At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

2 KINGS 18:16KJV
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2 Kings 18:16 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 18:16 mean?

2 Kings 18:16 describes how King Hezekiah of Judah removed the gold from the doors and pillars of the temple of the LORD and gave it to the king of Assyria. This act was done as a payment or tribute to appease the Assyrian king during a time of threat.

Hezekiah, facing pressure from the powerful Assyrian empire, took drastic measures by stripping valuable gold from the temple—God’s own house in Jerusalem. The verse highlights the seriousness of the Assyrian threat and the lengths to which Hezekiah went to try to protect his kingdom, even sacrificing treasures dedicated to God.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 18:16

  • הֵיכָל (heikal, "temple"): This word refers specifically to the temple building, emphasizing that the gold was taken from the very heart of Judah’s worship life, not just any building.
  • יְהוָה (YHWH, "LORD"): The use of God’s personal name underlines that the temple belonged to Israel’s God, making Hezekiah’s action especially significant.
  • קָצַץ (qatsats, "cut off"): This verb means to cut or chop off, showing that the gold was physically removed, not just taken down gently or borrowed.
  • צִפָּה (tsiphah, "overlaid"): This word means to cover or plate with a precious metal, indicating that Hezekiah had previously invested in beautifying the temple, but now had to undo that work out of desperation.

Why 2 Kings 18:16 matters

  • This verse shows the extreme pressure Judah faced from Assyria, helping readers understand the political and spiritual crisis of Hezekiah’s reign.
  • It highlights the costliness of Hezekiah’s decision—not just in material wealth, but in the spiritual significance of stripping God’s temple.
  • The verse sets up the tension in the surrounding chapters, where Hezekiah’s choices and faith are tested by outside threats and internal challenges.

Where else these words appear

“off” Hebrew H7112 · used in 14 verses

  • Exodus 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
  • 2 Samuel 4:12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“overlaid” Hebrew H6823 · used in 39 verses

  • Exodus 25:11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
  • Exodus 36:36 And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
  • 1 Kings 6:21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.

“temple” Hebrew H1964 · used in 76 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
  • Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
  • Ezekiel 41:1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.

“Hezekiah” Hebrew H2396 · used in 78 verses

  • 2 Kings 16:20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
  • 2 Kings 20:5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
  • Isaiah 36:16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;