2 Kings 17:29-41

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 17:24-41

Never was land lost, we say, for want of an heir. When the children of Israel were dispossessed, and turned out of Canaan, the king of Assyria soon transplanted thither the supernumeraries of his own country, such as it could well spare, who should be servants to him and masters to the Israelites that remained; and here we have an account of these new inhabitants, whose story is related here that we may take our leave of Samaria, as also of the Israelites that were carried captive into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:29

Howbeit, every nation made gods of their own ,.... Served and worshipped those they brought with them, and which were the work of their own hands, even the nations, or those out of the nations, mentioned 2 Kings 17:24 these, notwithstanding the instructions they had about the worship of the God of Israel, retained and served their own deities: and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt; as the Israelites had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:30

And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth ,.... That is, those that came from Babylon made and served an idol of this name, which, according to the Jewish writers F21 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 63. 2. , were the figures of an hen and chickens; but others suppose them to be the Pleiades, or seven stars, the stars being had in great veneration by the Babylonians; though others rather think those Succothbenoth, "tabernacles", or "booths of the daughters", as the words may be rendered, have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:31

And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak ,.... The former of which is represented by the Jews in the shape of a dog, deriving the word from "nabach", to bark, as if it was the same with the Anubis Latrator of Virgil F2 Aeneid. l. 6. So Ovid. Metamorph. l. 9. Fab. 12. ver. 689. , an Egyptian deity; though that is said F3 Jablonski apud Michael. Obs. Sacr. Exercit. 4. p. 66, 67. to have its name from NOeb, which in the Egyptian language signifies "gold", the statutes of it being made... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:32

So they feared the Lord ,.... Worshipped the God of Israel in the manner they were taught: and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places ; these were made after the manner of Jeroboam's priests, 1 Kings 12:31 , and were to sacrifice to the God of Israel in the high places, and temples built there; for otherwise they had, no doubt, priests of their own to sacrifice to their gods, and which they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:33

They feared the Lord, and served their own gods ,.... Worshipped both: after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence ; the Israelites, whom they had carried captive from Samaria; they worshipped the Lord in their idols, as they did, who pretended to worship God in the calves; so they worshipped the supreme God in and by their idols, and made use of them as mediators with him. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:34

Unto this day they do after the former manners ,.... Which may be understood either of the new colonies in Samaria doing after the former customs in their own land, or after the customs of the idolatrous Israelites; or of the Israelites in captivity continuing in their idolatry, not being in the least reformed by their troubles; or of such of them as were left in the land, who repented not of their idolatries, nor reformed from them: they fear not the Lord ; did not worship him, at least... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:35

With whom the Lord had made a covenant ,.... As he did at Sinai, 2 Kings 17:15 . and charged them, saying, ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them ; all which is contained in the first and second commandments of the law. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:36

But the Lord, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt, with a great power, and a stretched out arm ,.... Which is observed, to show the obligations they lay under, in point of gratitude, to serve the Lord: him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice : and him only, and not other gods; none but he being the object of religious fear and divine worship, and to whom sacrifices should be offered. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 17:37

And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment which he wrote for you ,.... On the two tables of stone: ye shall observe to do for evermore ; those commands relating to religious worship, especially the object of it, and to moral duties, being of eternal obligation; and all other statutes and ordinances of a ceremonial kind he ordered to be written for them, being such that they were to regard until the Messiah came, and a new world began: and ye shall not fear... read more

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