2 Kings 17:29

Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put [them] in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

Howbeit every nation {H1471} made {H6213} gods {H430} of their own, and put {H3240} them in the houses {H1004} of the high places {H1116} which the Samaritans {H8118} had made {H6213}, every nation {H1471} in their cities {H5892} wherein they dwelt {H3427}.

Nevertheless, every nation made gods of their own and put them in the temples on the high places which the Shomronim had made, every nation in the cities where they lived.

Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.

Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

Commentary

2 Kings 17:29 describes the widespread idolatry and religious syncretism that took root in the territory of Samaria after the Assyrian conquest and the exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It highlights how the new foreign inhabitants, brought in by the Assyrians, continued to worship their own deities alongside a corrupted form of worship of the God of Israel.

Context

This verse is part of a larger narrative in 2 Kings chapter 17, which explains the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) to the Assyrians in 722 BC. The Assyrian policy was to deport the native population and resettle the land with people from other conquered territories. This was done to break national identity and prevent rebellion. The new inhabitants, often referred to as "Samaritans" in later history due to their dwelling in Samaria, brought their diverse religious practices with them. While they were later taught about the God of Israel, as detailed in 2 Kings 17:27-28, they did not abandon their ancestral gods. Instead, they blended their pagan beliefs with elements of Israelite worship, creating a syncretistic religion.

Key Themes

  • Widespread Idolatry: The verse explicitly states that "every nation made gods of their own," emphasizing the pervasive nature of false worship among the new inhabitants. This illustrates humanity's tendency to create deities tailored to their own understanding or desires, rather than submitting to the one true God.
  • Religious Syncretism: The practice of putting their pagan gods "in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made" points to the blending of religious traditions. The "high places" (Hebrew: bamot) were traditional sites of worship, often on elevated ground, which had frequently been corrupted by Israel itself for pagan rituals, as seen throughout the books of Kings (e.g., 1 Kings 14:23). The new settlers adopted these existing structures for their own diverse pagan deities.
  • Spiritual Corruption: Despite being instructed in the ways of the Lord, these nations did not fully turn from their idols. This resulted in a corrupted form of worship that was an affront to the exclusivity and holiness of God, as commanded in the First Commandment.

Linguistic Insights

The term "high places" (Hebrew: bamot) is significant. These were typically elevated altars or shrines used for worship, often associated with Canaanite fertility cults. While some high places were initially used for legitimate worship of Yahweh before the centralization of worship in Jerusalem, they increasingly became centers of idolatry and were condemned by righteous kings. The verse shows that even after the Israelite population was removed, these sites continued to be used for polytheistic worship by the new settlers.

Practical Application

The account in 2 Kings 17:29 serves as a timeless warning against religious syncretism and the dangers of mixing biblical truth with worldly philosophies or other spiritual practices. For believers today, it underscores the importance of:

  • Purity of Worship: Our worship of God must be exclusive and according to His revealed will, not diluted with human traditions or pagan elements. As Jesus taught, true worship is "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
  • Exclusive Devotion: God demands our sole allegiance. We are called to put no other gods before Him, whether they be literal idols, materialism, self-worship, or any other pursuit that takes His rightful place in our lives. This echoes the consistent call throughout Scripture for wholehearted love for God.
Note: Commentary was generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please remember that only the commentary section is AI-generated. The main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are sourced from trusted and verified materials.

Cross-References

  • Micah 4:5

    For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

  • 1 Kings 12:31

    And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

  • Hosea 8:5

    Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast [thee] off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long [will it be] ere they attain to innocency?

  • Hosea 8:6

    For from Israel [was] it also: the workman made it; therefore it [is] not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

  • Psalms 135:15

    ¶ The idols of the heathen [are] silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

  • Psalms 135:18

    They that make them are like unto them: [so is] every one that trusteth in them.

  • Romans 1:23

    And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
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