2 Chronicles 15:17 Meaning: The Perfect Heart That Left High Places
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
yet the high places have not turned aside from Israel; only, the heart of Asa hath been perfect all his days.
But the high places were not removed from Israel; only, Asa's heart was perfect all his days.
Meaning in one sentence
How could Asa's heart be called 'perfect' when he left high places? This verse shows God measures the whole direction of the heart, not flawless obedience.
Context
The chapter opens with the Spirit of God coming upon Azariah the prophet, who goes out to meet King Asa with a call to courage and reform. Asa responds. He removes foreign altars, smashes sacred pillars, renews the altar of the Lord before the temple porch, and gathers the people into a covenant to seek God with all their heart and soul. Even his own mother is removed from her position as queen mother because of her idolatrous image. Then, almost as an afterthought, the writer adds this: yet the high places were not taken away from Israel. The high places were elevated platforms used for worship, sometimes of Yahweh, sometimes of other gods, that stood outside the one place God had chosen. Asa had cleared out the idols, but these structures remained. The verse is realistic about what one king could accomplish, even a king who sought God with everything he had.
Key Words
Two words matter most in this verse. 'Perfect' (shalem in Hebrew) does not mean sinless or flawless. It means whole, complete, undivided. A garment that is shalem is one without a tear, not without a wrinkle, but not torn in two. Asa's heart was not split; it was set toward God in a way that held together over a lifetime. The word for 'heart' here is levav, the inner person, the seat of will, memory, and purpose. It is not about feeling pure but about being oriented by a central allegiance. And then there is the strange word 'only' (rak) that opens the second half of the verse. It is a Hebrew way of saying 'nevertheless' or 'except for this one thing.' The writer does not miss the problem. He states it plainly. Then he states the deeper truth: God sees a heart that remained whole. That is not a low standard. It is a different kind of measurement. It measures the direction of a life, not every single action.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have long wrestled with this verse. Barnes, a Protestant commentator, points out that the earlier reform verses (2 Chronicles 14:3,5) describe Asa's intentions, while this verse describes the actual outcome among the people, he could not fully root out a practice that had deep popular roots. The Cambridge Bible notes that the high places were not necessarily idolatrous; Deuteronomy forbade sacrificing anywhere but the chosen place, so these were worship platforms not authorized by the Law, used perhaps for Yahweh. Keil and Delitzsch see the high places remaining as a sign that Asa's reformation had limits. Different traditions read this similarly: they see a man whose heart was right before God, yet whose work remained incomplete. The verse does not excuse the high places. It does something harder: it honors the wholeheartedness of a man who could not finish everything.
A common misunderstanding
Some read 'perfect' here as meaning Asa never sinned. But the Hebrew word shalem means whole, not faultless. The next chapter shows Asa imprisoning a prophet and relying on an alliance with Syria, clear failures. The verse speaks to his lifelong fidelity to Yahweh, not a claim of moral perfection.
Living This Out
This week, you might be aware of a 'high place' in your life, something that remains undone, a habit not yet broken, a relationship not fully healed. That awareness can feel like a verdict on your whole life with God. This verse offers a different frame. The question is not whether everything is taken away. The question is whether your heart is whole in its direction. Asa could not finish everything, but he finished his life turned toward God. You can rest in that same grace: God sees the set of your face, not just the progress you have made. And tomorrow, you can return to the work he has given you, not in shame but in hope.
Main takeaway: God sees a heart that is whole and undivided in its allegiance, even when the work of reformation is incomplete.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Asa was a good king who loved God very much. He took away many idols, but some places of worship were still there. God was happy with Asa because his heart was full of love for Him.
For ages 9, 12
Asa's story shows us something important. Even though he didn't remove all the high places, the Bible says his heart was 'perfect' or whole toward God. That doesn't mean he was perfect, he made mistakes later. It means he never stopped being loyal to God. The high places were leftover platforms where people sometimes worshipped God himself, but at the wrong spot. Asa left them standing, yet God honored him for having a heart that was not split between God and idols. Sometimes you may feel like you haven't fixed everything wrong in your life. That's okay. What matters most is that your heart stays set on God, and you keep trusting Him day by day.
Questions People Ask
What does 'perfect heart' mean in 2 Chronicles 15:17?
The Hebrew word for 'perfect' is shalem, which means whole, complete, or undivided. It does not mean sinless or flawless. The verse tells us that Asa's heart was whole in its allegiance to God, not torn between worship of Yahweh and other gods. This is confirmed by the surrounding context and by Asa's later failures recorded in the next chapter.
Why were the high places still there if Asa was a good king?
Asa had made a covenant to seek God and had removed idols, but the high places were platforms used for worship that had a long history in Israel. Even some kings who worshipped Yahweh used them, as the book of Kings records. The Bible shows that Asa's reforms were real but not complete; he could not eradicate a practice that was deeply embedded among the people.
Does this verse teach that it's okay to have sin in our lives as long as our heart is sincere?
No. The verse does not excuse the high places. It simply acknowledges that a king could have a fully devoted heart toward God and still have unfinished work. The next chapter shows that God sent a prophet to rebuke Asa for a different failure. The point is not that imperfection is acceptable, but that God sees the heart's direction and judges a person's life as a whole.
What is the Hebrew word for 'heart' in this verse, and why does it matter?
The word is levav, which refers to the inner person, the seat of will, memory, understanding, and purpose. In Hebrew thought, the heart is not just emotions; it is the control center of a life. Asa's levav was shalem, whole, meaning his entire inner person was oriented toward God, not divided by rival loyalties.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study