Introduction to 2 Chronicles 28:3: Imitation of the Nations and Divine Displeasure
This verse documents a horrific act: the burning of children as sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom by a king of Judah, mirroring the abominations of the surrounding nations. The grammar of this clause involves the use of a causal verb followed by a comparative structure, specifically the syntax of כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת (“like the abominations of…”) which frames the action in moral and theological comparison. This lesson explores how Hebrew uses comparison to both describe and condemn, and how this grammar conveys theological judgment through syntactic mimicry.
וְהוּא הִקְטִיר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם וַיַּבְעֵר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
1. וְהוּא הִקְטִיר – “And he offered incense” / “made offerings”
- וְהוּא – conjunction + pronoun: “and he”
- הִקְטִיר – Hiphil perfect 3ms of ק־ט־ר: “to burn, cause to smoke,” often in cultic contexts
The Hiphil form denotes causative action, used here in a ritual-sacrificial sense, likely denoting offering of incense or burning in cultic practice. This begins the description of illegitimate worship, tied to foreign ritual patterns.
2. בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם – “in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom”
- בְּ – preposition: “in”
- גֵּיא – noun: “valley”
- בֶן־הִנֹּם – construct form: “Ben-Hinnom” (a proper name)
This valley became synonymous with child sacrifice and later, eschatological judgment (“Gehenna”). The location adds geographic and theological weight to the offense.
3. וַיַּבְעֵר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ – “and he burned his sons in the fire”
- וַיַּבְעֵר – Hiphil imperfect with vav-consecutive of ב־ע־ר: “to burn / kindle”
- אֶת־בָּנָיו – accusative marker + “his sons”
- בָּאֵשׁ – “in the fire”
The use of בָּאֵשׁ specifies the method, while the Hiphil form expresses deliberate causation. This parallels the earlier הִקְטִיר and forms a climactic horror: the ritual involves human sacrifice.
4. כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם – “according to the abominations of the nations”
- כְּ – comparative preposition: “like / according to”
- תוֹעֲבוֹת – plural noun: “abominations,” from ת־ע־ב, a term reserved for acts that are morally and ritually abhorrent
- הַגּוֹיִם – “the nations / Gentiles” (definite plural)
This structure expresses mimicry of condemned foreign practices. The comparative preposition כְּ governs the following noun phrase, aligning Judah’s actions with those of Canaanite or surrounding peoples. It carries not only grammatical comparison but moral condemnation.
5. אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – “whom YHWH dispossessed from before the children of Yisra’el”
- אֲשֶׁר – relative pronoun: “whom”
- הוֹרִישׁ – Hiphil perfect 3ms of י־ר־שׁ: “to dispossess, drive out”
- מִפְּנֵי – “from before / away from”
- בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – “the children of Yisra’el”
This relative clause frames the irony: the nations whose practices are now imitated were the very ones YHWH removed due to these abominations. The grammar of divine expulsion (Hiphil of י־ר־שׁ) contrasts with Judah’s willful re-absorption of their ways.
Comparison as Condemnation in Biblical Hebrew
The use of כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת exemplifies how Hebrew uses comparative syntax not neutrally but evaluatively. It is not just “like,” but “just as wicked as.” The comparison is part of the accusation, not a mere description. Such structures are common in prophetic critique, where grammatical parallels expose spiritual corruption.
Grammar That Echoes History
The syntax of this verse builds a tragic irony: Judah, chosen to replace the nations, now acts like the nations. Through causative verbs (הִקְטִיר, וַיַּבְעֵר) and a comparative clause (כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם), the Hebrew constructs not only an account of sin but a theologically-loaded reversal of redemptive history. It is grammar that condemns by mimicry, comparison, and contrast with the divine will of YHWH.
