, not just a matter of neglect or ignorance.
  • In the context of Josiah’s reforms, this verse explains why such drastic changes were needed and why the coming judgment was seen as unavoidable, setting the stage for the urgency of repentance in the following verses.

Where else these words appear

“out” Hebrew H5413 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 9:33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
  • Job 3:24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
  • Ezekiel 22:21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

“quenched” Hebrew H3518 · used in 24 verses

  • Leviticus 6:12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
  • Proverbs 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
  • Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

“anger” Hebrew H3707 · used in 53 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
  • 1 Kings 22:53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

“incense” Hebrew H6999 · used in 112 verses

  • Exodus 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
  • Leviticus 9:20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:
  • 2 Chronicles 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.