2 Kings 17:26

26 And it was told to the king of Assyrians, and was said, The folks which thou hast translated, and madest to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the lawful things of [the] God of the land; and the Lord hath sent lions into them, and lo! those slay them; for they know not the custom of [the] God of the land. (And it was told to the king of Assyria, and it was said, The peoples whom thou hast transferred, and madest to live in the cities of Samaria, know not the laws of the God of the land; and so the Lord hath sent lions among them, and lo! they have killed some of the people; for they know not the customs of the God of the land.)

2 Kings 17:26 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 17:26

Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria
In letters, or by messengers they sent unto him:

saying, the nations which thou hast removed;
from different places before mentioned:

and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of
the land;
taking Jehovah the God of Israel to be a topical deity, limited peculiarly to the land of Israel, whereas he was the God of the whole earth; a like notion obtained among the Syrians, see ( 1 Kings 20:28 ) now they say they know not his "manner" or "judgment" ^F14, the laws, statutes, ordinances, and judgments, according to which he was worshipped by the people of Israel:

therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them;
they perceived it was not a common case, nor could they impute it to any second cause, as want of food with the lions but the hand of a superior Being was in it: and they could think of no other reason, but

because they know not the manner of the God of the land;
how he was to be worshipped; and because they did not worship him, and knew not how to do it, it was resented in this manner by him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 (jpvm) "judicium", Pagninus, Montanus

2 Kings 17:26 In-Context

24 Forsooth the king of Assyrians brought people from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and set them in the cities of Samaria for the sons of Israel (and put them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites); and these had in possession Samaria, and they dwelled in the cities thereof.

25 And when they began to dwell there, they dreaded not the Lord; and the Lord sent to them lions, the which killed them. (And when they began to live there, they did not fear the Lord/they did not revere the Lord; and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.)

26 And it was told to the king of Assyrians, and was said, The folks which thou hast translated, and madest to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the lawful things of [the] God of the land; and the Lord hath sent lions into them, and lo! those slay them; for they know not the custom of [the] God of the land. (And it was told to the king of Assyria, and it was said, The peoples whom thou hast transferred, and madest to live in the cities of Samaria, know not the laws of the God of the land; and so the Lord hath sent lions among them, and lo! they have killed some of the people; for they know not the customs of the God of the land.)

27 Soothly the king of Assyrians commanded, and said, Led ye thither one of the priests, which ye brought (as) prisoners from thence, that he go, and dwell with them, and teach them the lawful things of (the) God of the land (and teach them the laws of the God of the land).

28 Therefore when one of these priests had come, that were led (away as) prisoners from Samaria, he dwelled in Bethel, and taught them, how they should worship the Lord. (And so when one of those priests, who were led away as prisoners from Samaria, had come, he lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should worship the Lord.)