2 Kings 17:1 kjv
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 Kings 17:1 nkjv
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
2 Kings 17:1 niv
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
2 Kings 17:1 esv
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years.
2 Kings 17:1 nlt
Hoshea son of Elah began to rule over Israel in the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria nine years.
2 Kings 17 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 15:27 | In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign... | Predecessor Pekah's reign |
| 2 Kgs 15:30 | Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down... | Hoshea's violent seizure of power |
| 2 Kgs 16:1 | In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. | Synchronization with King Ahaz's reign in Judah |
| 2 Kgs 17:2 | And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. | Character of Hoshea's reign |
| 2 Kgs 17:3-6 | Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria... and carried Israel away into Assyria. | Direct consequence of Hoshea's rule |
| 2 Kgs 17:7-8 | And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord... and walked in the customs of the nations... | Divine reason for Israel's fall |
| 2 Kgs 18:9-12 | In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea... Shalmaneser... besieged Samaria... | Hezekiah's reign overlapping with Samaria's siege |
| 1 Kgs 12:26-30 | Jeroboam set up the golden calves... and made Israel to sin. | Origin of Israel's foundational sin leading to their downfall |
| Hos 8:4 | They made kings, but not through me; they appointed princes, but I did not acknowledge them. | Israel's kings established without God's full approval |
| Amos 5:25-27 | "You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god... so I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the Lord... | Prophecy of exile for idolatry |
| Dt 28:47-48 | "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy... therefore you shall serve your enemies..." | Covenant curses fulfilled in the exile |
| Jdg 2:14-15 | The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers... | Historical pattern of God's judgment for disobedience |
| 1 Kgs 16:23-24 | In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel... And he bought the hill Samaria... | Establishment of Samaria as capital |
| Isa 7:8 | For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered... | Prophecy against Northern Israel/Ephraim |
| Jer 7:15 | And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the whole offspring of Ephraim. | Israel's exile as a precedent for Judah's future |
| Ps 78:67-68 | He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah... | Theological rationale for God's focus on Judah |
| Ezek 23:46-47 | For thus says the Lord God: Bring up a host against them, and give them over to terror and plunder. And the host shall stone them... | Prophetic imagery of divine judgment against unfaithful cities |
| Lk 21:24 | "They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot..." | Theme of national captivity and judgment in a New Testament context |
| Rom 11:7-8 | What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened... | Reflection on Israel's spiritual state and God's dealings |
| Heb 3:12 | Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. | The warning from Israel's history applied spiritually |
| Prov 14:34 | Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. | Proverbial principle explaining Israel's national decline |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. | How the historical record serves God's purposes |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God... | God's judgment beginning with His own people |
| Jn 15:6 | If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. | Principle of separation from God and consequences |
| 1 Cor 10:11 | Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written for our instruction... | Israel's history as an object lesson for believers |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 1 Meaning
The verse precisely situates the commencement of the final period for the Northern Kingdom of Israel by stating that Hoshea, the son of Elah, began his reign in Samaria over Israel in the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah. His rule lasted for nine turbulent years, leading directly to the ultimate downfall and exile of the ten tribes by the Assyrian Empire. This historical detail serves as the vital prologue to the full account of God's just judgment on His disobedient people, culminating in the destruction of Samaria and the captivity of Israel.
2 Kings 17 1 Context
2 Kings 17:1 introduces the pivotal, final era of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This verse appears after an extensive chronicle (beginning in 1 Kings 12) of Israel's recurring pattern of regicide, internal political instability, and most critically, consistent spiritual rebellion against the LORD, characterized by Jeroboam's calf worship, the syncretism with Baal introduced by Ahab, and subsequent idolatrous practices. The immediate preceding chapters (2 Kings 15-16) specifically detail rapid, violent successions of Israelite kings, culminating in Pekah's assassination by Hoshea. Simultaneously, the kingdom of Judah, under King Ahaz, faces its own crises, including the Syro-Ephraimite war, leading Ahaz to rely on the formidable rising power of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (2 Kings 16), inadvertently becoming their vassal. The chronological precision of 2 Kings 17:1 synchronizes Israel's internal decay with Judah's foreign entanglement under Ahaz, setting the imminent stage for the complete downfall and exile of the Northern Kingdom as divine judgment for their deep-rooted and unrepentant covenant unfaithfulness.
2 Kings 17 1 Word analysis
In the twelfth year: This specific chronological reference acts as a precise historical anchor, connecting the event in Israel to the contemporary reign in Judah. It underscores the biblical writer's commitment to historical accuracy and orderly narration of God's unfolding plan.
of Ahaz king of Judah: Identifies the parallel monarch in the Southern Kingdom. This synchronism serves to highlight that even as Israel rapidly approached its end due to widespread spiritual and political chaos, Judah continued with its divinely promised Davidic line, though often equally steeped in sin, indicating a distinction in God's covenant dealings.
Hoshea: (Hebrew: הוֹשֵׁעַ, Hoshea) Meaning "salvation" or "he saves." This name bears a profound irony, as Hoshea's reign would witness not the salvation of Israel but its utter destruction and exile, becoming the final king through whom the accumulated judgments against the nation were executed.
the son of Elah: Simple patronymic, identifying Hoshea's immediate paternal lineage and distinguishing him from other historical figures bearing the same name.
began to reign: Signifies the formal start of his kingship. This was not a peaceful succession but rather a violent seizure of power, typical of many Israelite kings who lacked the divine sanction bestowed upon the Davidic dynasty in Judah (as noted in Hos 8:4). Hoshea gained the throne by assassinating his predecessor, Pekah.
in Samaria: (Hebrew: שׁוֹמְרוֹן, Shomron) The capital city of the Northern Kingdom, established by Omri. Samaria became the epicenter of Israel's political power and, more significantly, the stronghold of its institutionalized idolatry (especially Jeroboam's calf worship) and foreign religious practices, making it the focal point of divine judgment.
over Israel: Clearly defines the extent of Hoshea's authority, encompassing the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom. This highlights the distinct political and religious identity of Israel from Judah, and its specific path to ruin.
and reigned nine years: Specifies the duration of his rule. This was a relatively short reign, typical of the final, unstable Israelite kings. It forewarned the swift and imminent collapse of the kingdom, the final act in God's judgment against centuries of covenant breaking.
Words-group analysis
- "In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign": This specific dating connects the narrative of the two kingdoms, demonstrating the synchronicity of historical events under God's sovereign control. It places Israel's impending doom within the broader historical tapestry involving Judah, even highlighting how Judah's choices (like Ahaz's reliance on Assyria) indirectly impacted the regional stability for Israel.
- "began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years": This phrase succinctly captures the entire trajectory of Hoshea's ill-fated kingship. His rule, based in "Samaria" (the center of Israelite apostasy) and spanning a mere "nine years," symbolizes the ultimate culmination of the Northern Kingdom's sins and its final, inescapable reckoning with divine judgment.
2 Kings 17 1 Bonus section
The detailed chronological synchronisms found throughout the books of Kings (such as that in 2 Kgs 17:1) are a significant feature of the biblical narrative. Beyond their historical accuracy, they serve a profound theological purpose, showcasing God's sovereignty over history and His providential orchestration of events according to His covenant. Even amid human choices, conspiracies, and foreign invasions, God is working out His specific judgments and preserving His divine plan for both kingdoms. These meticulous timings assure the reader that the subsequent exile of Israel, a seemingly overwhelming historical catastrophe, was not a random geopolitical misfortune, but the deliberate, precise, and just execution of God's promises of judgment against covenant unfaithfulness as warned in Deuteronomy 28 and reiterated by the prophets.
2 Kings 17 1 Commentary
2 Kings 17:1, though brief, sets the somber stage for the final act in the tragic history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. By introducing Hoshea, the last of its kings, the biblical narrative immediately foregrounds the culmination of centuries of Israel's corporate sin and rebellion against the Lord. Unlike some predecessors, Hoshea's evil was noted as "not as the kings of Israel who were before him" (2 Kgs 17:2), suggesting a possible lesser degree of wickedness, yet it was still "in the sight of the Lord." Despite any nuanced difference, his reign could not reverse the deep-seated idolatry and disobedience that had provoked God's wrath, a wrath meticulously documented from Jeroboam's time onward. His reliance on Egypt and failure to pay tribute to Assyria (2 Kgs 17:4) reflect a political miscalculation that sealed Israel's fate, but from a divine perspective, it was the just outworking of God's long-delayed judgment for Israel's unfaithfulness. The precise synchronism with Ahaz's reign underscores the unfolding of God's divine timetable, revealing His control even amidst the chaos of human history.