2 Kings 16 · Verse 18

2 Kings 16:18

And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 16:18, King James Version

2 Kings 16:18 in other translations

BSBAnd on account of the king of Assyria, he removed the Sabbath canopy they had built in the temple and closed the royal entryway outside the house of the LORD.
WEBHe removed the covered way for the Sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s outer entrance to the LORD’s house, because of the king of Assyria.
ASVAnd the covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he unto the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Assyria.
YLTAnd the covered place for the sabbath that they built in the house, and the entrance of the king without, he turned from the house of Jehovah, because of the king of Asshur.
DARBYAnd the covered way of the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry outside, he turned from the house of Jehovah on account of the king of Assyria.
BBEthe house of the Lord, because of the king of Assyria.
WebsterAnd the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, he turned from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.

What does 2 Kings 16:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. the covert for the Sabbath--the portico through which the priests entered the temple on the Sabbath. the king's entry without--a private external entrance for the king into the temple. The change made by Ahaz consisted in removing both of these into the temple from fear of the king of Assyria, that, in case of a siege, he might secure the entrance of the temple from him.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 And the covert for the Sabbath - There are a great number of conjectures concerning this covert, or, as it is in the Hebrew, the מוסך musach, of the Sabbath. As the word, and others derived from the same root, signify covering or booths, it is very likely that this means either a sort of canopy which was erected on the Sabbath days for the accommodation of the people who came to worship, and which Ahaz took away to discourage them from that worship; or a canopy under which the king and his family reposed themselves, and which he transported to some other place to accommodate the king of Assyria when he visited him. Jarchi supposes that it was a sort of covert way that the kings of Judah had to the temple, and Ahaz had it removed lest the king of Assyria, going by that way, and seeing the sacred vessels, should covet them. If that way had been open, he might have gone by it into the temple, and have seen the sacred vessels, and so have asked them from a man who was in no condition to refuse them, however unwilling he might be to give them up. The removing of this, whatever it was, whether throne or canopy, or covered way, cut off the communication between the king's house and the temple; and the king of Assyria would not attempt to go into that sacred place by that other passage to which the priests alone had access.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 16:17-20

Ahaz put contempt upon the sabbath, and thus opened a wide inlet to all manner of sin. This he did for the king of Assyria. When those who have had a ready passage to the house of the Lord, turn it another way to please their neighbours, they are going down-hill apace to ruin.

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 16:17-20 →

2 Kings 16:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
מוּסַ֨ךְmi.sakh[the] covered structure ofH4329
הַשַּׁבָּ֜תha.sha.Batthe sabbathH7676
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
בָּנ֣וּba.Nupeople had builtH1129
בַבַּ֗יִתva.Ba.yitin the houseH1004
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
מְב֤וֹאme.Vo'[the] entrance ofH3996
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
הַֽחִיצ֔וֹנָהha.chi.Tzo.nah<the> outerH2435
הֵסֵ֖בhe.Sevhe removedH5437
בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068
מִפְּנֵ֖יmi.pe.Nei<from> because ofH6440
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
אַשּֽׁוּר\׃'a.ShurAssyriaH804

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 16:18

  • Ezekiel 46:2

    And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.

  • 2 Kings 11:5

    And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;

  • 1 Kings 10:5

    And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the covert.There are a great number of conjectures concerning this covert; but it is probable that it was either, as Locke supposes, a sort of shelter or canopy erected for the people on the sabbath when the crowd was too great for the porch to contain them; or, as Dr. Geddes supposes, a seat, covered with a canopy, placed on an elevation, for the king and his court, when they attended public worship.
11:5; 1Ki 10:5; Eze 46:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 16:17

    And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.

  • 2 Kings 16:18

    And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria.

  • 2 Kings 16:19

    Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Read all of 2 Kings 16

2 Kings 16:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Asimismo la tienda del sábado que habían edificado en la casa, y el pasadizo de afuera del rey, mudólos del templo de Jehová, por causa del rey de Asiria.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il changea, dans la maison de l’ Éternel, le portique du sabbat, qu’on avait bâti dans la maison, et l’entrée extérieure du roi, à cause du roi d’Assyrie.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und den bedeckten Sabbathgang, den man am Hause gebaut hatte, und den äußeren Eingang des Königs veränderte er am Hause Jehovas wegen des Königs von Assyrien.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Musach quoque sabbati quod ædificaverat in templo: et ingressum regis exterius convertit in templum Domini propter regem Assyriorum.