2 Kings 17:10 kjv
And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
2 Kings 17:10 nkjv
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.
2 Kings 17:10 niv
They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
2 Kings 17:10 esv
They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
2 Kings 17:10 nlt
They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles at the top of every hill and under every green tree.
2 Kings 17 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Idolatry / Forbidden Worship Objects | ||
| Ex 34:13 | "you shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim." | Command to destroy pagan objects. |
| Deut 7:5 | "but thus you shall deal with them: you shall break their altars and smash their pillars and cut down their Asherim..." | Instruction for destruction of idols. |
| Deut 12:3 | "You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire..." | Destroy pagan worship places & objects. |
| Jdg 3:7 | "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." | Serving false gods, including Asheroth. |
| 1 Kgs 14:23 | "For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree..." | Similar practices in Judah under Rehoboam. |
| 2 Kgs 18:4 | "He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah..." | Hezekiah's reforms, destroying idols. |
| 2 Kgs 23:14 | "He broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men." | Josiah's radical reforms, eliminating pagan sites. |
| Lev 26:1 | "You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, nor shall you set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God." | General prohibition of idols and pillars. |
| Forbidden Worship Locations | ||
| Deut 12:2 | "You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree." | Commanded destruction of specific pagan sites. |
| 1 Kgs 16:33 | "And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him." | Ahab's severe promotion of Asherah worship. |
| Isa 57:5 | "You who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree..." | Idolatrous worship in groves, akin to cultic prostitution. |
| Jer 2:20 | "For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down as a prostitute." | Israel's long-standing prostitution-like idolatry. |
| Jer 3:6 | "The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there she played the prostitute." | Further description of widespread harlotry/idolatry. |
| Ezek 20:28-29 | "...when they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices... there they presented the provocation of their offering..." | God's dismay at their pagan offerings on hills/trees. |
| Hos 4:13 | "They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and make offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good." | Prophetic lament over continued idolatry on high places. |
| Covenant Breaking / Disobedience | ||
| Lev 26:14-15 | "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments... and break my covenant..." | Warnings for covenant disobedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes..." | Curses for not obeying God's voice. |
| Judg 2:11-13 | "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals..." | Pattern of disobedience and serving Baals. |
| Neh 9:26 | "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back..." | Summarizes Israel's persistent rebellion. |
| Ps 106:35-39 | "They mingled with the nations and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them." | Intermingling with nations and adopting idolatry. |
| Acts 7:42 | "But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets..." | God gives them over to their idolatry (Stephen's speech). |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." | Humanity's rejection of God, turning to idolatry. |
| Consequences / Judgment | ||
| 2 Kgs 17:18-20 | "Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight... because they sinned against the Lord..." | Immediate context: reason for exile. |
| Jer 4:26-27 | "I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert... by the fierce anger of the Lord." | Consequences of widespread sin, land desolated. |
| Lam 1:8-9 | "Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became a wanderer... her uncleanness was in her skirts..." | Desolation and shame due to sin and defilement. |
| Hos 13:9 | "He destroyed you, O Israel, for you were against me, against your helper." | God's judgment as a consequence of their sin. |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 10 Meaning
2 Kings 17:10 describes the depth of the apostasy of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It details their establishment of pagan worship sites, explicitly using prohibited cultic objects (pillars and Asherim) and engaging in practices forbidden by God's law. This widespread rebellion, practiced "on every high hill and under every green tree," signified a complete departure from the covenant with YHWH, mirroring the idolatrous customs of the nations they were commanded to dispossess.
2 Kings 17 10 Context
2 Kings chapter 17 serves as a theological explanation for the downfall and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Verses 7-17 list a comprehensive catalogue of the nation's sins, meticulously detailing how they provoked YHWH to anger. Verse 10 is part of this indictment, specifically highlighting their widespread adoption of Canaanite idolatry, directly contrasting it with the purity of worship commanded in the Torah. The chapter explains that Israel did not learn from Judah's past mistakes, nor did they heed the prophetic warnings. This consistent rebellion, characterized by turning to foreign deities and their associated cultic practices, ultimately led to God's severe judgment—the scattering of the ten tribes. The historical context reveals a people deeply embedded in syncretistic worship, attempting to serve both YHWH and the Baals, which God explicitly condemned as covenant breaking.
2 Kings 17 10 Word analysis
- And they set up for themselves (וַיָּקִ֧ימוּ לָהֶ֛ם - wayyaqimu lahem):
- וַיָּקִ֧ימוּ (wayyaqimu): This is the waw-consecutive imperfect form of the verb qum (קוּם), meaning "to rise," "to stand," or "to set up." The perfective sense, here "they set up," indicates a completed action. Its use emphasizes a deliberate, active establishment of these items.
- לָהֶ֛ם (lahem): "for themselves." This reflexive dative pronoun is significant. It underscores that this idolatry was not coerced but chosen and constructed by themselves for their own perceived benefit or desire. It signifies personal initiative and culpability, rejecting God's instructions to the very core.
- pillars (מַצֵּבוֹת - matstsevot):
- Plural of matstsevah (מַצֵּבָה), a standing stone or pillar. While sometimes used neutrally for memorial stones (Gen 28:18) or boundary markers, in cultic contexts, particularly related to Canaanite worship, they often represented deities (e.g., Baal) or phallic symbols in fertility cults. They were strictly forbidden by God when associated with pagan worship, as seen in passages like Ex 34:13 and Deut 7:5. The Israelite kings, contrary to Mosaic law, embraced their erection, signaling a profound defection.
- and Asherim (וַאֲשֵׁרִ֖ים - wa'asherim):
- Plural of Asherah (אֲשֵׁרָה). This term can refer to a wooden cultic pole or tree that symbolized the Canaanite mother goddess Asherah, often considered the consort of Baal or El. Asherah worship involved fertility rites, which were antithetical to YHWH's holiness and His demand for exclusive devotion. The commandment to cut down Asherim (Ex 34:13; Deut 12:3) highlights their grave offensive nature to God. Their presence signifies a deep syncretism and adoption of pagan cults.
- on every high hill (עַל־כָּל־גִּבְעָ֣ה גְבֹהָ֑ה - ʿal-kol-givʿah gevohah):
- עַל (ʿal): "on" or "upon."
- כָּל־ (kol-): "every." Emphasizes the pervasiveness of the idolatry throughout the land, not just isolated incidents.
- גִּבְעָ֣ה גְבֹהָ֑ה (givʿah gevohah): "high hill." Canaanite peoples often worshiped their gods on elevated sites, believing they were closer to the divine realm. The Deuteronomic law specifically prohibited such worship for Israel, designating a single place of worship for YHWH (Deut 12). The "high places" were hubs for prohibited rituals, prostitution, and child sacrifice (though not directly stated in this verse, common at such sites).
- and under every green tree (וְתַ֥חַת כָּל־עֵ֖ץ רַעֲנָֽן - we-taḥat kol-ʿetz raʿanan):
- וְתַ֥חַת (we-taḥat): "and under."
- כָּל־ (kol-): "every," again denoting widespread practice.
- עֵ֖ץ רַעֲנָֽן (ʿetz raʿanan): "green tree." Specifically, large, leafy, or evergreen trees were often chosen for pagan worship due to their natural grandeur, shade, or association with fertility and life. These locations became common sites for illicit religious practices, symbolizing the fertility aspect of pagan gods and serving as places of worship where illicit acts often occurred.
2 Kings 17 10 Bonus section
The consistent emphasis on "every high hill and under every green tree" throughout prophetic literature (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea) reveals these specific locations as highly charged symbols of Israel's idolatry and spiritual promiscuity. They represent the depth of their assimilation to Canaanite practices, where cultic prostitution and illicit rituals often took place in these seemingly 'sacred' natural settings. This was a profound affront to the Creator God who had provided their land and specifically instructed them to eliminate such pagan sites, not imitate them. The imagery subtly polemicizes against the pagan notion that gods were confined to certain elevated places or natural phenomena, contrasting with the omnipresent and singular YHWH who commanded His people to worship Him exclusively in truth. The phrase encapsulates Israel's rebellion from a chosen people dedicated to God's holiness into one that mirrored the depravity of the very nations they were meant to replace.
2 Kings 17 10 Commentary
2 Kings 17:10 serves as a damning summary of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness, illustrating a complete capitulation to the idolatry of the surrounding nations. It articulates a deliberate, widespread rejection of God's covenant. The erection of pillars and Asherim was not an accidental deviation but a conscious adoption of Canaanite fertility cults, despite clear prohibitions in the Torah (Ex 34:13; Deut 7:5, 12:3). These objects and their associated practices were abominable to YHWH, demanding exclusive worship.
Furthermore, the choice of "every high hill" and "under every green tree" for their worship (reflecting Deut 12:2, Jer 2:20) highlights a deliberate defiance of God's command to centralize worship in Jerusalem. This was a direct insult, challenging His sovereignty and inviting foreign spiritual influences into the very heart of the land God had given them. The pervasiveness ("every") underscores the national scope of their sin. This pervasive idolatry ultimately stripped Israel of God's protection and led directly to the Assyrian exile, demonstrating the severe consequences of persistent disobedience and covenant breaking.