“Did Evil in the Sight of the Lord”

The formulaic statement “did evil in the sight of the Lord” is a set phrase in the historical books of the Old Testament, especially in those that are commonly called the Deuteronomistic History (Joshua, Judges, 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings). In these books, this is not a generic term for wickedness but is a specific term denoting worship of gods besides Jehovah. In these biblical books, idolatry is the chief crime and the sin against which Israel is judged. In particular, the reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel are introduced and evaluated according to this standard.

Related verses

Deuteronomy 4:25
Deuteronomy 31:29
Judges 2:11
Judges 3:7,  12
Judges 4:1
Judges 6:1
Judges 10:6
Judges 13:1
1  Samuel 15:19
1  Kings 11:6
1  Kings 14:22
1  Kings 15:26
1  Kings 16:19,  30
1  Kings 22:52
2  Kings 8:18,  27
2  Kings 13:2, 11
2  Kings 14:24
2  Kings 15:9, 18,  28
2  Kings 17:2,  17
2  Kings 21:15–16
2  Kings 23:32–37
2  Kings 24:9,  19