2 Kings 17:28 kjv
Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
2 Kings 17:28 nkjv
Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
2 Kings 17:28 niv
So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
2 Kings 17:28 esv
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
2 Kings 17:28 nlt
So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the LORD.
2 Kings 17 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 6:24 | And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God... | Fear of the Lord is commanded obedience. |
| Ps 111:10 | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding... | Fear of the Lord as wisdom's start. |
| Prov 1:7 | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Fear of the Lord as knowledge's foundation. |
| Prov 9:10 | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. | Fear of the Lord leads to true understanding. |
| Isa 2:19 | They shall go into the caves of the rocks...from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty... | Fear and terror before God's power. |
| Jer 5:24 | They do not say in their hearts, "Let us fear the Lord our God...who gives the rains..." | Lack of fear of the Lord's providence. |
| Deut 28:58 | If you are not careful to do all the words of this law...fearing this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God... | Disobedience results from lack of fear. |
| 1 Kgs 12:28-30 | So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold...This thing became a sin... | Bethel's earlier idolatrous worship instituted by Jeroboam. |
| Hos 8:6 | ...for from Israel comes all of it; a craftsman made it; therefore it is not God... | Denounces the golden calves in Israel. |
| 2 Kgs 17:7-12 | And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God... | Immediate context: Israel's idolatry and fall. |
| 2 Kgs 17:24 | And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon...and placed them in the cities of Samaria... | Foreigners resettled in Samaria. |
| 2 Kgs 17:25-26 | And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them... | The problem: lack of fear leading to divine judgment. |
| Lev 26:22 | I will let loose the wild beasts among you, which shall devour your children... | Divine judgment often includes wild animals. |
| Ezek 14:15-16 | If I send wild beasts into the land...though these three men were in it, they could not save... | Wild animals as a means of divine judgment. |
| Ezra 4:1-2 | Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple...came to Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you..." | Later attempt at religious mixture by Samaritans. |
| John 4:9 | The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) | Historical division between Jews and Samaritans stemming from syncretism. |
| Deut 11:1 | You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge...always. | True fear involves love and obedience. |
| Jos 24:14 | "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness..." | Call to serve God with true sincerity. |
| Acts 10:2 | ...a devout man who feared God with all his household... | God-fearing Gentile showing true devotion. |
| Acts 17:22-23 | So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." | Explaining the true God to those worshipping out of ignorance or fear. |
| Col 2:20-23 | If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why...do you submit to regulations...not of any value in checking sensual indulgence? | Warnings against mere human teachings and empty religious rituals. |
| Mal 1:6 | "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear?" says the Lord of hosts... | Lack of proper fear and honor for God. |
| Rom 1:21 | 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. | People know God but fail to truly fear and honor Him. |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 28 Meaning
2 Kings 17:28 describes the partial resolution to the problem of foreign settlers in the former Northern Kingdom of Israel being attacked by lions because they did not know "the law of the god of the land," referring to the Lord YHWH. A deported Israelite priest, brought back by the king of Assyria, settled in Bethel and instructed the new inhabitants on how they should fear and worship the Lord. This verse highlights the pragmatic but incomplete attempt to appease the deity perceived as causing the troubles, leading to a superficial and syncretistic form of worship.
2 Kings 17 28 Context
2 Kings chapter 17 details the downfall and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel due to their persistent idolatry, breaking the covenant with the Lord. The Assyrians conquered Samaria (the capital), deported the Israelites, and repopulated the land with various foreign peoples from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim (v. 24). These new inhabitants did not initially worship YHWH, the God of the land, leading to what the text describes as the Lord sending lions among them as divine judgment (v. 25-26). Upon hearing of this calamity, the king of Assyria perceived it as a punishment from the "god of the land" and ordered one of the deported Israelite priests to return to Samaria to instruct the new settlers on how to worship this deity. Verse 28 describes the implementation of this order, establishing a syncretistic religious practice that would characterize the region for centuries.
2 Kings 17 28 Word analysis
- So one of the priests: Refers to a kohen (כֹּהֵן). This was likely a legitimate Israelite priest, possibly even a Levite, who had been involved in the worship of YHWH, though the nature of Northern Kingdom worship was already corrupted by Jeroboam's golden calves (1 Kgs 12).
- whom they had carried away from Samaria: This emphasizes the priest's exile, a consequence of God's judgment on Israel. It also shows Assyria's administrative control and policy of population exchange to prevent rebellion.
- came and lived in Bethel: Bethel (בֵּית־אֵל, "house of God") held immense historical significance. It was where Jacob encountered God (Gen 28), but also where Jeroboam set up one of his golden calves for Israelite worship (1 Kgs 12), transforming a holy site into a center of idolatry. This choice of location implies the Assyrians recognized its religious importance, perhaps viewing it as a principal place to teach about "the god of the land," or it was simply convenient due to its pre-existing religious infrastructure.
- and taught them: The act of teaching, yara (יָרָה), means to instruct or guide. Here, it refers to imparting knowledge of religious rituals and requirements. The instruction was likely rudimentary, focusing on rites to appease the God causing the lion attacks, rather than on a true covenant relationship.
- how they should fear: Yare (יָרֵא) in Hebrew encompasses more than mere dread; it signifies a profound reverence, awe, and respectful obedience to authority, particularly divine. It implies acknowledging God's power and right to demand worship. In this context, it was primarily a pragmatic fear aimed at ending the lion attacks, not necessarily heartfelt devotion or exclusive loyalty.
- the Lord: Refers to YHWH (יהוה), the covenant God of Israel. The Assyrian king understood YHWH as merely the regional deity responsible for the land, a common ancient Near Eastern polytheistic viewpoint, where each land had its god. The priest taught about YHWH, but the settlers did not exclusively adhere to Him.
Words-group analysis:
- "one of the priests whom they had carried away... taught them": This highlights God's sovereignty even through human agency. An exiled priest, under the decree of a pagan king, is paradoxically instrumental in instructing new settlers about YHWH. It underlines that divine judgment also opened a door, however narrow, for the nations to know something of the true God.
- "lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord": This phrase captures the re-establishment of a form of worship. However, settling in Bethel, a site of previous syncretism, hints that the "fear" taught would be mingled with pre-existing beliefs. The teaching focused on how to fear, implying instruction in proper rituals and sacrifices to avert wrath, not necessarily a transformative understanding of YHWH's nature or the exclusivity of His worship. The result was not true monotheistic worship, but polytheistic reverence with YHWH as one god among many.
2 Kings 17 28 Bonus section
The nature of the "priest" is debated: whether he was from the legitimate priesthood (Aaron/Levites) or from Jeroboam's illegitimate priesthood for the golden calves. Given Bethel's association with Jeroboam's calves, it's possible he was accustomed to a more syncretistic form of worship himself. The lions symbolize divine judgment, acting as enforcers of the Lord's claim over the land and its inhabitants, demanding recognition and proper reverence. The Assyrian king's order, while stemming from a superstitious fear of the "god of the land," unintentionally propagates knowledge of YHWH to foreign nations, echoing a wider biblical theme of God's universal sovereignty. However, the subsequent syncretism of the Samaritans underscores that mere exposure to the truth does not equate to transformative faith; it requires genuine submission and exclusive worship.
2 Kings 17 28 Commentary
2 Kings 17:28 is a pivotal verse because it marks the inception of the deeply flawed Samaritan religion, characterized by religious syncretism. The returning priest’s teaching, while introducing the foreign settlers to YHWH, was insufficient for true conversion. The Assyrian king's motive was purely pragmatic—to end the lion attacks—rather than promoting exclusive worship of YHWH. As a result, the people feared YHWH as a local deity to avoid calamities, but they did not abandon their ancestral gods, continuing to serve "their own gods" in parallel (v. 29). This mixture of worshipping YHWH alongside their pagan deities created a spiritual landscape far from the monotheistic purity demanded by the Israelite covenant, laying the foundation for centuries of tension between Samaritans and Jews (e.g., John 4). It exemplifies how mere external rituals or a pragmatic fear of divine judgment, without true devotion and exclusive loyalty, fail to constitute genuine faith.