¹ tn Heb “and they tore down before him the altars of the Baals.”

² tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”

¹ tn Heb “on the right of the altar as a man enters.”

² tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹ tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord.”

¹ sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.

³ sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.

¹ sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.

¹ tn Heb “toward the altar” (see the note on Lev 1:9).

³ tn Heb “toward the altar” (see the note on Lev 1:9).

¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn This is an adverbial accusative explaining the material used in building the altar.

² sn This was the larger bowl used in tossing the blood at the side of the altar.

¹ tn The phrase “to Baal” does not appear in the Hebrew text here but is implied; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NCV “altars for idols,” NLT “altars of their foreign gods.”

¹ tn Heb “their altars” (so NAB, NRSV) or “their sacrifices” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). Here זִבְחוֹתָם (zivkhotam, “altars; sacrifices”) is a metonymy of association for Israel’s apostate, idolatrous Baal worship.

² tn Heb “And also the altar that is in Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin, also that altar and the high place he tore down.” The more repetitive Hebrew text is emphatic.

² tn The expression is מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת (mizbeakh miqtar q^etoret), either “an altar, namely an altar of incense,” or “an altar, [for] burning incense.” The second noun is “altar of incense,” although some suggest it is an active noun meaning “burning.” If the former, then it is in apposition to the word for “altar” (which is not in construct). The last noun is “incense” or “sweet smoke.” It either qualifies the “altar of incense” or serves as the object of the active noun. B. Jacob says that in order to designate that this altar be used only for incense, the Torah prepared the second word for this passage alone. It specifies the kind of altar this is (Exodus, 828).

¹ sn The instructions here call for the altar to be made of natural things, not things manufactured or shaped by man. The altar was either to be made of clumps of earth or natural, unhewn rocks.

¹ sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?

² tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.