2 Kings 17:18 kjv
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
2 Kings 17:18 nkjv
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
2 Kings 17:18 niv
So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left,
2 Kings 17:18 esv
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.
2 Kings 17:18 nlt
Because the LORD was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land.
2 Kings 17 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 17:7-17 | All this took place because the people of Israel had sinned... against the LORD their God... | Sins leading to God's anger. |
| Deut 28:63-64 | Just as the LORD took delight in making you prosperous... so the LORD will take delight in bringing you to ruin... and the LORD will scatter you among all peoples... | Covenant curses: God's hand in exile. |
| Lev 26:33-35 | I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword after you. Your land will become desolate... | Covenant curses: Scattering as judgment. |
| Deut 29:20 | The LORD will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. | God's unappeasable anger for persistent rebellion. |
| Ps 78:59-60 | When God heard, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh... | God's anger and rejection, similar to Israel's fate. |
| Jer 7:15 | And I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out all your kinsfolk, all the whole house of Ephraim. | Direct prophecy of casting out "from His sight" referencing Ephraim (Northern Israel). |
| 2 Kgs 24:3-4 | Surely this happened to Judah according to the LORD's command... because of the sins of Manasseh... | Judah's eventual exile also due to God's anger for sin. |
| Isa 1:9 | Unless the LORD Almighty had left us with a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah. | Theological concept of a remnant preserved by God. |
| Rom 9:27-29 | Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand... only the remnant will be saved..." | NT reiteration of the remnant principle from the OT. |
| 1 Kgs 11:13 | I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David... | Promise to David (Judah) foretelling the division and preservation of Judah. |
| 1 Kgs 12:20 | ...No one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. | Initial account of the division of the kingdom, highlighting Judah's distinct status. |
| Hos 1:6 | And the LORD said to him, "Call his name Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel..." | Prophetic declaration of no more mercy for Israel. |
| Hos 4:1-2 | There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land... There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery... | Description of Israel's spiritual decay, the cause of God's anger. |
| Amos 9:8 | Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on this sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth—yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob... | Prophecy of Israel's destruction but a remnant remains. |
| Exod 32:10 | Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them... | Example of God's fierce anger in response to Israel's sin. |
| Heb 12:6 | because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. | God's judgment as discipline, implying His sovereignty even in removal. |
| Isa 7:1-9 | The LORD spoke again to Ahaz: "Ask the LORD your God for a sign... If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." | Context of prophecies during the time when both kingdoms were distinct, and Judah was threatened. |
| Lam 2:2-4 | The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the dwellings of Jacob... He has bent his bow like an enemy; his right hand is ready... | Description of God as an adversary bringing judgment against His people. |
| Matt 21:43 | Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. | NT echo of removal due to lack of faithfulness, applicable to those who reject Christ. |
| John 15:6 | If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers... and they are thrown into the fire and burned. | Spiritual principle of removal/separation for lack of fruit/faithfulness. |
| Mal 3:6 | "I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." | God's steadfast character, even amidst judgment, ensuring a remnant's preservation. |
| 2 Pet 2:9 | if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the Day of Judgment. | God's perfect justice in both delivering the righteous and punishing the wicked. |
| Amos 3:2 | "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." | Heightened responsibility and stricter judgment for God's chosen people due to covenant. |
| Zeph 2:7 | The remnant of the house of Judah shall pasture there; in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will visit them... | Specific prophecy of Judah's remnant remaining and experiencing divine favor. |
| Dan 9:11 | All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses... have been poured out upon us... | Acknowledgement that the exile was a direct fulfillment of Mosaic Law curses. |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 18 Meaning
This verse declares the immediate consequence of the Northern Kingdom of Israel's pervasive idolatry and rejection of the LORD's covenant and prophets, as detailed in the preceding verses. The LORD, in His righteous anger, actively removed Israel from His land and presence through the Assyrian exile. This divine judgment resulted in the complete deportation of the Northern Kingdom, leaving only the Southern Kingdom of Judah as the remaining part of the unified nation of Israel.
2 Kings 17 18 Context
2 Kings Chapter 17 describes the historical and theological reasons for the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) to the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. The verses leading up to verse 18 (2 Kgs 17:7-17) provide a litany of Israel's sins, including their adoption of Canaanite idolatry, practicing child sacrifice, burning incense on high places, using divination, and ultimately rejecting the LORD’s commands, His covenant, and the warnings of His prophets. They provoked the LORD by establishing the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, worshipping foreign deities, and behaving like the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them. This persistent and escalating disobedience, despite divine warnings, filled the measure of their iniquity, necessitating severe divine judgment. Verse 18 is the culminating verdict and execution of that judgment, highlighting God's righteous anger and the irreversible nature of their national expulsion. The mention of Judah remaining serves as a stark contrast and points to God's enduring covenant faithfulness through the Davidic line.
2 Kings 17 18 Word analysis
- Therefore (וַיִּתְאָנַּף - wa·yiṯ·'ānap̄): This adverb serves as a strong connective, indicating direct causality. It signifies that the events that follow are a necessary and inevitable consequence of Israel's sins detailed in the preceding verses (2 Kgs 17:7-17). This emphasizes divine justice; God's judgment is not arbitrary but is directly provoked by human rebellion.
- the LORD (יהוה - YHWH): This refers to the covenant God of Israel, Yahweh, who entered into a special relationship with His people. His name signifies His faithfulness and active presence, making His anger all the more poignant as it comes from a deeply offended and committed suzerain. It underscores that this judgment is an act of their own God, not a random historical event.
- was very angry (מְאֹד חָרָה - mĕ'ōḏ ḥārâ): The Hebrew word "ḥārâ" means to be kindled or to burn, signifying intense wrath. Coupled with "mĕ'ōḏ" (very, greatly), it denotes a profound and righteous indignation. This anger is not impulsive human emotion but the holy and just wrath of God against sin and covenant infidelity. It implies a point of no return for His patience with Israel's persistent rebellion.
- with Israel: Refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom, also known as Ephraim or Samaria, distinct from Judah. This kingdom comprised ten of the twelve tribes and had been established under Jeroboam I after the kingdom divided following Solomon's reign (1 Kgs 12). From its inception, it engaged in systematic idolatry.
- and removed them (וַיָּסַרֵם - wa·yā·si·rem): From the Hebrew verb "sûr" (to turn aside, remove) in the Hiphil causative stem, meaning "He caused them to be removed" or "He removed them." This indicates an active, deliberate, and sovereign act by God. It wasn't merely the Assyrians conquering them, but God orchestrating their exile as a divine judgment, a clear fulfillment of covenant curses (Deut 28).
- from His sight (מֵעַל פָּנָיו - mē‘al pānāw): Literally "from before His face" or "from over His face." This idiom signifies a complete withdrawal of God's favorable presence, protection, and fellowship. To be removed from God's sight means to be expelled from His land (which was given to them by His presence) and cast away from His special covenant care and favor. It signifies abandonment to the consequences of their actions.
- only (רַק - raq): An emphatic particle indicating exclusivity. It highlights that out of the entire kingdom that previously stood united, a singular exception remained. This emphasizes the totality of Israel's removal and the deliberate, contrasting preservation of Judah.
- the tribe of Judah: Refers to the Southern Kingdom, comprised primarily of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with Jerusalem as its capital. Unlike Israel, Judah generally maintained (though imperfectly) the Davidic dynasty and the Jerusalem Temple, representing a more direct continuity with the covenant promises.
- was left (נִשְׁאַר - niš’ar): From the Hebrew verb "šā’ar" (to remain, be left over) in the Niphal (passive) stem, meaning "it was left." This term points to the theological concept of a "remnant." Judah's survival was not due to its own inherent righteousness or strength, but because of God's covenant faithfulness (particularly with David) and His larger redemptive plan, ensuring the preservation of the Messianic line.
- "Therefore the LORD was very angry... and removed them from His sight": This phrase encapsulates the core theme of divine retribution. It articulates a direct, causal link between Israel's persistent sin and God's sovereign, wrathful judgment, manifesting as a catastrophic national expulsion. The act of "removing from His sight" highlights not just geographical displacement but a spiritual severing of the special relationship, signifying a loss of divine favor and protection. This action aligns with warnings given from the time of Moses about the consequences of covenant disobedience.
- "only the tribe of Judah was left": This crucial phrase emphasizes the preservation of a remnant. It serves to show God's faithfulness to His covenant with David (2 Sam 7) and His overarching plan for salvation, which required the lineage through which the Messiah would come to be preserved. Judah's temporary survival differentiates its fate from Israel's, underscoring both God's righteous judgment against blatant idolatry and His discriminating grace in preserving a line for future redemption.
2 Kings 17 18 Bonus section
The distinction between "Israel" (Northern Kingdom) and "Judah" (Southern Kingdom) throughout the Old Testament is critical. From Jeroboam I's initial religious apostasy by establishing alternative worship sites, the Northern Kingdom, referred to as Israel or Ephraim, became entrenched in idolatry, making their ultimate judgment inevitable as portrayed by Hosea and Amos. In contrast, while Judah also had its periods of unfaithfulness and faced eventual exile, it clung (though imperfectly) to the legitimate worship in Jerusalem and the Davidic monarchy, the chosen line through which the Messiah would come. This differentiation underscores that God's judgment, while universal against sin, also operates within the context of His specific covenants and plans, highlighting both His justice and His sovereign grace in maintaining a "holy seed" (Isa 6:13) or "remnant" to fulfill His purposes.
2 Kings 17 18 Commentary
2 Kings 17:18 marks a watershed moment in the history of God's covenant people. Following centuries of idolatry and persistent rejection of divine warnings delivered by prophets, the Northern Kingdom of Israel faced the full measure of God's righteous wrath. His "very anger" signifies a holy, just, and decisive judgment against their deep-seated rebellion and abandonment of Him for pagan deities. The "removal from His sight" indicates a comprehensive national divorce and exile, executed through the Assyrian Empire as God's instrument. This wasn't merely a political conquest but a divinely ordained expulsion from the land given by covenant, signaling the loss of God's special protective presence. The statement that "only the tribe of Judah was left" highlights God's particular grace and faithfulness. Judah's survival, albeit temporary until their own later exile, points to God's steadfast commitment to His promises to David (2 Sam 7) and His intention to preserve a remnant, ensuring the continuity of the Messianic line necessary for the world's salvation. The verse powerfully illustrates both the severe consequences of defying the living God and the unwavering nature of His redemptive purposes.