The Meaning of 2 Kings 19:23 Explained

2 Kings 19:23

KJV: By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

YLT: By the hand of thy messengers Thou hast reproached the Lord, and sayest: In the multitude of my chariots I have come up to a high place of mountains -- The sides of Lebanon, And I cut down the height of its cedars, The choice of its firs, And I enter the lodging of its extremity, The forest of its Carmel.

Darby: By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots have I come up To the height of the mountain, to the recesses of Lebanon, And I will cut down its tall cedars, the choice of its cypresses; And I will enter into its furthest lodging-place, into the forest of its fruitful field.

ASV: By thy messengers thou hast defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into his farthest lodging-place, the forest of his fruitful field.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

By  thy messengers  thou hast reproached  the Lord,  and hast said,  With the multitude  of my chariots  I am come up  to the height  of the mountains,  to the sides  of Lebanon,  and will cut down  the tall  cedar trees  thereof, [and] the choice  fir trees  thereof: and I will enter  into the lodgings  of his borders,  [and into] the forest  of his Carmel. 

What does 2 Kings 19:23 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 19:14-24 - Spreading The Case Before The Lord
That bowed form of King Hezekiah, kneeling before God with this insolent and blasphemous effusion spread out before him, is a beautiful suggestion of our duty under similar circumstances. When we receive letters of rebuke and unkindness, whether they are signed or anonymous, let us treat them as Hezekiah treated this one. Let us spread them before God, and plead with Him to interpose for His holy Name's sake. How blessed it is when our lot is so identified with God's that we can forget ourselves in the one sincere desire that His character shall be vindicated and His Name honored! The selfish element has been so strong in our praying and doing!
In all Scripture there is nothing finer than the magnificent answer to Sennacherib's challenge which God gave through Isaiah. The phrase, "virgin daughter," fittingly indicates that the foreign invader was not to set his foot in the Holy City. Listen to her gleeful laughter, as strong in the Lord of hosts, she derides her foes, 2 Kings 19:21, etc. But that faith may be ours. Others who have not made God their trust are like the green herb that withers in the drought: but they who are planted in God send their roots deep down to the moist earth and draw perennial freshness and strength. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 19

1  Hezekiah, in mourning, sends to Isaiah to pray for them
6  Isaiah comforts them
8  Sennacherib, going to encounter Tirhakah, sends a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah
14  Hezekiah's prayer
20  Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion
35  An angel slays the Assyrians
36  Sennacherib is slain by his own sons

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 19:23 mean?

By your messengers you have reproached the Lord and said - by the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains to the limits of Lebanon and I will cut down tall its cedars choice [And] its cypress trees and I will enter the ends of its borders [To] forest its fruitful
בְּיַ֣ד מַלְאָכֶיךָ֮ חֵרַ֣פְתָּ ׀ אֲדֹנָי֒ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר [ברכב] (בְּרֹ֥ב) רִכְבִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י עָלִ֛יתִי מְר֥וֹם הָרִ֖ים יַרְכְּתֵ֣י לְבָנ֑וֹן וְאֶכְרֹ֞ת קוֹמַ֤ת אֲרָזָיו֙ מִבְח֣וֹר בְּרֹשָׁ֔יו וְאָב֙וֹאָה֙ מְל֣וֹן קִצֹּ֔ה‪‬ יַ֖עַר כַּרְמִלּֽוֹ

מַלְאָכֶיךָ֮  your  messengers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
חֵרַ֣פְתָּ ׀  you  have  reproached 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָרַף 
Sense: to reproach, taunt, blaspheme, defy, jeopardise, rail, upbraid.
אֲדֹנָי֒  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
וַתֹּ֗אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
[ברכב]  - 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
(בְּרֹ֥ב)  by  the  multitude  of 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֶכֶב  
Sense: a team, chariot, chariotry, mill-stone, riders.
רִכְבִּ֛י  my  chariots 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֶכֶב  
Sense: a team, chariot, chariotry, mill-stone, riders.
עָלִ֛יתִי  have  come  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מְר֥וֹם  to  the  height 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָרֹום  
Sense: height.
הָרִ֖ים  of  the  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
יַרְכְּתֵ֣י  to  the  limits 
Parse: Noun, fdc
Root: יְרֵכָה  
Sense: flank, side, extreme parts, recesses.
לְבָנ֑וֹן  of  Lebanon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְבָנׄון  
Sense: a wooded mountain range on the northern border of Israel.
וְאֶכְרֹ֞ת  and  I  will  cut  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
קוֹמַ֤ת  tall 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: קֹומָה  
Sense: height.
אֲרָזָיו֙  its  cedars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶרֶז  
Sense: cedar.
מִבְח֣וֹר  choice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִבְחָר  
Sense: choicest, best.
בְּרֹשָׁ֔יו  [And]  its  cypress  trees 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בְּרֹושׁ  
Sense: cypress, fir, juniper, pine.
וְאָב֙וֹאָה֙  and  I  will  enter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מְל֣וֹן  the  ends 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָלֹון  
Sense: place of lodging, inn, khan.
קִצֹּ֔ה‪‬  of  its  borders 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֵץ  
Sense: end.
יַ֖עַר  [To]  forest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יַעַר 
Sense: forest, wood, thicket, wooded height.
כַּרְמִלּֽוֹ  its  fruitful 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כַּרְמֶל 
Sense: plantation, garden-land, orchard, fruit orchard.