2 Kings 17:16

16 And they forsook all the commandments of their Lord God, and they made to them two molten calves, and maumet woods, and worshipped all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s) (and they made for themselves two cast metal calves, and idol groves, or poles, and worshipped all the host of heaven), that is, (the) sun, and moon, and other planets; and they served Baal,

2 Kings 17:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:16

And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God
Which their idolatry led them to; and indeed he that offends in one point is guilty of them all, ( James 2:10 )

and made them molten images, [even] two calves;
which they set up at Dan and Bethel, in the times of their first king Jeroboam, ( 1 Kings 13:28 1 Kings 13:29 )

and made a grove;
as Ahab, another of their kings, did, ( 1 Kings 16:33 )

and worshipped all the host of heaven:
not the angels, sometimes so called, but, besides the sun and moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Venus:

and served Baal;
which was service to the sun, as Abarbinel interprets it; this was the god of the Zidonians Ahab worshipped, having married a princess of that people, ( 1 Kings 16:31 1 Kings 16:32 ) .

2 Kings 17:16 In-Context

14 Which heard not, but made hard their noll by the noll of their fathers, that would not obey to their Lord God. (But they would not listen, but hardened, or stiffened, their necks, or were stubborn, like their forefathers, who also would not obey the Lord their God.)
15 And they casted away the lawful things of him, and the covenant that he covenanted with their fathers, and the witnessings by which he witnessed to them; and they followed vanities, that is, idols, and did vainly; and followed heathen men, that were about them; of which things the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do as also those heathen men did. (And they threw away his laws, and the covenant that he had covenanted with their forefathers, and the witnessings, or the testimonies, by which he had witnessed to them; and they followed vain, or worthless, idols; and followed the heathen, who were about them; of which things the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do as those heathen did.)
16 And they forsook all the commandments of their Lord God, and they made to them two molten calves, and maumet woods, and worshipped all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s) (and they made for themselves two cast metal calves, and idol groves, or poles, and worshipped all the host of heaven), that is, (the) sun, and moon, and other planets; and they served Baal,
17 and [they] hallowed to him their sons, and their daughters, through fire, and they served to false divining, and to divining by chittering of birds; and they gave themselves to do evil before the Lord, and they wrathed him. (and they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to him, by burning them in the fire, and they served false divining, and divining by the twittering of birds; and they gave themselves to do evil before the Lord, and they stirred him to great anger.)
18 And the Lord was wroth greatly to Israel; and he took away them from his sight, and none (was) left, no but the lineage of Judah only. (And the Lord was greatly angered with Israel; and he put them away from before him, and no one was left, but only the tribe of Judah.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.