2 Kings 17:27 kjv
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
2 Kings 17:27 nkjv
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land."
2 Kings 17:27 niv
Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires."
2 Kings 17:27 esv
Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land."
2 Kings 17:27 nlt
The king of Assyria then commanded, "Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land."
2 Kings 17 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:22 | "I will send wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children..." | Lions as divine judgment/curse for disobedience |
| Dt 12:29-31 | "...do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?'" | Warning against adopting pagan customs |
| Dt 28:15-16 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God... cursed shall you be..." | Consequences of disobedience and forsaking God |
| Jdg 2:10-13 | "And the people served Baals and Ashtaroth." | Israel's history of forgetting God and serving idols |
| 1 Ki 18:21 | "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him..." | The call to choose YHWH alone, rejecting syncretism |
| 2 Ki 17:7-18 | "All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD..." | Broader context: Israel's judgment and exile |
| 2 Ki 17:25-26 | "When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD. So the LORD sent lions among them..." | Immediate context: The reason for the king's command |
| 2 Ki 17:28 | "So one of the priests... taught them how they should worship the LORD." | Continuation: The priest's teaching leading to mixed worship |
| 2 Ki 17:33 | "They feared the LORD but also served their own gods, according to the custom..." | Describes the resulting syncretism in Samaria |
| Is 44:6 | "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God." | YHWH's exclusive claim to deity, contra "god of the land" |
| Jer 2:27-28 | "For they turned their back to me... But where are your gods...?" | Idolatry as turning away from God, futility of false gods |
| Jer 31:34 | "No longer shall each one teach his neighbor... For they shall all know me..." | Future covenant: Direct knowledge of God, contrasting external teaching |
| Ez 33:30-32 | "...you will be judged for your ways..." | Divine judgment for disobedient actions |
| Mal 2:7 | "For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth..." | The proper role of a priest as teacher of God's law |
| Jn 4:22 | "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews." | Jesus highlights the Samaritans' partial/flawed understanding of God |
| Rom 1:21 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God..." | The human tendency to distort knowledge of God |
| Acts 17:22-23 | "I found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." | Paul addresses pagan concept of local deities, proclaiming the true God |
| Eph 4:18 | "...darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance..." | Humanity's spiritual ignorance and alienation from God |
| 1 Pet 1:18 | "...redeemed... from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers..." | Futility of traditional human-invented worship and practices |
| Rev 15:3-4 | "...true and just are your ways, O King of the nations!" | God's justice and sovereignty, eventually all will know His ways |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 27 Meaning
2 Kings 17:27 describes the command of the king of Assyria to send back one of the Israelite priests who had been exiled, so that this priest might teach the newly settled foreign peoples in Samaria "the manner of the god of the land." This decree arose because these new inhabitants were being afflicted by lions, which the Assyrians interpreted as the wrath of the local deity whose ways they did not know. The verse highlights the Assyrian's pragmatic approach to appease a perceived territorial god and illustrates the subsequent introduction of mixed worship in the land.
2 Kings 17 27 Context
2 Kings chapter 17 recounts the final judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel due to their persistent sin, idolatry, and covenant unfaithfulness. The Assyrian king Shalmaneser V (and later Sargon II) besieged Samaria, deported the Israelites to Assyria, and resettled people from other parts of his empire in the vacant Israelite cities. This was a common Assyrian policy to break up national identity and prevent rebellions. Verse 27 follows the introduction of these new foreign inhabitants who did not know or properly worship the God of Israel (whom they saw as merely the "god of the land"). When lions began to attack them, they attributed this affliction to the anger of this local deity. The Assyrian king's command to send back a priest reflects a pagan belief system where each land had its specific gods, and appeasing them was crucial for peace and prosperity, especially when establishing new populations. He wasn't endorsing YHWH as the sole true God, but rather pragmatic, seeing YHWH as a powerful local deity requiring appeasement according to His "manner."
2 Kings 17 27 Word analysis
- Then the king of Assyria: Refers to Sargon II, who completed the deportation initiated by Shalmaneser V. His authority underscores the pragmatic power of an imperial ruler seeking stability.
- commanded, saying: Indicates a formal, authoritative decree. It highlights the absolute power of the monarch in the ancient world.
- Send there one of the priests: A specific instruction for an unusual envoy. The choice of a "priest" points to the religious nature of the problem as perceived by the Assyrians.
- whom you took from there: Emphasizes that these priests were part of the exiled Israelite population. This is ironic; an Israelite priest is now being sent back by a foreign king to teach foreigners, whose original worship led to exile.
- and let him go and dwell there: Implies a permanent relocation, not a temporary visit, underscoring the king's long-term solution for maintaining control and placating the local deity.
- and let him teach them: The priest's primary role. The verb yarah (יָרָה), often translated "teach," also means to instruct or direct, implying instruction in moral and religious duties.
- the manner: Hebrew mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט). This word is crucial. It means not just "way" or "custom," but also "judgment," "ordinance," "due custom," "due form," or "statute." It refers to the prescribed practices, laws, and regulations associated with proper worship and life under the specific deity. For YHWH, this included His commandments, laws, and the entire covenant relationship, encompassing ritual, ethical, and judicial aspects. The Assyrians understood this as the local deity's specific rituals to be followed.
- of the god of the land: Hebrew elohei ha'aretz (אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ). This phrase reveals the Assyrian pagan worldview, which typically recognized localized deities with power limited to specific territories. They viewed YHWH, the God of Israel, through this lens, not as the universal Creator God, but as one among many territorial gods that needed to be honored for the well-being of the inhabitants. This concept contrasts sharply with Israel's belief in YHWH as the one true, universal God, supreme over all lands and peoples.
2 Kings 17 27 Bonus section
- Pagan Polemics: The narrative subtly critiques pagan territorial deity concepts. While the Assyrian king's premise was pagan, YHWH allowed the appearance of conforming to this view (sending lions, prompting a priest's return) to illustrate His sovereignty and judgment. This served as a stark reminder to Judah (the original audience) of the real consequences of abandoning YHWH for other gods, showing that even foreign nations recognized YHWH's power, albeit imperfectly.
- The Priest's Dilemma: The priest sent back faced a challenging situation. He was expected to teach the laws and customs of YHWH in a foreign land to foreign people, but potentially without the established temple worship in Jerusalem or a truly repentant audience. His teaching, however partial or flawed in context, was essential for the subsequent Samaritan religious tradition.
- Fulfillment of Curses: The lions attacking the new inhabitants resonate with the curses promised in the Mosaic covenant for disobedience, particularly in Lev 26:22 and Dt 28:26, which mention wild animals attacking those who abandon God's statutes. Even pagan rulers unknowingly executed aspects of YHWH's divine judgment and acted as instruments in His wider plan.
2 Kings 17 27 Commentary
2 Kings 17:27 is a pivotal verse because it marks the origin of the Samaritans' syncretistic religion. The Assyrian king's decision, though seemingly pragmatic, was steeped in a polytheistic understanding that contradicted the absolute monotheism of Israel's God, YHWH. He believed that the lions were a punitive measure from the regional deity for not observing "His way," a concept similar to human territoriality. The irony is profound: Israel had been exiled for not truly obeying YHWH's "manner," and now an Israelite priest, chosen by a pagan king, was tasked to teach YHWH's mishpat to Gentiles, but under a pagan assumption that YHWH was just a "god of the land." This teaching led to a mixed religion where these foreign peoples indeed came to "fear the LORD" (2 Ki 17:33) but continued to serve their own idols, effectively reducing YHWH to one deity among many. This theological compromise fundamentally distorted the uniqueness of YHWH, who demands exclusive worship and is sovereign over all the earth, not confined to one land.