The Meaning of 2 Chronicles 23:17 Explained

2 Chronicles 23:17

KJV: Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

YLT: and all the people enter the house of Baal, and break it down, yea, his altars and his images they have broken, and Mattan priest of Baal they have slain before the altars.

Darby: And all the people went into the house of Baal, and broke it down; and they broke his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

ASV: And all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then all the people  went  to the house  of Baal,  and brake it down,  and brake  his altars  and his images  in pieces,  and slew  Mattan  the priest  of Baal  before  the altars. 

What does 2 Chronicles 23:17 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 2 Chronicles 23

1  Jehoiada, having set things in order, makes joash king
12  Athaliah is slain
16  Jehoiada restores the worship of God

What do the individual words in 2 Chronicles 23:17 mean?

And went all the people to the temple of Baal and tore it down and they broke its altars and images in pieces and Mattan the priest of Baal killed before the altars
וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ כָל־ הָעָ֤ם בֵּית־ הַבַּ֙עַל֙ וַֽיִּתְּצֻ֔הוּ וְאֶת־ מִזְבְּחֹתָ֥יו וְאֶת־ צְלָמָ֖יו שִׁבֵּ֑רוּ וְאֵ֗ת מַתָּן֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן הַבַּ֔עַל הָרְג֖וּ לִפְנֵ֥י הַֽמִּזְבְּחֽוֹת

וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ  And  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הָעָ֤ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בֵּית־  to  the  temple 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַבַּ֙עַל֙  of  Baal 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
וַֽיִּתְּצֻ֔הוּ  and  tore  it  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine singular
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
וְאֶת־  and  they  broke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מִזְבְּחֹתָ֥יו  its  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
צְלָמָ֖יו  images 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: צֶלֶם 
Sense: image.
שִׁבֵּ֑רוּ  in  pieces 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
מַתָּן֙  Mattan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַתָּן  
Sense: a priest of Baal in Jerusalem in the time of Athaliah.
כֹּהֵ֣ן  the  priest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
הַבַּ֔עַל  of  Baal 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
הָרְג֖וּ  killed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
לִפְנֵ֥י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הַֽמִּזְבְּחֽוֹת  the  altars 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.