2 Chronicles 11:15

 2 Chronicles 11:15

And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.

a. NLT: Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: And he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And he establisheth to him priests for high places, and for goats, and for calves, that he made -- [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Classic Amplified: And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the [idols of demon] he-goats, and calves he had made. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. I & II Chronicles: For he established priests for himself for the high places and demons and calves that he had made. [THE ARTSCROLL SERIES THE WRITINGS: CHRONICLES Ⓒ Copyright 2017 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.]  

f. NIV: When he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

 

1. “And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils…” 

a. [And he] appointed [Strong: 5975 `amad aw-mad' a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive):--abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, + serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-)stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.]

b. [him] priests [Strong: 3548 kohen ko-hane' active participle of 3547; literally, one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman):--chief ruler, X own, priest, prince, principal officer.]

c. [for the] high places [Strong: 1116 bamah bam-maw' from an unused root (meaning to be high); an elevation:--height, high place, wave.]

d. [and for the] devils [Strong: 8163 sa`iyr saw-eer' or sabir {saw-eer'}; from 8175; shaggy; as noun, a he-goat; by analogy, a faun:--devil, goat, hairy, kid, rough, satyr.]

2. “...and for the calves which he had made.”

a. [and for the] calves [Strong: 5695 `egel ay-ghel from the same as 5696; a (male) calf (as frisking round), especially one nearly grown (i.e. a steer):--bullock, calf.]

b. which [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

c. [he had] made [Strong: 6213 `asah aw-saw' a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows):--accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.]

1). Sacrificing to idols is sacrificing to devils.

 

a). 1 Corinthians 10:19-21 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?

10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

2). This detail is not mentioned in the account in 1 Kings.

a). 1 Kings 12:26-33  And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 

12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

3). I would also say that a number of them refused to execute their office for Jeroboam’s made up religion of high places, devils, and calves..