Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Kings 15:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Abijam receives a negative evaluation under David's lamp.”
Abijam walks in his father's sins, and David's lamp still burns
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Kings 15:1–8. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 15:1–8
Read 1 Kings 15:5 with 15:1–8. The selected wording supplies one step in the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Dates Abijam's accession in Judah by Jeroboam's eighteenth year; closes Abijam's reign with burial and Asa's succession.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Abijam receives a negative evaluation under David's lamp,” 1 Kings 15:5 advances the thought unit through its next reported action, speech, or consequence through the wording “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: 1 Kings 14:29–31 establishes this prior movement: Refers readers to Judah's royal annals for Rehoboam's other acts; ends Rehoboam's reign with burial, repeats Naamah's name, and installs Abijam. 1 Kings 15:1–8 responds to the pressure, request, or claim already established; that demonstrated relationship, rather than database adjacency alone, explains its placement.
Read 1 Kings 15:1–8 together
Why these verses belong together: Abijam receives a negative evaluation under David's lamp is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 15:1–15:8.
Verse 1. 1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
Verse 2. 2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
Verse 3. 3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
Verse 4. 4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
Verse 5. 5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Verse 6. 6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
Verse 7. 7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
Verse 8. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
Follow the Context
- Dates Abijam's accession in Judah by Jeroboam's eighteenth year
- Closes Abijam's reign with burial and Asa's succession
What This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Kings 15:5 does not permit the wording “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. Reform, covenant evaluation, war, assassination, and dynastic destruction do not authorize religious persecution, misogyny, massacre, or a simplistic good-leader formula.
What Remains True
Public power and worship remain accountable to truth, covenant faithfulness, affected people, and consequences rather than title, success, wealth, or majority support. This unit tests that truth through dates Abijam's accession in Judah by Jeroboam's eighteenth year; closes Abijam's reign with burial and Asa's succession. In 1 Kings 15:5, the concrete line “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
In 70–220 words, explain 1 Kings 15:5's role in 15:1–8. Paraphrase “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from…,” identify one agent or affected person, state one material source or historical limit, and name one conclusion the context does not authorize.
Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Kings 15:1–8 — Abijam receives a negative evaluation under David's lampSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 15:1–8, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 15:1–8
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: 1 Kings with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only printed unit-level translation, lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and verse-numbering notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Kings PDF, printed pp. 614–616, translation and translator notes for 15:1–8
Open source ↗