2 Kings 17:11 kjv
And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
2 Kings 17:11 nkjv
There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger,
2 Kings 17:11 niv
At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the LORD's anger.
2 Kings 17:11 esv
and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger,
2 Kings 17:11 nlt
They offered sacrifices on all the hilltops, just like the nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of them. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, arousing the LORD's anger.
2 Kings 17 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 12:2-3 | "You must utterly destroy all the places... where the nations... served..." | Command to destroy idolatrous sites. |
| Lev 18:24-30 | "...land will vomit you out... as it vomited out the nations before you." | Land defiled by abominations expels inhabitants. |
| Deut 18:9-12 | "You shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations." | Direct prohibition against imitating paganism. |
| 1 Kgs 12:31 | "He also made temples on high places and appointed priests..." | Jeroboam's establishment of false worship. |
| Ps 78:58 | "For they provoked him to anger with their high places..." | Provoking God with idolatrous high places. |
| Isa 65:3-5 | "...a people who continually provoke me to my face, sacrificing in gardens." | Similar pattern of provoking God with idolatry. |
| Jer 7:18-19 | "...to provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me... or themselves?" | Idolatry as direct provocation to God. |
| Hos 4:13 | "They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains and burn incense..." | Israel's worship on high places described. |
| Amos 2:4-5 | "For three transgressions of Judah... because they despised the law..." | Disobedience and idolatry lead to judgment. |
| 2 Kgs 16:3 | "he walked in the way of the kings of Israel... made his son pass through the fire..." | King Ahaz (Judah) copying pagan abominations. |
| 2 Kgs 21:3 | "Manasseh rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed." | Persistence of high place idolatry in Judah. |
| Ezek 16:20 | "You took your sons and your daughters... and sacrificed them to them." | Sacrifice of children as pagan practice. |
| Judg 2:11-13 | "...served the Baals... they abandoned the LORD." | Cyclical sin of abandoning God for idols. |
| Deut 32:16-17 | "They made him jealous with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked him." | Israel provoking God with foreign deities. |
| Rom 1:21-25 | "...exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images... exchanged the truth of God for a lie." | Universal human tendency to exchange God for idols. |
| 1 Cor 10:20-22 | "...they sacrifice to demons and not to God... Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?" | Participating in idolatry provokes God. |
| Eph 5:5 | "...no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance..." | Idolatry disqualifies from God's kingdom. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | "...works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity... idolatry..." | Idolatry as a work of the flesh. |
| Rev 21:8 | "...all liars—their portion will be in the lake that burns..." | Consequences for idolatry in the end times. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | "...with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned...?" | God's provocation by unbelief and disobedience. |
| 1 Jn 5:21 | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." | New Testament warning against idolatry. |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 11 Meaning
2 Kings 17:11 states that the people of Israel ubiquitously engaged in idolatrous practices, burning incense at numerous pagan shrines ("high places"). These practices directly mirrored the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had previously expelled from the land for their wickedness. Their actions were a direct and intentional affront, deliberately provoking the LORD's righteous anger and judgment.
2 Kings 17 11 Context
2 Kings 17 records the tragic downfall and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) to Assyria. After more than 200 years of persistent spiritual decline and political instability, God's patience reached its limit. Verses 7-18 meticulously detail the reasons for their judgment: they abandoned the LORD, adopted pagan customs, built high places, practiced divination, child sacrifice, and utterly disregarded God's covenant and prophetic warnings. Verse 11 specifically highlights their willful imitation of the Canaanites' idolatry, for which those nations were expelled, underscoring the severity and intentional nature of Israel's rebellion, leading directly to the ultimate divine consequence of exile.
Word Analysis
- And there (וְשָׁם - wə·šām): This conjunctive adverb emphasizes the widespread presence and commonality of their sin. "There" implicitly refers to "in all the high places," showing the extensive geographic spread of the idolatry throughout the land of Israel.
- they burned incense (קִטְּרִים - qiṭ·ṭə·rîm): The verb qatar often refers to offering incense, which could be part of legitimate worship to the LORD (Exod 30:7-8). Here, however, it denotes illicit worship to other gods, signifying a misappropriation and distortion of a sacred act for profane, pagan purposes. This act was central to polytheistic rituals, often linked with syncretism and even immoral practices.
- in all the high places (בְּכָל־הַבָּמוֹת - bə·ḵāl-hab·bā·mōwt): Bāmôt (high places) were elevated cult sites used for pagan worship, a central feature of Canaanite religion. "All" emphasizes the pervasiveness of this idolatry across the entire kingdom, indicating systemic rather than isolated deviance. Despite God's clear commands to destroy them (Deut 12:2-3), Israel embraced them, making them a cornerstone of their apostasy.
- as did the nations (כַּגּוֹיִם - ka·gō·yîm): Gōyîm refers to non-Israelite peoples or Gentiles. This phrase highlights the deliberate adoption of the very practices God condemned and forbade (Deut 18:9). Israel was meant to be distinct, a holy nation, but instead, they chose to mimic the very behaviors that earned God's wrath upon others. This was a profound betrayal of their unique covenant identity.
- whom the LORD carried away before them (אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵיהֶם - ’ăšer hô·rîš Yahweh mippə·nê·hem): Hôrîš means "dispossessed" or "drove out." This is a crucial element: Israel copied the actions of the very nations whom God, in His righteousness, had dispossessed from the land for their abominable practices. It highlights divine justice and underscores Israel's conscious defiance in the face of a clear historical warning from God.
- and they wrought wicked things (וַיַּעֲשׂוּ דְּבָרִים רָעִים - way·ya‘ă·śū də·ḇā·rîm rā·‘îm): This broad phrase signifies a wide array of moral depravity and unrighteous actions, encompassing not just idol worship but also associated sins like child sacrifice, divination, and sorcery, which characterized pagan cultures. It speaks to a deep, active moral corruption that permeated their society.
- to provoke the LORD to anger (לְהַכְעִיס אֶת־יְהוָה - ləhaḵ‘îs ’eṯ-YHWH): Haḵ‘îs means "to provoke," "to infuriate," or "to grieve." This is a powerful statement about God's emotional response. Their actions were not merely mistaken or ignorant, but a direct, defiant, and continuous assault on His holy character, covenant fidelity, and exclusive claim as their God. It demonstrates a personal affront and the ultimate reason for His impending judgment.
2 Kings 17 11 Bonus section
- Ultimate Irony: The very reason for the former inhabitants' expulsion from the land (their idolatrous practices) became Israel's chosen path. They inherited a land cleansed by divine judgment but then became deserving of the same.
- Failed Leadership: While many kings in both Israel and Judah were condemned for not removing the high places (even the "good" kings like Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Joash were noted for leaving them standing), the common people's participation suggests a pervasive cultural abandonment of true worship.
- Covenant Violation: Their actions were a direct and repeated violation of the first two commandments – no other gods before the LORD, and no idols. Their imitation of the Canaanites was an active renunciation of their unique status as God's chosen people.
2 Kings 17 11 Commentary
2 Kings 17:11 is a stark summary of Israel's spiritual adultery and rebellion, presenting their sin not as a mere lapse, but as a calculated defiance. Their burning incense on every high place indicates widespread, systemic idolatry, a direct rejection of the covenant's monotheism. The profound irony lies in their imitation of the very "nations whom the LORD carried away," an act of divine justice they deliberately ignored. This verse exposes the tragic depth of their apostasy: choosing to emulate those condemned for their wickedness, rather than remaining loyal to the God who delivered them and gave them the land. This deliberate mimicry of abominable practices constitutes "wicked things" that personally provoked God's wrath, leaving no room for leniency or mitigation of the inevitable judgment. It teaches the principle that persistently ignoring divine warnings and willfully adopting condemned practices guarantees severe consequences.