2 Kings 17:2 NIV

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Kings 17:2

2 Kings 17:2. But not as the kings of Israel that were before him For he neither worshipped Baal, as many of his predecessors had done, nor compelled the people to worship the calves, one of which, that of Dan, being destroyed or carried away before this time, as the Hebrew writers affirm. And whereas the kings of Israel had hitherto maintained guards upon the frontiers, to hinder their subjects from going to Jerusalem to worship, Hoshea took away those guards, and gave free liberty to all,... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:1-41

End of the northern kingdom (17:1-41)Some time after Shalmaneser V succeeded Tiglath-pileser III as king of Assyria, the Israelite king Hoshea tried to show himself independent of Assyria by refusing to pay the annual tribute. He thought that with Egyptian support his rebellion would be successful. Shalmaneser put an end to such hopes by invading Israel and besieging Samaria. After three years Israel’s defence collapsed, and Shalmaneser’s successor, Sargon II, captured Samaria and carried off... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Kings 17:2

evil. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 . the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . not as the kings of Israel . . . before him: thus, we do not read that he opposed Hezekiah's invitation (2 Chronicles 30:5-11 ). read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 17:2

2. he did evil . . . but not as the kings of Israel—Unlike his predecessors from the time of Jeroboam, he neither established the rites of Baal, nor compelled the people to adhere to the symbolic worship of the calves. [See on :-.] In these respects, Hoshea acted as became a constitutional king of Israel. Yet, through the influence of the nineteen princes who had swayed the scepter before him (all of whom had been zealous patrons of idolatry, and many of whom had been also infamous for... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 2 Kings 17:1-6

16. Hoshea’s evil reign in Israel 17:1-6Hoshea was the Northern Kingdom’s last king. He reigned in Samaria for 9 years (732-722 B.C.). He was a bad king, but he was not as bad as his predecessors. A seal of Abdi, an official of Hoshea, has been discovered that bears the name of this Israelite king, who was heretofore unmentioned outside the Bible. [Note: See Andre Lemaire, "Name of Israel’s Last King Surfaces in a Private Collection," Biblical Archaeology Review 21:6 (November-December... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 17:1-41

The Fall of SamariaThis chapter relates the reign of Hoshea. He intrigued with Egypt and rebelled against Assyria; and Samaria, in consequence, was taken and its people carried into captivity, their place being filled by a mixed population.1. Hoshea] Hoshea, unlike Pekah (2 Kings 16:5), belonged to the faction in Samaria which relied on Assyrian support, and Tiglath-pileser, in his inscriptions, states that after he had slain Pekah, he ’appointed’ Hoshea to rule over Israel, and received as... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 2 Kings 17:2

(2) But not as the kings of Israel that were before him.—The preceding phrase is used of all the northern kings but Shallum, who only reigned a month, and had no time for the display of his religious policy. We can hardly assume that Hoshea abandoned the calf-worship of Bethel, but he may have discountenanced the cultus of the Baals and Asheras. The Seder Olam states that Hoshea did not replace the calf of Bethel, which, it assumes, had been carried off by the Assyrians in accordance with the... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:1-41

HOSHEA, AND THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOMB.C. 734-7252 Kings 17:1-41"As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon: the water."Hosea 10:7As a matter of convenience, we follow our English Bible in calling the prophet by the name Hosea, and the nineteenth, last, and best king of Israel Hoshea. The names, however, are identical, and mean "Salvation"- the name borne by Joshua also in his earlier days. In the irony of history the name of the last king of Ephraim was thus identical with... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - 2 Kings 17:1-41

7. Assyria Conquers Israel and the Captivity CHAPTER 17 1. Hoshea, Israel’s last king (2 Kings 17:1-2 ) 2. Shalmaneser imprisons Hoshea (2 Kings 17:3-4 ) 3. Israel carried into captivity (2 Kings 17:5-6 ) 4. Retrospect and Israel’s sins (2 Kings 17:7-23 ) 5. The colonization of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24-41 ) Israel’s last king was Hoshea. His name means “deliverance.” It indicates what might have been had he and the people repented of their sins. The record of his character is brief.... read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - 2 Kings 17:2

17:2 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, {a} but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.(a) Though he invented no new idolatry or impiety as others did, yet he sought help from the Egyptians, whom God had forbidden. read more