2 Kings 17:23 - Exposition

Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight (see the comment on 2 Kings 17:18 ) as he had said by all his servants the prophets. The destruction of the kingdom of Israel had been distinctly prophesied by Ahijah the Shilonite ( 1 Kings 14:15 , 1 Kings 14:16 ), Hosea ( Hosea 1:4 ; Hosea 9:3 , Hosea 9:17 ), and Amos ( Amos 7:17 ). General warnings and denunciations had been given by Moses (Le 26:33; Deuteronomy 4:26 , Deuteronomy 4:27 ; Deuteronomy 28:36 , etc.), by Isaiah ( Isaiah 7:8 ; Isaiah 28:1-4 ), and probably by the entire series of prophets enumerated in the comment on verse. 13. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day ; i.e. up to the time that the Second Book of Kings was written, about B.C. 580-560, the Israelites remained within the limits of the country to which they were carried by the conqueror. Not long after this time, about B.C. 538, a considerable number returned with Zerubbabel to Palestine, and others with Ezra (see Ezra 2:70 ; Ezra 3:1 ; Ezra 6:16 , Ezra 6:17 ; Ezra 7:13 ; Ezra 8:35 ; 1 Chronicles 9:2 , 1 Chronicles 9:3 ; Zechariah 8:13 ). What became of the rest has been a fertile subject of speculation. Probably the more religions united with the Jewish communities, which were gradually formed in almost all the cities of the East; while the irreligious laid aside their peculiar customs, and became blended indistinguishably with the heathen. 'There is no ground for expecting to find the "ten tribes" anywhere at the present day.