2 Kings 17:33 kjv
They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
2 Kings 17:33 nkjv
They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods?according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
2 Kings 17:33 niv
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
2 Kings 17:33 esv
So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
2 Kings 17:33 nlt
And though they worshiped the LORD, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came.
2 Kings 17 33 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 20:3 | "You shall have no other gods before me." | Exclusive worship demanded by YHWH. |
| Deut 6:14 | "You shall not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you," | Warning against adopting pagan gods. |
| Deut 10:12 | "what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him," | True fear of God involves love and obedience. |
| 1 Kgs 18:21 | "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” | A call to undivided allegiance to God. |
| Psa 111:10 | "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments." | True fear is source of wisdom and leads to obedience. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." | Knowledge starts with reverent fear of God. |
| Jer 5:22 | "‘Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord..." | God's challenge to Israel for lacking true fear. |
| Hos 3:5 | "Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their King. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days." | Future hope for true fear of God. |
| Zeph 1:5 | "Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; those who worship and swear fealty to the Lord, and who swear by Malcham;" | Denunciation of mixed worship (syncretism). |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." | Underscores impossibility of serving two conflicting allegiances. |
| 1 Cor 10:21 | "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons." | The incompatibility of worshiping God and idols. |
| Jas 1:8 | "He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." | Describes one attempting to hold conflicting allegiances. |
| Jas 4:8 | "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." | Call to spiritual purification and undivided devotion. |
| Deut 4:24 | "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." | God's zealous demand for exclusive devotion. |
| Josh 24:19-20 | "He is a holy God... a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you..." | Warning against abandoning YHWH for other gods. |
| Judg 2:11-13 | "Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals... They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths." | Recurring Israelite pattern of idolatry. |
| 2 Kgs 17:7-12 | "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God... they feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel whom they made." | Direct context: Israel's own idolatry led to their exile. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man..." | Humanity's tendency to exchange God for idolatry. |
| Col 2:8 | "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." | Warning against deviations from truth. |
| Rev 21:8 | "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone," | Idolatry leads to eternal condemnation. |
| Lev 26:33 | "I will scatter you among the nations..." | Prophecy of dispersion due to disobedience. |
| Deut 28:64 | "Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other..." | Further prophecy of dispersion for disobedience. |
2 Kings 17 verses
2 Kings 17 33 Meaning
2 Kings 17:33 succinctly describes the syncretistic religious practice of the foreign peoples settled in Samaria by the Assyrian king. While acknowledging and showing a measure of superficial "fear" or reverence toward the Lord (YHWH), prompted by divine judgment (lions, 2 Kgs 17:25-26), they simultaneously continued to serve and worship their own pagan gods, adhering to the customs and rituals they brought from their homelands. This verse highlights the fundamental incompatibility of serving both the true God and idols, a core message of the Mosaic covenant.
2 Kings 17 33 Context
2 Kings chapter 17 details the downfall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and its capital, Samaria, due to their persistent sin of idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. After Assyria conquered Israel (v. 6), its king initiated a resettlement policy (v. 24), bringing foreign peoples from various regions into the formerly Israelite territory of Samaria. These new inhabitants initially did not worship YHWH, leading to divine judgment in the form of lions attacking them (v. 25). Fearing the God of the land, they requested that an exiled Israelite priest teach them "the law of the god of the land" (v. 27). However, as 2 Kings 17:33 illustrates, their understanding of YHWH was syncretistic, adding Him to their existing pantheons rather than submitting exclusively to Him. The preceding verses (2 Kgs 17:30-31) explicitly name several of their pagan deities. This entire chapter contrasts God's righteous judgment against Israel for their idolatry with the superficial and idolatrous "worship" adopted by these new settlers, underscoring the universal offense of syncretism.
2 Kings 17 33 Word analysis
- They: Refers to the foreign peoples transplanted by the Assyrians into the territory of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24, 29). This immediately distinguishes them from the exiled Israelites.
- feared: From the Hebrew verb יָרְאוּ (yāreʾū), meaning "to be afraid," "to dread," or "to revere." In this context, it is a superficial, pragmatic fear, prompted by the attack of lions (2 Kgs 17:25-26), viewed as the wrath of the local deity, YHWH. It indicates an acknowledgment of YHWH's power and ability to inflict harm, rather than a deep, loving, covenantal reverence that leads to exclusive worship and obedience.
- the Lord: Refers to YHWH (יהוה), the covenant name of the God of Israel. The foreigners came to recognize this particular deity due to the divine judgment they experienced.
- yet: This conjunction highlights a stark contradiction and the fundamental problem of their religious practice. It signifies a profound tension between their nominal fear of YHWH and their active worship of other deities.
- served: From the Hebrew verb וַיַּעֲבְדוּ (wayyaʿăv'dû), meaning "to work," "to worship," or "to render service." This implies active devotion, rituals, sacrifices, and a committed form of religious allegiance to their various gods, distinguishing it from the merely reactive "fear" of YHWH.
- their own gods: Hebrew: אֱלֹהֵיהֶם (ʾĕlōhêhem), referring to the various national and local deities these different ethnic groups brought with them (cf. 2 Kgs 17:30-31 lists specific examples like Succoth-benoth, Nergal, Ashima, etc.). This demonstrates a polytheistic worldview utterly incompatible with the monotheistic and exclusive demands of YHWH.
- after the manner of the nations: Hebrew: כְּמִשְׁפַּט (kəmishpāṭ) hag-gôyîm, "according to the custom/rule/ordinance of the nations." This refers to their established pagan religious practices, traditions, and rituals characteristic of their diverse homelands before being relocated to Samaria.
- whom they carried away from thence: This phrase clarifies that their pagan practices were ingrained, stemming from their original cultures from which they had been deported by the Assyrians. It's not about them adopting practices from the exiled Israelites, but rather adhering to their pre-existing pagan customs. The emphasis is on the continuation of their foreign, idolatrous ways, thereby condemning their syncretistic approach.
2 Kings 17 33 Bonus section
The mixed religious practices described in 2 Kings 17:33 led to the enduring identity of the Samaritans as perceived by the Jews during the Second Temple period and beyond (cf. John 4:9, 20). Their religion was viewed as corrupted due to this initial blend of genuine YHWH worship (however superficial initially) with persistent polytheistic practices. The "law of the god of the land" (2 Kgs 17:26) which an Israelite priest taught them was likely only a portion of true Israelite religion, specifically geared towards averting the divine plague, rather than a full exposition of covenant requirements, leading to an incomplete and compromised faith that remained inconsistent with pure Yahwism. This spiritual legacy created a deep ethnic and religious schism in later biblical history.
2 Kings 17 33 Commentary
2 Kings 17:33 presents a classic illustration of religious syncretism – the blending of different religious beliefs and practices. The new inhabitants of Samaria, having experienced the Lord's judgment (the lions), adopted a superficial "fear" of YHWH, integrating Him into their already existing pantheon. They saw Him as a local god, demanding placation, alongside their myriad ancestral deities. This partial, pragmatic acknowledgment stands in stark contrast to the absolute and exclusive devotion demanded by YHWH as revealed in the Torah (Exod 20:3; Deut 6:4-5). The irony is pronounced: Israel was exiled for its own syncretism and idolatry (2 Kgs 17:7-12), and now the foreign settlers in their place were practicing the very thing that provoked divine wrath. This verse profoundly underscores that God does not accept divided loyalties. True faith in the Lord requires undivided allegiance, heartfelt obedience, and the complete abandonment of all other gods. It warns against a nominal "fear" of God that is not accompanied by full surrender and true worship.