2 Kings 15:32-38 Meaning: A Good King, an Unfinished Problem, and Trouble on the Horizon
32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign.
33He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
34He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes. He did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
35However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of Yahweh’s house.
36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
37In those days, Yahweh began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.
38Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city; and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
33Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
34And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
35Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the Lord.
36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
37In those days the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
38And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
33Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
34And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
35Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah.
36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
37In those days Jehovah began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
38And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
32In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel reigned hath Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah.
33A son of twenty and five years was he in his reigning, and sixteen years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother is Jerusha daughter of Zadok,
34and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that Uzziah his father did he hath done.
35Only, the high places have not turned aside--yet are the people sacrificing and making perfume in high places; he hath built the high gate of the house of Jehovah.
36And the rest of the matters of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
37In those days hath Jehovah begun to send against Judah Rezin king of Amram and Pekah son of Remaliah.
38And Jotham lieth with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers, in the city of David his father, and reign doth Ahaz his son in his stead.
32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
33He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
34And he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
35Only, the high places were not removed: the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. It was he who built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah.
36And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
37In those days Jehovah began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
38And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
Meaning in one sentence
Jotham did what was right, but the high places remained and enemies stirred. This passage shows that faithfulness doesn't always bring peace.
Context
This passage sits near the end of the long, bloody story of the northern kingdom of Israel. The writer has been tracking kings who did evil, one after another. Now he turns back to Judah, where Jotham, son of Uzziah, has taken the throne. Jotham ruled from Jerusalem for sixteen years. The Chronicler adds details about his building projects and his victory over the Ammonites. But here the focus is simpler: Jotham did right, yet he did not remove the high places, the local shrines where people worshipped in ways God had not commanded. And in his days, trouble began to stir from Syria and Israel. It is a quiet, ominous note before the storm that will break under his son Ahaz.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this passage. First, yashar, the word behind "right" in verse 34. It means straight, level, what lines up with God's measure. Jotham walked a straight path, unlike so many kings around him. But then comes rak, "however" or "only", a small word that pivots everything. It signals an exception, a shadow across the good report. The high places (bamot) were not removed. These were hilltop worship sites, some dedicated to the Lord but in ways God had not authorized. The word itself suggests a ridge or height, places that felt sacred but were off the map of obedience. And then the verb shalach, "to send," appears in verse 37: the Lord began to send Rezin and Pekah against Judah. It is the same verb used when God sent Moses or the prophets, a deliberate, purposeful dispatch. Trouble came not by chance but by His hand. That truth is hard to hold.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions note the same tension in Jotham's reign. Matthew Henry (Reformed) calls him a good prince who lacked no virtue, yet observes that even good kings could not fully stop the people's drift toward unauthorized worship. Adam Clarke (Wesleyan) draws from Chronicles to highlight Jotham's military strength and his reforms, but he too stops at the high places, a lingering failure. Barnes (Anglican) points out that Jotham imitated his father Uzziah in everything except his impious usurpation of the priesthood. The high places, he suggests, were simply too entrenched. Whatever the reason, the text does not excuse Jotham; it simply records the fact. And then it adds that in those same days, God began to send enemies. Christians have wrestled with this ever since: why does a right-hearted king face such rising opposition? Some see it as corporate consequence for a nation that tolerates half-obedience. Others read it as the mystery of God's timing, judgment can begin even under a good ruler.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to assume that because Jotham "did what was right," he must have been a perfect king, and his reign should have been a golden age of peace. The text itself defeats that reading. Verse 35 says, "However the high places were not taken away." The word "however" matters. Jotham's goodness was real, but it was incomplete. A king could walk a straight path and still leave a crooked system in place. We are not asked to judge Jotham's heart, only to see that his reign mixed faithfulness with failure, and that God's purposes were moving through both.
Living This Out
This passage asks you a question this week: what are you leaving untouched because it is too much work, too culturally accepted, or too personal to face? The high places that remained under Jotham were not his doing alone, the people wanted them. But the Holy Spirit may be nudging you about a place where you have settled for "good enough" while something truer waits. It could be a habit, a relationship pattern, a corner of your life you keep off-limits to God's searchlight. Jotham built the upper gate of the temple, he did real, visible good. But the high places stayed. Let the tension of that honesty sit with you for a day. Ask God: what am I leaving on the hillside that You want brought down?
Main takeaway: Doing right in God's eyes does not mean everything is right, and obedience does not guarantee a trouble-free life.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
King Jotham did good things, but he did not fix everything that was wrong. Sometimes we do good things too, but we still have things we need to change. That is okay, God helps us little by little.
For ages 9, 12
Jotham was a king who made a lot of right choices. But there was one big problem he did not solve: people kept worshipping God in a wrong way at the high places. Later, enemies started attacking Judah. The passage shows us that even when we do a lot of things well, there might be one thing we are avoiding. God sees it and loves us enough to let us feel the pressure to change. Think about one area where you could ask God for help to do better.
Questions People Ask
Why does it say the Lord 'began to send' Rezin and Pekah against Judah? Was God causing war?
The language is deliberate. The writer of Kings sees all history under God's sovereignty, even enemy armies are tools in His hand. The word 'send' (shalach) is the same used for sending prophets. It does not mean God committed evil, but that He allowed and directed events to fulfill His purposes, often as discipline for His people. The wars that came under Ahaz (Jotham's son) are traced back to a beginning that God initiated.
What were the 'high places' and why were they a problem?
High places were outdoor altars built on hills or elevated spots. Before the temple was built, God's people sometimes worshipped Him at such places. But after the temple was established in Jerusalem, the high places became a problem because they were outside the place God had chosen, and they often mixed worship of the Lord with pagan customs. The best kings removed them; Jotham did not.
If Jotham was a good king, why did God let enemies threaten Judah?
Jotham's personal righteousness did not erase the accumulated disobedience of the nation or the incomplete reforms of his own reign. The text notes that the high places remained, and the people still sacrificed there. God's judgment can begin even when the leader is faithful, because the nation as a whole is accountable. Also, the full invasion did not come until Ahaz's time, the sending began in Jotham's days but the storm broke later.
What is the 'upper gate' that Jotham built?
The upper gate was a gate of the temple complex, probably on the north side where the ground was higher. Jotham fortified it, likely as a defensive measure against threats from that direction. It shows he was both building for worship and preparing for conflict. The Chronicler adds that he also built cities and fortresses in Judah.
Why does the passage mention Jotham's mother?
The book of Kings often names the mother of Judean kings. It was a way of grounding the king in a specific family line and providing an additional check on the chronology. Jerusha was the daughter of Zadok (likely a priestly family), which may hint at a godly influence. It also helped readers verify the historical record.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study