TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was in the twelfth year of Achaz king of Y'hudah that Hoshea the son of Elah began his reign over Isra'el in Shomron; he ruled for nine years.
Berean Standard Bible
In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years.
American Standard Version
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.
World English Bible Messianic
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel for nine years.
Geneva Bible (1599)
In the twelft yeere of Ahaz King of Iudah began Hoshea the sonne of Elah to reigne in Samaria ouer Israel, and reigned nine yeeres.
Young's Literal Translation
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah reigned hath Hoshea son of Elah in Samaria, over Israel--nine years,
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In the KJVVerse 9,985 of 31,102
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Commentary on 2 Kings 17 verses 1–6
1 ¶ In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
We have here the reign and ruin of Hoshea, the last of the kings of Israel, concerning whom observe,
I. That, though he forced his way to the crown by treason and murder (as we read Kg2 15:30), yet he gained not the possession of it till seven or eight years after; for it was in the fourth year of Ahaz that he slew Pekah, but did not himself begin to reign till the twelfth year of Ahaz, Kg2 17:1. Whether by the king of Assyria, or by the king of Judah, or by some of his own people, does not appear, but it seems so long he was kept out of the throne he aimed at. Justly were his bad practices thus chastised, and the word of the prophet was thus fulfilled (Hos 10:3), Now they shall say We have no king, because we feared not the Lord.
II. That, though he was bad, yet not so bad as the kings of Israel had been before him (Kg2 17:2), not so devoted to the calves as they had been. One of them (that at Dan), the Jews say, had been, before this, carried away by the king of Assyria in the expedition recorded Kg2 15:29, (to which perhaps the prophet refers, Hos 8:5, Thy calf, O Samaria! has cast thee off), which made him put the less confidence in the other. And some say that this Hoshea took off the embargo which the former kings had put their subjects under, forbidding them to go up to Jerusalem to worship, which he permitted those to do that had a mind to it. But what shall we think of this dispensation of providence, that the destruction of the kingdom of Israel should come in the reign of one of the best of its kings? Thy judgments, O God! are a great deep. God would hereby show that in bringing this ruin upon them he designed to punish, 1. Not only the sins of that generation, but of the foregoing ages, and to reckon for the iniquities of their fathers, who had been long in filing the measure and treasuring up wrath against this day of wrath. 2. Not only the sins of their kings, but the sins of the people. If Hoshea was not so bad as the former kings, yet the people were as bad as those that went before them, and it was an aggravation of their badness, and brought ruin the sooner, that their king did not set them so bad an example as the former kings had done, nor hinder them from reforming; he gave them leave to do better, but they did as bad as ever, which laid the blame of their sin and ruin wholly upon themselves.
III. That the destruction came gradually. They were for some time made tributaries before they were made captives to the king of Assyria (Kg2 17:3), and, if that less judgment had prevailed to humble and reform them, the greater would have been prevented.
IV. That they brought it upon themselves by the indirect course they took to shake off the yoke of the king of Assyria, Kg2 17:4. Had the king and people of Israel applied to God, made their peace with him and their prayers to him, they might have recovered their liberty, ease, and honour; but they withheld their tribute, and trusted to the king of Egypt to assist them in their revolt, which, if it had taken effect, would have been but to change their oppressors. But Egypt became to them the staff of a broken reed. This provoked the king of Assyria to proceed against them with the more severity. Men get nothing by struggling with the net, but entangle themselves the more.
V. That it was an utter destruction that came upon them. 1. The king of Israel was made a prisoner; he was shut up and bound, being, it is probable, taken by surprise, before Samaria was besieged. 2. The land of Israel was made a prey. The army of the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, made themselves master of it (Kg2 17:5), and treated the people as traitors to be punished with the sword of justice rather than as fair enemies. 3. The royal city of Israel was besieged, and at length taken. Three years it held out after the country was conquered, and no doubt a great deal of misery was endured at that time which is not particularly recorded; but the brevity of the story, and the passing of this matter over lightly, methinks, intimate that they were abandoned of God and he did not now regard the affliction of Israel, as sometimes as he had done. 4. The people of Israel were carried captives into Assyria, Kg2 17:6. The generality of the people, those that were of any note, were forced away into the conqueror's country, to be slaves and beggars there. (1.) Thus he was pleased to exercise a dominion over them, and to show that they were entirely at his disposal. (2.) By depriving them of their possessions and estates, real and personal, and exposing them to all the hardships and reproaches of a removal to a strange country, under the power of an imperious army, he chastised them for their rebellion and their endeavour to shake off his yoke. (3.) Thus he effectually prevented all such attempts for the future and secured their country to himself. (4.) Thus he got the benefit of their service in his own country, as Pharaoh did that of their fathers; and so this unworthy people were lost as they were found, and ended as they began, in servitude and under oppression. (5.) Thus he made room for those of his own country that had little, and little to do, at home, to settle in a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey. In all these several ways he served himself by this captivity of the ten tribes. We are here told in what places of his kingdom he disposed of them - in Halah and Habor, in places, we may suppose, far distant from each other, lest they should keep up a correspondence, incorporate again, and become formidable. There, we have reason to think, after some time they were so mingled with the nations that they were lost, and the name of Israel was no more in remembrance. Those that forgot God were themselves forgotten; those that studied to be like the nations were buried among them; and those that would not serve God in their own land were made to serve their enemies in a strange land. It is probable that they were the men of honour and estates who were carried captive, and that many of the meaner sort of people were left behind, many of every tribe, who either went over to Judah or became subject to the Assyrian colonies, and their posterity were Galileans or Samaritans. But thus ended Israel as a nation; now they became Lo-ammi - not a people, and Lo-ruhamah - unpitied. Now Canaan spued them out. When we read of their entry under Hoshea the son of Nun who would have thought that such as this should be their exit under Hoshea the son of Elah? Thus Rome's glory in Augustus sunk, many ages after, in Augustulus. Providence so ordered the eclipsing of the honour of the ten tribes that the honour of Judah (the royal tribe) and Levi (the holy tribe), which yet remained, might shine the brighter. Yet we find a number sealed of every one of the twelve tribes (Rev. 7) except Dan. James writes to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (Jam 1:1) and Paul speaks of the twelve tribes which instantly served God day and night (Act 26:7); so that though we never read of those that were carried captive, nor have any reason to credit the conjecture of some (that they yet remain a distinct body in some remote corner of the world), yet a remnant of them did escape, to keep up the name of Israel, till it came to be worn by the gospel church, the spiritual Israel, in which it will ever remain, Gal 6:16.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–6. Public domain.
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John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 31.2
At this point it is also appropriate to tell where the Samaritans originated. I say this because the entire region is called Samaria. From what source, then, did they derive this name? The mountain is called Semer from the man who had taken possession of it, as Isaiah also said: “And the head of Samaria, Ephraim.” The inhabitants, however, were called not Samaritans but Israelites. But as time went on, they transgressed against God, and during the reign of Pekah, Tiglath-pileser went up and seized many cities. After attacking and killing Elah, he gave the kingdom over to Hoshea. Later, Shalmaneser came and captured other cities and made them subject and tributary. However, though Hoshea at first yielded, he revolted afterwards from subjection and took refuge in the aid of the Ethiopians. The Assyrian learned this and, having made an expedition and taken them captive, forbade the nation to remain there any longer, because he suspected the possibility of another such revolt. These inhabitants, moreover, he transported to Babylon and Medea and, having brought from various regions the people dwelling in that vicinity, he caused them to dwell in Samaria so that his power might be safeguarded for the future, with loyal inhabitants in possession of the place.When these things had taken place, God, wishing to show his power and that he had given over the Jews not because of any lack of power on his part but because of the sins of those whom he had surrendered to their enemies, sent lions on the barbarians, and these preyed on the entire nation. This was reported to the king, and he sent a certain priest to give to them the laws of God. Nevertheless, not even then were they freed entirely from their impiety, but only partly. However, as time went on they turned away from idols and worshiped God. When things had reached this point, the Jews, finally returning, showed a contentious spirit toward them as foreigners and enemies and named them “Samaritans” after the mountain.
Richard ChallonerAD 1781
In the twelfth year of Achaz king of Juda: He began to reign before: but was not in quiet possession of the kingdom to the twelfth year of Achaz.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
2 Kings 17:1 serves as a crucial chronological and historical marker, introducing Hoshea, the son of Elah, as the final king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His nine-year reign in Samaria, precisely synchronized with the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah, tragically culminates in the complete collapse and exile of Israel at the hands of the Assyrian Empire, thereby setting the immediate stage for the comprehensive theological explanation of divine judgment that permeates the remainder of this pivotal chapter.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several literary devices to convey its significant message and set the stage for the narrative that follows. Primarily, it functions as a Chronological Marker, precisely dating the beginning of Hoshea's reign by synchronizing it with Ahaz's. This is a common and vital practice in the Books of Kings, providing historical context and demonstrating the interwoven, though distinct, destinies of the two kingdoms. There is also a strong element of Foreshadowing present; the mere introduction of Hoshea as the final king, coupled with the reader's awareness of Israel's long history of rebellion and the looming Assyrian threat, implicitly signals the impending judgment and the irreversible end of the Northern Kingdom's independent existence. Furthermore, the profound Irony of Hoshea's name, meaning "salvation," is striking, as he is the king under whom Israel experiences its ultimate downfall, not deliverance. This ironic naming convention subtly underscores the tragic failure of human leadership to save a people determined to reject divine guidance, highlighting the futility of human efforts apart from God's grace.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
2 Kings 17:1, though brief and seemingly a mere historical record, is profoundly significant as it marks the beginning of the end for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, setting the stage for one of the Bible's most dramatic illustrations of divine judgment. It underscores the consistent biblical theme that persistent disobedience to God's covenant, especially through idolatry, injustice, and rejection of prophetic warnings, inevitably leads to severe consequences. The meticulous historical detail serves to validate the divine warnings delivered through prophets for centuries, demonstrating that God's patience, while vast, is not infinite. The fall of Israel under Hoshea is a stark reminder that national prosperity and even existence are contingent upon faithfulness to the Lord, and that leadership, whether good or bad, plays a critical role in a nation's spiritual trajectory. This verse initiates a narrative that powerfully illustrates God's justice in holding His people accountable for their covenant unfaithfulness.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The introduction of Hoshea's reign, leading to the ultimate demise of the Northern Kingdom, serves as a powerful and sobering lesson for believers today. It highlights the profound consequences of persistent spiritual unfaithfulness, both individually and corporately. Just as Israel's leaders and people repeatedly turned away from God, pursuing idolatry and injustice, we too can subtly drift from our covenant relationship with Christ. This narrative calls us to a vigilant self-examination, urging us to consider whether our lives and communities truly reflect God's standards or if we are subtly embracing idols of comfort, success, or self-reliance. It underscores the critical importance of heeding God's warnings, often delivered through His Word and the wise counsel of others, before judgment is realized. Ultimately, this verse, as a gateway to Israel's fall, reminds us of God's unwavering sovereignty over history and His commitment to justice, prompting us to live lives of genuine repentance and faithful obedience, recognizing that true security lies not in human strength or political alliances but in devoted adherence to the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is the synchronism with Ahaz's reign so important in this verse?
Answer: The synchronism with Ahaz's reign is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it provides a precise chronological anchor, allowing biblical historians to align the timelines of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, demonstrating the interconnectedness of their histories and God's overarching plan. Secondly, it underscores the meticulous historical record-keeping within the Books of Kings, lending credibility and authority to the narrative. Thirdly, and most significantly from a theological perspective, it highlights that both kingdoms were simultaneously experiencing spiritual decline, even if their ultimate judgments were staggered. While Israel was on the brink of exile, Judah, under Ahaz, was also plunging into deep idolatry, as seen in 2 Kings 16. This synchronism subtly suggests a broader pattern of unfaithfulness across God's people, even as His specific judgments unfolded differently for each kingdom, emphasizing that no part of His covenant people was immune to the consequences of disobedience.
What was the significance of Samaria as the capital of the Northern Kingdom?
Answer: Samaria was immensely significant as the capital of the Northern Kingdom, not merely as a political center but as a symbol of its spiritual state. It was strategically located on a defensible hill, chosen by King Omri (1 Kings 16:24) for its military and commercial advantages. However, beyond its practical utility, Samaria became a potent symbol of the Northern Kingdom's religious apostasy and political corruption. It was the center of Baal worship and other idolatrous practices introduced by Omri and Ahab, becoming a focal point of prophetic condemnation (e.g., Amos 3:9-10). Its eventual fall to Assyria, detailed in 2 Kings 17:6, therefore represented not just a military defeat but the complete judgment of God upon a nation that had persistently turned away from Him. Its mention in 2 Kings 17:1 thus serves as a poignant foreshadowing of its impending doom and the end of Israel's independent existence.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The tragic reign of Hoshea, the last king of Israel, and the subsequent exile of the Northern Kingdom, profoundly foreshadow the ultimate need for a different kind of King and a different kind of salvation. The consistent failure of human kingship in Israel, marked by idolatry, political instability, and an inability to save the people from divine judgment, points directly to the necessity of God's perfect, eternal rule. Hoshea, whose name ironically means "salvation," could not save his people; instead, he presided over their destruction. This narrative underscores humanity's desperate need for the true "Salvation" and "Savior" found only in Jesus Christ. Unlike the kings of Israel who led their people astray and ultimately to ruin, Jesus, the Son of David, is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who perfectly embodies righteousness and faithfulness. His reign is eternal and brings genuine deliverance from the ultimate exile of sin and death (Colossians 1:13-14). The judgment that fell upon Israel for their covenant unfaithfulness highlights the severity of sin, a severity fully absorbed by Christ on the cross, where He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Thus, 2 Kings 17:1, a somber introduction to Israel's end, ultimately directs our gaze to the glorious beginning of God's eternal kingdom under the reign of the one true King, Jesus, who truly saves His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).