2 Kings 17:15

15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their ancestors^[a] and the warnings He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves,^[b] following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.

2 Kings 17:15 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:15

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made
with their fathers
At Sinai and Horeb, see ( Exodus 24:8 ) ( Deuteronomy 29:1 ) ,

and his testimonies which he testified against them;
calling heaven and earth to witness what he would do to them if they broke his laws, ( Deuteronomy 4:26 ) ( 30:19 ) ( 32:1 ) , and which were so many testifications of his mind and will what they should do, or otherwise what should be done to them; Ben Gersom also interprets this of the feasts of the passover and tabernacles, which were witnesses of Israel's coming out of Egypt, and of the sanctification and redemption of the firstborn, a testimony of the slaying the firstborn in Egypt:

and they followed vanity;
idols, which are vain things for help, can neither hear, see, speak

and became vain;
as sottish and stupid as the idols they worshipped; which is the usual fruit and effect of idolatry, see ( Romans 1:21-28 )

and went after the heathen that were round about them:
imitated them in their idolatrous practices, as the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites concerning

whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them;
of this charge see ( Deuteronomy 6:13 Deuteronomy 6:14 ) .

2 Kings 17:15 In-Context

13 Still, the Lord warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets."

14 But they would not listen. Instead, they became obstinate like their ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God.

15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their ancestors and the warnings He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.

16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God. They made for themselves molded images-even two calves-and an Asherah pole. They worshiped the whole heavenly host and served Baal.

17 They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord's sight and provoked Him.

Footnotes

• [a]. Ex 24:6-8
• [b]. Jr 2:5; Rm 1:21-23