2 Kings 14:6

14:6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 1  “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, 2  and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. 3  A man must be put to death only for his own sin.” 4 

2 Kings 18:4

18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. 5  He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time 6  the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 7 

1 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the Lord commanded, saying.”

2 tn Heb “on account of sons.”

3 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”

4 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.

5 tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.

sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).

6 tn Heb “until those days.”

7 tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet), “bronze serpent.”