2 Kings 17:24

24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

2 Kings 17:24 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:24

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon
Which was at this time under the dominion of the king of Assyria; though in a little time after this it revolted, and had a king of its own, ( 2 Kings 20:12 ) , this king of Assyria was either Shalmaneser, who carried Israel captive, or it may be rather his son Esarhaddon, see ( Ezra 4:2 ) ,

and from Cuthah;
which, according to Josephus F11, was a city in Persia, where was a river of the same name; but it was rather a place in Erech, in the country of Babylon, (See Gill on Genesis 10:10),

and from Ava;
the same with Ivah, ( Isaiah 37:13 ) , where perhaps a colony of the Avim had settled, ( Deuteronomy 2:23 )

and from Hamath;
a city of Syria, which lay on the northern borders of the land of Canaan, ( Numbers 34:8 )

and from Sepharvaim;
thought by some to be the Sippara of Ptolemy, or the Sippareni of Abydenus, in Mesopotamia; though Vitringa takes it to be a city in Syro-Phoenicia, (See Gill on Isaiah 36:19),

and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the children of
Israel;
not in Samaria, which was now destroyed, according to the prophecy in ( Micah 1:6 ) as Abarbinel and other Jewish writers note:

and they possessed Samaria;
as an inheritance; sowed it with corn, and planted vineyards there:

and dwelt in the cities thereof;
in the several parts of the kingdom.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Antiqu. l. 9. c. 14. sect. 1.

2 Kings 17:24 In-Context

22 And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
23 until Jehovah removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah: therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land.
The American Standard Version is in the public domain.