2 Kings 17:32

32 They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively - they also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines.

2 Kings 17:32 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:32

So they feared the Lord
Worshipped the God of Israel in the manner they were taught:

and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high
places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places;
these were made after the manner of Jeroboam's priests, ( 1 Kings 12:31 ) , and were to sacrifice to the God of Israel in the high places, and temples built there; for otherwise they had, no doubt, priests of their own to sacrifice to their gods, and which they brought with them.

2 Kings 17:32 In-Context

30 for Babylon, Succoth Benoth; for Cuthah, Nergal; for Hamath, Ashima;
31 for Avva, Nibhaz and Tartak; for Sepharvaim, Adrammelech and Anammelech (people burned their children in sacrificial offerings to these gods!).
32 They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively - they also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines.
33 They honored and worshiped God, but they also kept up their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from.
34 And they're still doing it, still worshiping any old god that has nostalgic appeal to them. They don't really worship God - they don't take seriously what he says regarding how to behave and what to believe, what he revealed to the children of Jacob whom he named Israel.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.