TRV
Translation
King James Version
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
Complete Jewish Bible
but must fear ADONAI your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies."
Berean Standard Bible
but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
American Standard Version
but Jehovah your God shall ye fear; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
World English Bible Messianic
But you shall fear the LORD your God; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
But feare the Lord your God, and he will deliuer you out of the handes of all your enemies.
Young's Literal Translation
but Jehovah your God ye do fear, and He doth deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies;'
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 10,023 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on 2 Kings 17 verses 24–41
24 ¶ And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 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.
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.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
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.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 24–41. Public domain.
Copy as
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.
Copy as
Continue studying 2 Kings 17:39 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
2 Kings 17:39 issues a profound divine directive within a chapter chronicling the Northern Kingdom's spiritual demise due to persistent idolatry and syncretism, contrasting sharply with the superficial, mixed worship of the new Samaritan inhabitants. This verse unequivocally declares God's demand for exclusive reverence and devotion, promising divine deliverance and protection as a direct consequence of such uncompromised allegiance to Him alone, thereby serving as a timeless affirmation of His covenant faithfulness to those who truly honor Him.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is situated within the latter half of 2 Kings 17, a pivotal chapter that explains the theological reasons behind the Assyrian exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Following the detailed account of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness and subsequent judgment (verses 1-23), the narrative shifts to the new inhabitants whom the Assyrian king settled in Samaria (verses 24-41). These new settlers, facing divine judgment in the form of lion attacks, sought to appease the "god of the land" (verse 26). However, their response was a syncretistic blend of worship, where they "feared the LORD, and served their own gods" (2 Kings 17:33). Verse 39, therefore, stands as a direct divine counterpoint to this mixed worship, emphasizing the singular, uncompromised allegiance God requires, contrasting His true nature with the superficial understanding of those who tried to serve both Him and their idols. It is a clarion call to exclusive worship amidst a narrative of spiritual compromise.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop is the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, led by Shalmaneser V and Sargon II. Following the siege and fall of Samaria, the capital, the Assyrians implemented a policy of population transfer, deporting the Israelites to various parts of their empire and resettling people from other conquered territories into Samaria and its surrounding areas. These new inhabitants brought their own deities and religious practices with them. When they experienced divine judgment (lion attacks, likely a sign of the land's God being displeased), they sought instruction on how to worship the "god of the land." The resulting syncretism—a mixture of their native polytheism with a superficial acknowledgment of Yahweh—was a common ancient Near Eastern practice but was anathema to the God of Israel, who demanded exclusive worship. This cultural clash between polytheistic norms and Yahweh's unique demand for monotheistic devotion is central to the chapter, highlighting the stark difference between the Lord's requirements and the practices of the surrounding nations.
Key Themes: The overarching theme of 2 Kings 17 is the consequences of idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. The chapter vividly illustrates how Israel's persistent rejection of God's commands and their embrace of pagan practices led directly to their national downfall. Within this, 2 Kings 17:39 highlights the theme of exclusive worship (monotheism), contrasting it with the prevalent syncretism. God's demand for singular devotion, echoing the First Commandment (Exodus 20:3), is paramount. Furthermore, the verse introduces the theme of divine deliverance and protection as a direct result of true, exclusive fear of the LORD, underscoring God's faithfulness to those who remain loyal to His covenant. This promise of security contrasts sharply with the vulnerability experienced by the unfaithful, both Israel and the new settlers, who failed to truly fear Him.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse primarily employs Contrast, setting the singular, uncompromised demand for fearing the LORD against the syncretistic worship of the new inhabitants described earlier in the chapter. This contrast underscores the theological incompatibility of mixed worship with God's nature. Furthermore, the verse functions as a Conditional Promise, implicitly stating that if one truly fears the LORD alone, then He will deliver them. This structure highlights the direct cause-and-effect relationship between exclusive devotion and divine protection. There is also a subtle form of Parallelism, where the act of "fearing" is directly linked to the consequence of "deliverance," establishing a clear theological connection between obedience and divine blessing.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
2 Kings 17:39 powerfully articulates God's unchanging demand for exclusive, unadulterated worship, a core tenet of the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic Law. It underscores that God is a jealous God who will not share His glory or His people's devotion with idols or other allegiances. The "fear of the LORD" is presented not as a mere emotional state but as a comprehensive life posture of humble reverence, obedient submission, and unwavering trust in His supreme authority. This singular devotion is the prerequisite for experiencing His promised deliverance and protection. The tragic fall of the Northern Kingdom, detailed earlier in the chapter, serves as a stark historical commentary on the devastating consequences of failing to heed this divine imperative, demonstrating that God's protective hand is withdrawn when His people abandon their exclusive allegiance to Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In an age saturated with distractions and competing allegiances, 2 Kings 17:39 serves as a timeless and urgent call to wholehearted devotion to God. Just as the ancient Israelites and the new Samaritan settlers struggled with syncretism, modern believers often find themselves subtly dividing their loyalty between God and the idols of success, security, comfort, or personal ambition. This verse compels us to examine our hearts and lives, asking whether God truly holds the supreme and exclusive place in our affections and priorities. To "fear the LORD" today means cultivating a profound reverence for His holiness, submitting to His Word, and trusting Him above all else, recognizing that true security and deliverance come only from Him. When we genuinely fear Him, we are liberated from the fear of earthly enemies and anxieties, resting in His sovereign protection and provision, knowing that His promises are steadfast for those who remain faithful.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "fear the LORD" truly mean in the context of 2 Kings 17:39, and how does it differ from being afraid of God?
Answer: In 2 Kings 17:39, "fear the LORD" (Hebrew: yârêʼ) does not primarily mean to be terrified of God in a debilitating way, though it certainly includes a healthy respect for His power and judgment. Instead, it signifies a profound reverence, awe, and respectful submission to God's supreme authority, holiness, and majesty. It is a "fear" that leads to worship, obedience, and trust. It's the recognition of God's rightful place as the sovereign Creator and Sustainer, prompting a life of humble devotion and adherence to His commands. This is distinct from the terror of judgment, though that is a component for those who rebel. For the faithful, it's a filial fear—like a child's deep respect for a loving, powerful parent—that fosters intimacy and security, knowing that such a God is worthy of all honor and will protect those who truly honor Him, as promised in the second clause of the verse, "and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies" (2 Kings 17:39). This fear is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The command to "fear the LORD" and the promise of deliverance in 2 Kings 17:39 find their ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the "fear of the LORD" was often tied to covenant obedience and conditional promises of earthly deliverance. However, in Christ, the nature of this "fear" is transformed and elevated. We are called to revere God not merely as a distant, powerful deity, but as our Heavenly Father, revealed perfectly in the Son (John 14:9). Our "fear" of God now flows from a recognition of His incredible love and grace demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice, leading to a joyful, obedient submission rather than a legalistic striving. Furthermore, the promise of deliverance is no longer solely about physical enemies or national threats. Through Christ's atoning work on the cross and His resurrection, we are delivered from the ultimate enemies: sin, death, and the power of Satan (Colossians 1:13-14). The "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) has secured a complete and eternal deliverance, not based on our imperfect obedience, but on His perfect obedience and finished work. Therefore, to "fear the LORD" in the New Covenant means to put our complete faith and trust in Jesus, acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior, and living a life of worship and obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit, knowing that in Him, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).