2 Kings 17:7-41

Why Israel Fell

7 Now ¹this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, ²who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ³and they had feared other gods

8 and ⁴walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before * the sons of Israel, and in the customs ⁵of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

9 The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ⁶watchtower to fortified city.

10 ⁷They set for themselves sacred pillars and ⁸Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,

11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before * them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD.

12 They served idols, ⁹concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."

13 Yet the ¹⁰LORD warned Israel and Judah ¹¹through all His prophets and ¹²every seer, saying, "¹³Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."

14 However, they did not listen, but ¹⁴stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

15 ¹⁵They rejected His statutes and ¹⁶His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And ¹⁷they followed * vanity and ¹⁸became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the ¹⁹LORD had commanded them not to do like them.

16 They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even ²⁰two calves, and ²¹made an Asherah and ²²worshiped all the host of heaven and ²³served Baal.

17 Then ²⁴they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and ²⁵practiced divination and enchantments, and ²⁶sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.

18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and ²⁷removed them from His sight; ²⁸none was left except * the tribe of Judah.

19 Also ²⁹Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but ³⁰walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.

20 The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ³¹gave them into the hand of plunderers, until * He had cast them out of His sight.

21 When ³²He had torn Israel from the house of David, ³³they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then ³⁴Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.

22 The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them

23 ³⁵until * the LORD removed Israel from His sight, ³⁶as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. ³⁷So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24 ³⁸The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from ³⁹Avva and from ⁴⁰Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

25 At the beginning of their living there, they ⁴¹did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them.

26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land."

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land."

28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them ⁴²in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.

30 ⁴³The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and ⁴⁴the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to ⁴⁵Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of ⁴⁶Sepharvaim.

32 ⁴⁷They also feared the LORD and ⁴⁸appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, ⁴⁹whom He named * Israel;

35 with whom the LORD made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "⁵⁰You shall not fear other gods, nor ⁵¹bow down yourselves to them nor ⁵²serve them nor sacrifice to them.

36 "But the LORD, ⁵³who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with ⁵⁴an outstretched arm, ⁵⁵Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

37 "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, ⁵⁶you shall observe to do forever *; and you shall not fear other gods.

38 "The covenant that I have made with you, ⁵⁷you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

39 "But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."

40 However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom.

41 ⁵⁸So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

2 Kings 17:7-41 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 17

This chapter relates the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel, and how it came about, 2Ki 17:1-6, the cause of it, their idolatry, which they persisted in, notwithstanding the remonstrances made against it, 2Ki 17:7-23, in whose stead were placed people from different parts, who exercised a mixed religion, partly Heathenish, and partly Israelitish, 2Ki 17:24.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 23:16
• 2. Exodus 14:15-30
• 3. Judges 6:10
• 4. Leviticus 18:3; Deuteronomy 18:9
• 5. 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:19
• 6. 2 Kings 18:8
• 7. Exodus 34:12-14
• 8. 1 Kings 14:23; Micah 5:14
• 9. Exodus 20:4
• 10. Nehemiah 9:29, 30
• 11. 2 Kings 17:23
• 12. 1 Samuel 9:9
• 13. Jeremiah 7:3-7; Jeremiah 18:11; Ezekiel 18:31
• 14. Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Acts 7:51
• 15. Jeremiah 8:9
• 16. Exodus 24:6-8; Deuteronomy 29:25
• 17. Deuteronomy 32:21
• 18. Jeremiah 2:5; Romans 1:21-23
• 19. Deuteronomy 12:30, 31
• 20. 1 Kings 12:28
• 21. 1 Kings 14:15, 23
• 22. Deuteronomy 4:19; 2 Kings 21:3
• 23. 1 Kings 16:31
• 24. 2 Kings 16:3
• 25. Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10-12
• 26. 1 Kings 21:20
• 27. 2 Kings 17:6
• 28. 1 Kin 11:13, 32, 36
• 29. 1 Kings 14:22, 23
• 30. 2 Kings 16:3
• 31. 2 Kings 15:29
• 32. 1 Kings 11:11, 31
• 33. 1 Kings 12:20
• 34. 1 Kings 12:28-33
• 35. 2 Kings 17:6
• 36. 2 Kings 17:13
• 37. 2 Kings 17:6
• 38. Ezra 4:2, 10
• 39. 2 Kings 18:34
• 40. 1 Kings 8:65
• 41. 2 Kings 17:32-41
• 42. 1 Kings 12:31; 1 Kings 13:32
• 43. 2 Kings 17:24
• 44. 2 Kings 17:17
• 45. 2 Kings 19:37
• 46. 2 Kings 17:24
• 47. Zephaniah 1:5
• 48. 1 Kings 12:31
• 49. Genesis 32:28; Genesis 35:10
• 50. Judges 6:10
• 51. Exodus 20:5
• 52. Deuteronomy 5:9
• 53. Exodus 14:15-30
• 54. Exodus 6:6; Exodus 9:15
• 55. Leviticus 19:32; Deuteronomy 6:13
• 56. Deuteronomy 5:32
• 57. Deuteronomy 4:23; Deuteronomy 6:12
• 58. Zephaniah 1:5; Matthew 6:24

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "revered," and so throughout the ch
• [b]. Lit "statutes"
• [c]. Lit "made"
• [d]. Or "uttered words which"
• [e]. I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
• [f]. Lit "like the neck of"
• [g]. I.e. a wooden symbol of a female deity
• [h]. Lit "face"
• [i]. Lit "statutes"
• [j]. Lit "of Israel which they"
• [k]. Lit "made"
• [l]. Lit "seed"
• [m]. Lit "from His face"
• [n]. Lit "sin"
• [o]. In 2 Kin 18:34, "Ivvah"
• [p]. Lit "exile from there"
• [q]. Lit "them"
• [r]. Lit "made for themselves from among"
• [s]. Lit "do according to"
• [t]. Or "graven images"