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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 2 Kings 17:24–41. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Never was land lost, we say, for want of an heir. When the children of Israel were dispossessed, and turned out of Canaan, the king of Assyria soon transplanted thither the supernumeraries of his own country, such as it could well spare, who should be servants to him and masters to the Israelites that remained; and here we have an account of these new inhabitants, whose story is related here that we may take our leave of Samaria, as also of the Israelites that were carried captive into Assyria.
I.Concerning the Assyrians that were brought into the land of Israel we are here told,
1.That they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, Kg2 17:24. It is common for lands to change their owners, but sad that the holy land should become a heathen land again. See what work sin makes.
2.That at their first coming God sent lions among them. They were probably insufficient to people the country, which occasioned the beasts of the field to multiply against them (Exo 23:29); yet, besides the natural cause, there was a manifest hand of God in it, who is Lord of hosts, of all the creatures, and can serve his own purposes by which he pleases, small or great, lice or lions. God ordered them this rough welcome to check their pride and insolence, and to let them know that though they had conquered Israel the God of Israel had power enough to deal with them - that he could have prevented their settling here, by ordering lions into the service of Israel, and that he permitted it, not for their righteousness, but the wickedness of his own people - and that they were now under his visitation. They had lived without God in their own land, and were not plagued with lions; but, if they do so in this land, it is at their peril.
3.That they sent a remonstrance of this grievance to the king their master, setting forth, it is likely, the loss their infant colony had sustained by the lions and the continual fear they were in of them, and stating that they looked upon it to be a judgment upon them for not worshipping the God of the land, which they could not, because they knew not how, Kg2 17:26. The God of Israel was the God of the whole world, but they ignorantly call him the God of the land, apprehending themselves therefore within his reach, and concerned to be upon good terms with him. Herein they shamed the Israelites, who were not so ready to hear the voice of God's judgments as they were, and who had not served the God of that land, though he was the God of their fathers and their great benefactor, and though they were well instructed in the manner of his worship. Assyrians begged to be taught that which Israelites hated to be taught.
4.That the king of Assyria took care to have them taught the manner of the God of the land (Kg2 17:27, Kg2 17:28), not out of any affection to that God, but to save his subjects from the lions. On this errand he sent back one of the priests whom he had carried away captive. A prophet would have done them more good, for this was but one of the priests of the calves, and therefore chose to dwell at Bethel for old acquaintance' sake, and, though he might teach them to do better than they did, he was not likely to teach them to do well, unless he had taught his own people better. However, he came and dwelt among them, to teach them how they should fear the Lord. Whether he taught them out of the book of the law, or only by word of mouth, is uncertain.
5.That, being thus taught, they made a mongrel religion of it, worshipped the God of Israel for fear and their own idols for love (Kg2 17:33): They feared the Lord, but they served their own gods. They all agreed to worship the God of the land according to the manner, to serve the Jewish festivals and rites of sacrificing, but every nation made gods of their own besides, not only for their private use in their own families, but to be put in the houses of their high places, Kg2 17:9. The idols of each country are here named, Kg2 17:30, Kg2 17:31. The learned are at a loss for the signification of several of these names, and cannot agree by what representations these gods were worshipped. If we may credit the traditions of the Jewish doctors, they tell us that Succoth-Benoth was worshipped in a hen and chickens, Nergal in a cock, Ashima in a smooth goat, Nibhaz in a dog, Tartak in an ass, Adrammelech in a peacock, Anammelech in a pheasant. Our own tell us, more probably, that Succoth-Benoth (signifying the tents of the daughters) was Venus. Nergal, being worshipped by the Cuthites, or Persians, was the fire, Adrammelech and Anammelech were only distinctions of Moloch. See how vain idolaters were in their imaginations, and wonder at their sottishness. Our very ignorance concerning these idols teaches us the accomplishment of that word which God has spoken, that these false gods should all perish (Jer 10:11); they are all buried in oblivion, while the name of the true God shall continue for ever.
6.This medley superstition is here said to continue unto this day (Kg2 17:41), till the time when this book was written and long after, above 300 years in all, till the time of Alexander the Great, when Manasse, brother to Jaddus the high priest of the Jews, having married the daughter of Sanballat, governor of the Samaritans, went over to them, got leave of Alexander to build a temple in Mount Gerizim, drew over many of the Jews to him, and prevailed with the Samaritans to cast away all their idols and to worship the God of Israel only; yet their worship was mixed with so much superstition that our Saviour told them they knew not what they worshipped, Joh 4:22.
II.Concerning the Israelites that were carried into the land of Assyria.
This historian has occasion to speak of them (Kg2 17:22), showing that their successors in the land did as they had done (after the manner of the nations whom they carried away), they worshipped both the God of Israel and those other gods; but what did the captives do in the land of their affliction? Were they reformed, and brought to repentance, by their troubles? No, they did after the former manner, Kg2 17:34. When the two tribes were afterwards carried into Babylon, they were cured by it of their idolatry, and therefore, after seventy years, they were brought back with joy; but the ten tribes were hardened in the furnace, and therefore were justly lost in it and left to perish. This obstinacy of theirs is here aggravated by the consideration,
1.Of the honour God had put upon them, as the seed of Jacob, whom he named Israel, and from him they were so named, but were a reproach to that worthy name by which they were called.
2.Of the covenant he made with them, and the charge he gave them upon that covenant, which is here very fully recited, that they should fear and serve the Lord Jehovah only, who had brought them up out of Egypt (Kg2 17:36), that, having received his statutes and ordinances in writing, they should observe to do them for evermore (Kg2 17:37), and never forget that covenant which God had made with them, the promises and conditions of that covenant, especially that great article of it which is here thrice repeated, because it had been so often inculcated and so much insisted on, that they should not fear other gods. He had told them that, if they kept close to him, he would deliver them out of the hand of all their enemies (Kg2 17:39); yet when they were in the hand of their enemies, and stood in need of deliverance, they were so stupid, and had so little sense of their own interest, that they did after the former manner (Kg2 17:40), they served both the true God and false gods, as if they knew no difference. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. So they did, and so did the nations that succeeded them. Well might the apostle ask, What then, Are we better than they? No, in no wise, for both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, Rom 3:9.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
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“Faithless Israel has shown itself less guilty than false Judah.” The letter of the text just read has something unclear that we need to understand first. Then, after this, if God wills, we shall know his mystical plan. He wants us then to know in these words, just as it is written in Kings, that the people were divided in those times into the kingdom of ten tribes under Jeroboam and the kingdom of two tribes under Roboam. And those under Jeroboam were called Israel, and those under Roboam Judah. And the division of the people persisted, according to the history, until today. For we know of nothing in the history that united Israel and Judah “into the same nation.” Then Israel first, under Jeroboam and under his successors, sinned excessively, and Israel sinned so much beyond Judah that they were sentenced by providence to become captives “to the Assyrians until the sign,” as the Scripture says. After this, the people of Judah also sinned, and as captives they were sentenced to Babylon, not until a sign, as Israel, but for “seventy years,” as Jeremiah prophesied and Daniel also mentioned.
[The Lord] takes hold of two principal lions, the Assyrians and the Babylonians. According to the history in the fourth book of Kings, there are two. For Assyria removed the sons of Israel to Assyria “until today,” but Babylon removed the sons of Judah “to Babylon.” Except he did not say here first and second, but first and last. For the first lion is the antagonistic devil; he is a murderer. The very last lion at the completion of the age is “the man of sin, the son of perdition, who exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship.”
Finally, how inseparable is the sacrament of unity and how hopeless are they and what greatest perdition they seek for themselves from the indignation of God—they who make a schism and, after having abandoned their bishop, appoint for themselves another false bishop from without—the divine Scripture declares in the book of Kings, when from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin ten tribes were separated and, abandoning their king, appointed themselves another from without. “And the Lord was offended,” it says, “at all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them and delivered them up to plunder till he cast them away from his face because Israel was torn from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nabath their king.” It said that the Lord was offended and gave them over to perdition because they had been dispersed from unity and had appointed another king for themselves.And so great indignation of the Lord remained against those who had made the schism that even when the man of God had been sent to Jeroboam to upbraid him for his sins and to foretell future vengeance, he was forbidden also to eat bread and to drink water among them. Since he had not heeded this and had dined contrary to the precept of God, he was immediately stricken by the majesty of divine censure; on his return, he was killed on the journey by the attack and bite of a lion. And does anyone of you dare to say that the life-giving water of baptism and heavenly grace can be common with schismatics with whom neither earthly food nor worldly drink ought to be common?
Moreover, the Lord satisfies us in his gospel and reveals a greater light of understanding that the same people who then had separated themselves from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin and, after having abandoned Jerusalem, had withdrawn to Samaria should be reputed among the profane and the Gentiles. For when he first sent his disciples upon the ministry of salvation, he commanded and said, “Do not go in the direction of the Gentiles or enter the town of the Samaritans.” Sending first to the Jews, he orders the Gentiles to be passed over as yet; but, adding that the city of the Samaritans, where there were schismatics, ought to be omitted, he shows that the schismatics were in the same category as the Gentiles.
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Summary
Second Kings 17:28 describes a pivotal moment following the Assyrian conquest and deportation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, specifically the resettlement of Samaria with foreign peoples. Faced with divine judgment in the form of lion attacks, these new inhabitants attributed their plight to their ignorance of "the manner of the God of the land." In response, the king of Assyria dispatched one of the exiled Israelite priests to Bethel, a historically significant yet religiously compromised site, to instruct the settlers on how they should properly "fear the LORD," thereby introducing them to the God of Israel amidst their existing pagan practices.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is strategically placed within the narrative detailing the tragic fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the subsequent Assyrian policy of population exchange. The preceding verses, 2 Kings 17:24-27, meticulously describe the arrival of diverse foreign settlers, their importation of various pagan worship practices, and the divine judgment manifested as lion attacks that prompted their appeal to the Assyrian king. Verse 28 marks the Assyrian king's pragmatic, albeit religiously motivated, attempt to address the settlers' spiritual ignorance by sending a priest to teach them about the "god of the land." The verses immediately following, 2 Kings 17:29-41, starkly reveal the incomplete and deeply syncretistic nature of the settlers' "conversion," demonstrating that while they gained some knowledge of Yahweh, they did not abandon their ancestral gods, leading to a mixed form of worship that would profoundly characterize the later Samaritans.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Assyrian Empire, under powerful monarchs like Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V, systematically employed a deliberate policy of mass deportation and population exchange to control conquered territories and suppress any potential for rebellion. After the fall of Samaria in 2 Kings 17:6, the native Israelites were exiled, and foreign peoples from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim were forcibly resettled in the depopulated region of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24). These new inhabitants brought with them their diverse pagan deities, cultic practices, and polytheistic worldview. The lion attacks described in 2 Kings 17:25 were perceived by the settlers, through their existing religious framework, as the wrath of the local deity—"the god of the land"—whose "manner" or laws they did not know. The choice of Bethel as the priest's dwelling place is highly significant. While historically revered as the site where Jacob encountered God (Genesis 28:19), it had tragically become a prominent center for idolatry in the Northern Kingdom, established by King Jeroboam I with golden calves (1 Kings 12:29), symbolizing Israel's deep spiritual apostasy.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within 2 Kings and the broader biblical narrative. The foremost theme is the Fear of the LORD, which the priest was specifically sent to teach. This concept, far from mere terror, signifies a profound reverence, awe, and obedient submission to God's will, forming the very foundation of true wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). Secondly, the passage highlights Divine Providence Amidst Judgment. Even as God executes severe judgment upon His covenant people, His sovereign hand orchestrates events, even through a pagan king's decree, to introduce knowledge of Himself to foreign peoples. This underscores God's persistent desire for all nations to know Him, even if their initial motivation is fear-driven. Lastly, the verse subtly but significantly introduces the theme of Incomplete Conversion and Syncretism. While an Israelite priest is dispatched to teach about Yahweh, the subsequent verses unequivocally reveal that the settlers did not abandon their own gods but integrated Yahweh worship into their existing polytheistic framework (2 Kings 17:33), This sets the stage for the mixed religious identity of the Samaritans and serves as a powerful and enduring warning against diluting exclusive devotion to God with other spiritual or worldly allegiances.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This verb signifies "to denude," "to exile," or "to reveal." In this context, it refers to the forced deportation or exile of the Israelite priest from Samaria. The priest's status as an exile underscores the tragic judgment that had befallen the Northern Kingdom, yet paradoxically, it is through this very act of displacement that knowledge of Yahweh is reintroduced to the land.
Meaning "house of God," Bethel was a place of profound historical and spiritual significance in Israel, initially marked by Jacob's encounter with God. However, by the time of the Northern Kingdom, it had become a notorious center of idolatry under Jeroboam I, where golden calves were worshipped. The priest's return to Bethel is laden with irony, as the "house of God" now serves as a base for teaching foreigners about the true God, even as it remained a hub of false worship.
This primitive root means "to flow as water," "to lay or throw," and figuratively, "to point out," or "to teach." It is the root from which "Torah" (instruction/law) is derived. The priest's mission was not merely to convey information but to provide authoritative instruction and direction in the ways of Yahweh, implying a systematic imparting of divine principles, laws, and proper worship practices.
In the phrase "fear the LORD," this word encompasses much more than simple terror. It denotes a profound reverence, awe, and respectful submission to God's authority, power, and holiness. This "fear" is the proper response to the living God, leading to obedience, worship, and moral conduct. For the foreign settlers, it implied understanding and adhering to the unique requirements of the God of Israel, distinct from their polytheistic practices.
Verse Breakdown
"Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel"
This clause reveals the Assyrian king's pragmatic response to the settlers' plea for relief from the lion attacks. The priest, an Israelite exile, was chosen precisely because he possessed the knowledge of Yahweh that the foreign settlers lacked. His relocation to Bethel is profoundly significant. Bethel, once a site of divine revelation for Jacob, had tragically transformed into a primary center of idolatry for the Northern Kingdom. The return of a priest of Yahweh to this compromised site, even under the decree of a pagan king, represents a paradoxical attempt to reintroduce knowledge of the true God to a land now populated by foreigners and deeply steeped in spiritual corruption.
"and taught them how they should fear the LORD."
This is the core purpose of the priest's mission. "To fear the LORD" implies comprehensive instruction in Yahweh's unique character, His exclusive demands (monotheism, covenant law), and the proper forms of worship and conduct required to live in His land. The teaching aimed to transition the settlers from a superstitious fear of an unknown local deity to a reverent understanding and obedient relationship with the one true God, Yahweh. However, as subsequent verses reveal, this teaching was often integrated into their existing pagan frameworks rather than leading to exclusive worship, highlighting the challenges of true conversion.
Literary Devices
The verse employs several impactful literary devices. Irony is profoundly evident, as a pagan king, motivated solely by a desire to quell lion attacks and stabilize his conquered territory, unwittingly becomes an instrument for the reintroduction of the worship of Yahweh, the God of Israel, into a land from which His people had been exiled due to their unfaithfulness. There is also significant Symbolism in the choice of Bethel. Once a sacred place of divine encounter and later a notorious center of idolatry, Bethel now serves as the location where knowledge of Yahweh is again taught. This symbolically represents a faint glimmer of hope or a divine hand at work, even in the midst of judgment and spiritual decline, attempting to reclaim a place and people for true worship. Furthermore, the verse serves as Foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the complex and syncretistic religious identity of the later Samaritans. While the priest teaches them to "fear the LORD," the subsequent narrative immediately reveals that this teaching did not lead to exclusive worship but rather a blending of Yahweh worship with their existing pagan practices, setting the stage for the deep-seated religious tensions between Jews and Samaritans in later biblical history.
Theological and Thematic Connections
This passage powerfully illustrates God's sovereign involvement in history, even through the actions of pagan rulers, to ensure that knowledge of Himself is not entirely extinguished, even in the most unlikely circumstances. It underscores the biblical concept that true worship is rooted in the "fear of the LORD," which is not merely terror but a profound reverence and obedient submission that leads to life. While the immediate context shows a pragmatic, fear-driven motivation for seeking God, it opens the door for divine truth to penetrate foreign lands. The subsequent syncretism, however, serves as a stark warning against partial obedience or attempting to combine the worship of the one true God with other allegiances, emphasizing God's demand for exclusive devotion and the purity of worship.
Reflection and Application
The account in 2 Kings 17:28 offers profound and enduring lessons for contemporary believers. It reminds us that God's persistent desire for humanity to know and worship Him extends even to those who initially seek Him out of fear, pragmatic necessity, or incomplete understanding. We are challenged to deeply consider the nature and depth of our own "fear of the LORD"—is it a superficial acknowledgment, or a deep, reverent awe that profoundly shapes every aspect of our lives, leading to genuine obedience and exclusive devotion? The warning against syncretism is particularly relevant today, as cultural pressures, personal preferences, and the allure of worldly ideologies often tempt us to dilute biblical truth with philosophies or practices that compromise God's absolute claims. True faith demands an uncompromised commitment to God's revealed Word and a decisive rejection of anything that diminishes His supreme authority and unique claim on our lives. This passage calls us to a rigorous self-examination, prompting us to ask whether our worship is truly pure and undivided, reflecting a holistic "fear of the LORD" that encompasses both reverent awe and wholehearted obedience.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did the Assyrian king send back an Israelite priest to teach the foreign settlers?
The Assyrian king's decision was a pragmatic response to a perceived problem that threatened the stability of his newly conquered territory. After the foreign settlers were brought into Samaria, they experienced attacks from lions (2 Kings 17:25). In their polytheistic worldview, they interpreted these attacks as divine judgment from "the god of the land" (Yahweh), whose customs and laws they did not know. They believed that by learning "the manner of the God of the land," they could appease Him and stop the attacks. The king, likely wanting to stabilize the region, prevent further unrest, and ensure the productivity of his new subjects, acceded to their request. He sent back an exiled Israelite priest who would possess the necessary knowledge of Yahweh's ways. This action was not born of faith in Yahweh on the king's part, but rather out of political expediency and a desire to maintain order and control within his empire.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While 2 Kings 17:28 describes an incomplete and ultimately syncretistic attempt to "fear the LORD" under the Old Covenant, it powerfully foreshadows the ultimate and perfect teaching of God's way found in Jesus Christ. The priest sent to Bethel could only offer a partial understanding of the Law and the requirements of Yahweh, leading to a mixed worship that failed to truly transform hearts or secure exclusive devotion. In stark contrast, Jesus, the Great High Priest and the Word made flesh, perfectly reveals the Father and truly teaches humanity how to "fear the LORD" in spirit and truth. He does not merely instruct in external rituals or laws but inaugurates a new covenant where God's law is written not on tablets of stone but on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33), enabling genuine reverence and obedience from within. The "fear of the LORD" in the Old Testament, often associated with a dread of divine judgment and the consequences of disobedience, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, where believers are brought into a relationship of loving awe and filial reverence, freed from the fear of condemnation through His atoning sacrifice (Romans 8:15). He is the one who truly takes away the sin of the world, making true worship possible, not out of fear of lions or temporal calamities, but out of grateful love and profound reverence for the Lamb of God who gave His life for us.