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2 KINGS 17

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. This chapter documents the idolatry of Israel
   1. They feared other gods, v. 1.
   2. They walked in the customs of the nations, v. 8.
   3. They walked in customs of the kings of Israel (gold calves of Dan and Bethel, NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 320), vv. 8,19,21,22; 1 Kgs. 12:25-35.
   4. They did things secretly (cf. Ezekiel 8), v. 9
   5. They built high places in every town (i.e., Ba'al and Asherah fertility worship), vv. 9,10,16.
   6. They burned incense on high places, v. 11.
   7. They served idols, vv. 12,29,31.
   8. They followed the vanity of the nations (i.e., idolatry), v. 15
   9. They worshiped all the hosts of heaven (astrology), v. 16; 21:3.
   10. They sacrificed their children to Molech, vv. 17,31.
   11. They practiced divination, v. 17; see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 945-950.
   12. They practiced enchantments, v. 17; see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 84.

   Many of these evil actions are repetitious and cover the same sins. For a summary of these evils, see Deuteronomy 18 online.

2. This chapter lists the places that the Israelites were exiled (cf. 2 Kgs. 18:11)
   1. Halah, a city or river close to Nineveh (ABD, vol. 3, p. 25).
   2. Habor; this is a tributary to the Euphrates River in Assyria which flows past the city of Gozan.
   3. On the River Gozan (there is a city by this name about 50 miles east of the city of Haran).
   4. Cities of the Medes; this was a region northeast of the Tigris River.

   When compared with 1 Chr. 5:26, it seems these references may mean that the Israelites were resettled across northern Assyria. See The MacMillan Bible Atlas, map 150.

3. This chapter lists the places (i.e., cities) from which Assyria brought people to live in Israel.
   1. Babylon, v. 24 (city at the mouth of the Euphrates)
   2. Cuthah, v. 24 (a nearby city to #1)
   3. Avva, v. 24 (city of Ama of Elam, ABD, vol. 1, p. 531)
   4. Hamath, v. 24 (city north of Ribah on the Orontes River).
   5. Sepharvaim, v. 24
      1. city of Sippar, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad
      2. city of Sipraani in upper region in southern Mesopotamia (ABD, vol. 5, p. 1090)

   These all seem to be cities in southern Babylon; see The MacMillan Bible Atlas, map 150.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:1-4
  ¹In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned nine years. ²He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. ³Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. ⁴But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

17:1 "In the twelfth year of Ahaz" Notice 2 Kgs. 15:30 dates Hoshea to the reign of Jotham, Ahaz's father. This can be explained by a co-reign.

▣ "Hoshea" His name (BDB 448) means "salvation" or "deliverance." He killed Pekah (cf. 2 Kgs. 15:30). Tiglath-pileser III claims he was behind this coup. Hoshea was initially pro-Assyrian. In essence he was a vassal of Assyria.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT)

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF ASSYRIA

▣ "reigned" He reigned over a very small area, really only the tribal territories of Ephraim and western Manasseh.

17:2 "only not as the kings of Israel who were before him" This is a unique phrase. Rabbis say that 2 Chr. 30:11,18 reflects why. He removed guards on the road to Jerusalem and allowed his people to go to the temple in Jerusalem. But this makes no sense for a pro-Assyrian vassal.

17:3 "Shalmaneser" He is known as Shalmaneser V (727-722 B.C.). He was the son of Tiglath-pileser III. He started the siege of Samaria but his son, Sargon II, finished it after a three year siege in 722 B.C.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF ASSYRIA, #20

17:4 "found conspiracy in Hoshea. . .So king of Egypt" Hosea 7:11; 9:3; 11:5; 12:1 reflect Hoshea looking for help from Egypt. However, during this period Egypt was torn by inner struggles between native dynasties (i.e., Tefnekht, 24th dynasty) and Ethiopian influences (Piankhy).

Hoshea's pro-Assyrian proclivity did not last long! This change occurred at the time of Tiglath-pileser III's death (727 B.C.)

▣ "So king of Egypt" Josephus (Antiq. 9.14.1) calls the Pharaoh "So" (BDB 690). The NRSV has "at So," while the NJB has "to Sais." KB 746 suggests the reference is to the city of Sais, located in the Delta region of Egypt.

K. A. Kitchen and the IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT), p. 403, suggests "So" is an abbreviation for Osorkon IV, King of Tanis and Bubastis (730-715 B.C.). "So" is mentioned as Pharaoh in Josephus (Antiq. 9.14.1).

However, it could also refer to an Egyptian high official (but not Pharaoh). The JB footnote suggests "Sibe" of Assyrian Texts, possibly a prince in the Delta (AB, p. 196, rejects this as an option).

Hoshea's pro-Egypt attitude is clearly seen in Hosea 7:11; 11:1,5; 13:4. An Egyptian king had helped Jeroboam I; maybe they would help again.

▣ "shut him up and bound him in prison" Hoshea was imprisoned when he appeared before Shalmaneser V. This happened before Samaria was besieged.

Therefore, vv. 4 and 5 refer to two different invasions. The first took out Tyre and Philistia; the second, some time later, took out all of Israel.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:5
  ⁵Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.

17:5 "besieged it three years" The siege of Samaria started under Shalmaneser V but ended under his son, Sargon II. Samaria was naturally well fortified on a high ridge with only one natural entrance.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:6
  ⁶In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

17:6 "captured Samaria" Assyrian records say that 27,290 people were exiled from the capital alone.

▣ "into exile in Assyria" They were taken to the northern area of the Euphrates valley. This was the fall of national Israel in 722 B.C. See Contextual Insights, B. And NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 595-600.

Josephus (Antiq. 9.14.1) gives several dates related to this exile.

1. 947 years after the exodus
2. 800 years after Joshua
3. 247 years, seven months, and seven days after the split between Solomon's son Rehoboam and Jeroboam I

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: CC:17:7-18
  ⁷Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods ⁸and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. ⁹The 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 watchtower to fortified city. ¹⁰They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ¹¹and 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. ¹²They served idols, concerning which the Lord had said to them, "You shall not do this thing." ¹³Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn 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." ¹⁴However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ¹⁵They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lord had commanded them not to do like them. ¹⁶They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. ¹⁷Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. ¹⁸So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

17:7-14 See the list in Contextual Insights, A.

17:7 The fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom was not because of the power of the Assyrian gods or the Assyrian army but because of YHWH's judgment on them because of their repeated, unrepentant idolatry!

SPECIAL TOPIC: CONSEQUENCES OF IDOLATRY

▣ "the Lord their God" This is the covenant name of Abraham's God.

1. YHWH ‒ SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D
2. Elohim ‒ SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C

17:8 "walked" This is an idiom for lifestyle. It was based on God's word to Abraham's descendants as a well worn, straight, smooth, clear path (i.e., Ps. 1:1; 16:11; 89:15; 119:105; 139:24; Isa. 5:2; 1 John 1:7). God's will was not hidden but clearly revealed in the Mosaic Covenant.

The MT has a VERB and a NOUN.

1. VERB ‒ BDB 341, KB 339, Piel IMPERFECT with waw, which occurs only here in the OT. KB suggests "ascribe" or "impute." See NIDOTTE, vol. 2, pp. 227-228.
2. NOUN (BDB 182), which means "speech" or "word"

The things done secretly were worship affirmations to false gods.

▣ "they built for themselves high places in all their towns" Canaanite worship involved imitation magic (i.e., fertility acts representing the fertility of nature). The male god was Ba'al the storm/rain god of the Ugaritic pantheon, represented by an uplifted phallic symbol, a rock. The female goddess was represented by a likeness of the "tree of life" (i.e., a carved pole or live tree). See Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 284-288).

SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE

▣ "towns, from watchtower to fortified city" The high places were naturally raised hills or manmade stone platforms in every city, fort, and village.

17:10 "sacred pillars" These were uplifted stone pillars representing male genitalia.

▣ "Asherim" These were wooden poles/trees, representing the female goddess. She is also known as Asherah, Astarte, Anath.

▣ "every green tree" This refers to the sacred nature of groves of trees in a semi-arid land (cf. 2 Kgs. 16:4; 2 Chr. 28:4; Jer. 2:20; 3:6,13; 17:2; Ezek. 6:13; Hosea 4:13). See NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1153.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TREES

17:11 "they did evil things provoking the Lord" The VERB (BDB 494, KB 491, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) occurs often in Kings.

1. 1 Kgs. 14:9,15; 15:30; 16:2,7,13,26; 21:22; 22:53
2. 2 Kgs. 17:11,17; 21:6,15; 22:17; 23:19,26
3. also note 2 Chr. 28:25; 33:6; 34:25

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE

17:12 "You shall not do this" This is an allusion to Exod. 20:4,23; 34:17; Lev. 19:4; 26:1; Deut. 4:15-19; 5:8-9; 27:15.

There was only one God!

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL'S MANDATED RESPONSE TO CANAANITE FERTILITY WORSHIP

17:13 "prophets. . .seer" See SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHET (the different Hebrew terms).

▣ "Turn" This is the VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal IMPERATIVE) which is often a call to repentance (i.e., a turning from and a turning to). See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 56-59.

SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE (OT)

▣ "commandments. . .statutes" A further list is found in v. 34. All of these terms refer to the Mosaic Law, which was meditated by the prophets.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION

▣ "My servants" See SPECIAL TOPIC: MY SERVANT.

17:14 "they did not listen" Israel had YHWH's revelations and prophets but refused to obey (cf. Rom. 9:4)!

SPECIAL TOPIC: KEEP

▣ "stiffened their neck like their fathers" This is a repeated theme. See my note below from Deut. 31:27.

Deut. 31:27
NASB	"stubbornness"
NKJV	"stiff neck"
NRSV, TEV	"stubborn"
NJB	"stiff necked"

The term is a combination of "neck" (BDB 791) and "stiff" or "hard" (BDB 904). Israel is often described by this unflattering combination (cf. Exod. 32:8; 33:3,5; 34:9; Deut. 9:6,13; 31:27). The VERB is used in Deut. 10:16; 2 Kgs. 17:14; Neh. 9:16,17,29; Jer. 7:26; 17:23; 19:15. The same thought is expressed in Isa. 48:4 and Ezek. 2:4; 3:7.

In a sense vv. 27-29 is a prophecy, based on the past actions of Israel. This same kind of prophecy is also found in Josh. 24:19-20. Israel's best efforts were not enough. The first covenant would fail to restore the intended intimacy between YHWH and His highest creation (i.e., mankind) in the Garden of Eden. It would take a New Covenant (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-38) based on YHWH's actions. Mankind was incurably rebellious (cf. Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Jer. 17:9).

▣ "who did not believe in the Lord their God" What a shocking verse! The covenant people did not "believe" in YHWH? Belief is shown by obedience (i.e., Deut. 6:3; Luke 6:46).

The LXX takes this phrase to mean "as the generations past, the Israelites became more and more disobedient."

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH, AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

17:15 "rejected" This VERB (BDB 549, KB 540, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) means "to reject" or "refuse." The Dead Sea Scrolls translation takes this as a Akkadian root for "breaking an oath." These covenant Israelites had sworn that they would follow YHWH's revelation (i.e., Mosaic law) but they did not, did not, did not, did not! It was not ignorance or lack of information but self-willed disobedience.

▣ "His covenant" See:

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S COVENANT REQUIREMENTS OF ISRAEL

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT PROMISES TO THE PATRIARCHS

▣ "they followed vanity and became vain" This is the use of a VERB and NOUN of the same root.

1. vain ‒ BDB 210 I
2. became vain ‒ BDB 211, KB 236, Qal IMPERFECT with waw

The root basically means "vapor" or "breath." It is used repetitively in Ecclesiastes (see full note at Eccl. 1:2). Notice how Jeremiah uses this term for idolatry (cf. Jer. 2:5; 10:3,15; 16:19). Idols are unreal!

17:16 There are several idolatrous aspects listed in this verse. See Contextual Insights, A.

▣ "the host of heaven" Moses had warned against this in Deut. 4:19; 17:2-3. Manasseh also worshiped the sun, moon, and stars (cf. 2 Kgs. 21:3,5; 2 Chr. 33:5).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS, B. 6.

SPECIAL TOPIC: MOON WORSHIP

17:17 "made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire" This refers to the worship of the fertility god Molech (cf. Lev. 18:211; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; also 2 Kgs. 17:31). He was a Phoenician deity taken over by the Canaanites. Little children were burned to death in his honor to insure fertility of crops, herds, and humans.

Modern scholarship thinks the word refers to a type of sacrifice, not a title for a deity.

SPECIAL TOPIC: MOLECH

▣ "practiced divination" See SPECIAL TOPIC: DIVINATION.

The MT has the VERB (BDB 638 II, KB 690, Piel IMPERFECT; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 84). This root is the same as "serpent." It came to be associated with hearing voices and, thereby, interpreting signs. I have included my exegetical note from Deut. 18:10.

Deut. 18:10 "one who interprets omens" The meaning of this term (BDB 638 II, KB 690) is uncertain. In Syrian it means "to murmur an obscure incantation" (KB 690). The root has several usages:

1. serpent ‒ BDB 638 I
2. VERB in Piel only, (BDB 638 II) meaning :
   1. practice divination
   2. observe signs/omens
3. copper/bronze ‒ BDB 638 III
4. unknown ‒ BDB 638 IV

See full note at Gen. 44:5.

▣ "sold themselves to do evil" This VERB (BDB 569, KB 581, Hithpael IMPERFECT) is used as a contrast to YHWH "purchasing them." They were "redeemed" covenant people bought by God but they had "sold" themselves into the superstition and slavery of idolatry.

SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM

17:18 "removed them from His sight" As YHWH removed the sinful Canaanites (cf. Gen. 15:12-21), now He removes sinful Israel (cf. vv. 18,20,23), as He would later exile sinful Judah (cf. v. 19; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). The Mosaic covenant was conditional. There are conseuqences to disobedience in time and eternity.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:19-20
  ¹⁹Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced. ²⁰The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

17:19 This verse refers to Judah when all surrounding verses refer to Israel. The Jewish Study Bible suggests this chapter is of composite origin.

1. two authors combined
2. later editor
3. later scribe

The "until this day" of v. 23 probably refers to the time of, and a bit later than, the fall of Judah. Judah was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar several times: 669, 590, 586, 582 B.C. The temple fell in 586 B.C.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF NEO-BABYLON, D. #4

17:20 Notice what YHWH did to the descendants of Jacob/Israel because of their idolatry.

1. rejected ‒ BDB 549, KB 550, Qal IMPERFECT with waw
2. afflicted ‒ BDB 776, KB 853, Piel IMPERFECT with waw
3. gave them into the hands of plunderers ‒ BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERFECT with waw
4. cast them from His sight ‒ BDB 1020, KB 1527, Hiphil PERFECT
5. v. 21, drove Israel away (see note at v. 21)

The covenant people were especially guilty because of their covenant advantages (cf. Rom. 9:4)! The Mosaic covenant was conditional (i.e., Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-30)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:21-23
  ²¹When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. ²²The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them ²³until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

17:21 The separation of the United Monarchy was due to the sin of Solomon and Rehoboam. But now the northern kingdom is totally rejected and exiled (mainly because of the two golden calves of Jeroboam I, cf. v. 22).

▣ "drove Israel away" The MT has the VERB (BDB 621, KB 671, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw, which occurs only here), meaning "drive away," but the Masoretic scholars suggested a similar root (BDB 623, KB 673, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw), meaning "thrust out" or "push away." Was this exile the fault of Jeroboam I's (leadership) or Israel's (people)—yes!

17:23 In light of Israel turning away from YHWH, so now YHWH turns away from them.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:24-26
  ²⁴The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them. ²⁶So 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."

17:24 See Contextual Insights, C.

17:24-33 AB, p. 213, suggests that

1. vv. 24-33 refer to foreign settlers brought to Samaria
2. vv 34-40 refer to the exiled Israelites
3. v. 41 is like a summary

17:25 Some people from southern Assyria (i.e., Babylon) were resettled in Samaria. They, too, sinned against YHWH. He sent lions among them (cf. Lev. 16:21-22). Canaan was YHWH's land.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LIONS

17:26 The king of Assyria interpreted this as these new people did not know the customs "of the god (gods) of the land." In the ANE each god had its own land. This was a false worldview but it was what they thought.

Therefore, the king took Israelite priests (i.e., YHWH and Ba'al mixed priests; notice he returned to Bethel) and returned them to Canaan to teach the new people the "proper" customs. But these new people brought their own customs of idolatry with them and refused to fear the Lord.

R. K. Harrison, Old Testament Times, p. 305, speculates that this priest (vv. 27-28) was the beginning of the traditions related to the famous Samaritan Pentateuch.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:27-28
  ²⁷Then 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." ²⁸So 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.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:29-33
  ²⁹But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. ³⁰The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim. ³²They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. ³³They 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.

17:30-32 These verses mention several idols that these new people from Babylon, who had been settled in Samaria, made (BDB 793 I, KB 889, Qal PERFECT).

1. Succoth-benoth ‒ ABD, vol. 6, p. 218, Hebrew uncertain
   1. possibly first word linked to Sukkuth of Amos 5:26
   2. "booths of girls," which would refer to the cultic prostitution of ANE fertility cults
   3. a scribal pun on Marduk's female counterpart, Sarpanitu (Expositor's Bible Commentary, p. 251). If this is true, the other names are probably purposely misspelled.
   4. benoth may be Banitu, the female creator goddess of the ANE, Ishtar
2. Nergal ‒ ABD, vol. 4, p. 1074, the Sumerian god of the underworld who was worshiped at Cutha in Babylon
3. Ashuma ‒ ABD, vol. 1, p. 487, possibly
   1. a Syrian fertility goddess, like Anat, Astarte, or Asherah (cf. Amos 8:14)
   2. a city in Elam named Amate. This fits the southern/eastern provinces of Assyria better (i.e., Elam and Babylon)
4. Nibhaz ‒ ABD, vol. 4, p. 1104, #4 and #5, are a pair of gods from Elam or Syria
5. Tartak ‒ ABD, vol. 6, pp. 334-335, for current conjectures but no certain identification. Possible purposeful misspelling of Atargatis, a Syrian goddess
6. Adrammelech ‒ ABD, vol. 1, p. 79, possibly may refer to fire god of the city of Sippar
7. Anammelech ‒ ABD, vol. 1, p. 223
   1. a purposeful misspelling of the name of the Syrian god, Hadad
   2. Anu, a Sumerian sky god
   3. Melech, a type of sacrifice and not the name of the god Molech
   4. purposeful misspelling of Canaanite fertility gods/goddesses (i.e., An and Anat)

17:32 Israel (cf. Jeroboam I in 1 Kgs. 12:31; 13:33) appointed common people to act as priests instead of the family of Levi. Probably most of the Levitical priests returned to Judah at the splitting of the United Monarchy in 922 B.C.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVITICAL PRIESTS

17:33 This verse implies that these new people, like the Israelites, tried to merge the worship of YHWH (i.e., the Mosaic covenant mediated by the prophets) with other pagan deities and practices (i.e., vv. 40-41). They just added YHWH to their pantheon.

These new people will, in time, become the Samaritans of the NT.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:34-41
  ³⁴To 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, whom He named Israel; ³⁵with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. ³⁶But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. ³⁷The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. ³⁸The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. ³⁹But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies." ⁴⁰However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. ⁴¹So 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.

17:34 "Jacob, whom He named Israel" It is possible that v. 34-39 refer to the exiled Israelites not the imported pagans. If so, then v. 41 refers to the places where the Israelites were exiled.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)

17:36 This verse describes YHWH's great redemptive promise (cf. Gen. 15:12-21) and act (the exodus).

The imagery comes from Exod. 32:11; Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; Ps. 136:12.

▣ Notice the three aspects of the worship of YHWH.

1. fear Him; SPECIAL TOPIC: FEAR (OT)
2. bow down to Him; SPECIAL TOPIC: WORSHIP
3. sacrifice to Him; SPECIAL TOPIC: SACRIFICIAL SYSTEMS OF THE ANE

This is exactly what Israel was doing to pagan gods (cf. v. 35).

17:37 See note at v. 13.

▣ "which He wrote for you" This could refer to two things.

1. YHWH writing the Ten Commandments with His own finger (cf. Exod. 24:12; 31:18; 32:16; 34:1)
2. Moses writing down YHWH's instructions (cf. Exod. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Num. 33:2)

SPECIAL TOPIC: MOSAIC AUTHORSHIP OF THE PENTATEUCH

▣ "you shall observe to do forever" Obedience is crucial! The vast majority of covenants are conditional (cf. Lev. 18:26; 22:31; Deut. 4:2,40; 6:2; 26:16; 1 Kgs. 2:3; Ps. 105:45; Ezek. 11:20).

SPECIAL TOPIC: KEEP

SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT

17:41 The power of family or national traditions is very strong. This is why Israel was told to train her sons and daughters in the worship of YHWH (cf. Deut. 4:9,10; 6:7,20-25; 11:19; 31:13,32-46; also note Exod. 10:2; 12:26; 13:8,14).

The MT has the NOUN (BDB 820) which comes from the VERB "to hew" or "to shape," used of the two stone tablets made by Moses to receive YHWH's commandments (cf. Exod. 34:1,4; Deut. 10:1). The PLURAL form of the NOUN was used of shaping pagan gods.

1. YHWH bans all images of Himself ‒ Deut. 4:16-18
2. the term connects directly to Asherah poles ‒ Deut. 7:5,25; 12:3; 2 Kgs. 21:7
3. Micah's image ‒ Jdgs. 18:31
4. collective term for all images shaped by man ‒ 2 Chr. 33:22; 34:3-4

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. How can one reconcile 2 Kgs. 17:1 with 15:30?
2. What does the phrase, "only not as the kings of Israel," mean?
3. Was Hoshea pro-Assyria or pro-Egypt?
4. Who is Pharaoh "So" in v. 4?
5. Why did YHWH reject the northern kingdom?
6. What is divination?
7. What is "the host of heaven"?

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