Advanced Commentary

(ex.: John 3:14-18)

Table of Contents Bible Dictionary
Arts
Questions
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books

Context
17:28 So one <0259> of the priests <03548> whom <0834> they had deported <01540> from Samaria <08111> went back <0935> and settled <03427> in Bethel <01008>. He taught <03384> them how <0349> to worship <03372> the Lord <03068>. 17:29 But <01961> each <01471> of these nations <01471> made <06213> its own gods <0430> and put <03240> them in the shrines <01004> on the high places <01116> that <0834> the people of Samaria <08118> had made <06213>. Each <01471> nation <01471> did this in the cities <05892> where <0834> they <01992> lived <03427>. 17:30 The people <0376> from Babylon <0894> made <06213> Succoth Benoth <05524>, the people <0376> from Cuth <03575> made <06213> Nergal <05370>, the people <0376> from Hamath <02574> made <06213> Ashima <0807>, 17:31 the Avvites <05757> made <06213> Nibhaz <05026> and Tartak <08662>, and the Sepharvites <05616> burned <08313> their sons <01121> in the fire <0784> as an offering to Adrammelech <0152> and Anammelech <06048>, the gods <0433> of Sepharvaim <05617>. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped <03372> the Lord <03069>. They <01992> appointed <06213> some of their own people to serve as priests <03548> in the shrines <01116> on the high places <01116>. 17:33 They were <01961> worshiping <03372> the Lord <03068> and at the same time <01961> serving <05647> their own gods <0430> in accordance with the practices <04941> of the nations <01471> from which <08033> which <0834> they had been deported <01540>. 17:34 To <05704> this <02088> very day <03117> they <01992> observe <06213> their earlier <07223> practices <04941>. They do not <0369> worship <03372> the Lord <03068>; they do not <0369> obey <06213> the rules <02708>, regulations <04941>, law <08451>, and commandments <04687> that <0834> the Lord <03068> gave <06680> the descendants <01121> of Jacob <03290>, whom <0834> he renamed <08034> <07760> Israel <03478>. 17:35 The Lord <03068> made <03772> an agreement <01285> with <0854> them and instructed <06680> them, “You must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>. Do not <03808> bow down <07812> to them, serve <05647> them, or <03808> offer sacrifices <02076> to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord <03068>, who <0834> brought <05927> you up <05927> from the land <0776> of Egypt <04714> by his great <01419> power <03581> and military ability <05186> <02220>; bow down <07812> to him and offer sacrifices <02076> to him. 17:37 You must carefully <08104> obey <06213> at all <03605> times <03117> the rules <02706>, regulations <04941>, law <08451>, and commandments <04687> he wrote down <03789> for you. You must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>. 17:38 You must never <03808> forget <07911> the agreement <01285> I made <03772> with <0854> you, and you must not <03808> worship <03372> other <0312> gods <0430>. 17:39 Instead <0518> <03588> you must worship <03372> the Lord <03068> your God <0430>; then he <01931> will rescue <05337> you from the power <03027> of all <03605> your enemies <0341>.” 17:40 But <03588> they pay <08085> no <03808> attention <08085>; instead <0518> they <01992> observe <06213> their earlier <07223> practices <04941>. 17:41 These <0428> nations <01471> are <01961> worshiping <03372> the Lord <03068> and <01571> at the same time <01961> serving <05647> their idols <06456>; their sons <01121> and grandsons <01121> <01121> do <06213> just as <0834> their <01992> fathers <01> have done <06213>, to <05704> this <02088> very day <03117>.

• 2Ki 17:24-41 -- The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners

• SYRIAC VERSIONS

  [isbe] SYRIAC VERSIONS - || 1. Analogy of Latin Vulgate 2. The Designation "Peshito" ("Peshitta") 3. Syriac Old Testament 4. Syriac New Testament 5. Old Syriac Texts (1) Curetonian (2) Tatian's Diatessaron (3) Sinaitic Syriac (4) R...
  

• PALESTINE EXPLORATION, 2B

  [isbe] PALESTINE EXPLORATION, 2B - 4. Central Palestine: (1) Jerusalem. See above, III, 1, (2). (2) Samaria. (Harvard Expedition).--Although the ancient capital of the Northern Kingdom, yet Samaria was Centrally located, being 20 m...
  

• CAPTIVITY

  [isbe] CAPTIVITY - kap-tiv'-i-ti (galah, galuth, shebhuth, shibhyah; metoikesia): I. OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM (THE WORK OF ASSYRIA) 1. Western Campaigns of Shalmaneser II, 860-825 BC 2. Of Rimmon-nirari III, 810-781 BC 3. Of Tiglath...
  

• HAGGAI

  [isbe] HAGGAI - hag'-a-i, hag'-a-i (chaggay, an adjective formed from chagh, "feast"): 1. Name: The word "Haggai" may mean "festal," the prophet having been born perhaps on a festival day; compare the Roman name "Festus." Hebrew pr...
  

• Apharsathchites

  [nave] APHARSATHCHITES, Ezra 4:9, with 2 Kin. 17.
  

• Apharsites

  [nave] APHARSITES, Ezra 4:9, with 2 Kin. 17.
  

• FEAR

  [isbe] FEAR - fer (yir'ah, yare'; phobos, phobeo): Terms, etc.: "Fear" is the translation of many words in the Old Testament; the chief are: yir'ah, "fear," "terror," "reverence," "awe," most often "the fear of God," "fear of Yahwe...
  

• KINGS, BOOKS OF

  [isbe] KINGS, BOOKS OF - || I. TITLE II. SCOPE III. CHARACTER OF BOOKS AND POSITION IN THE HEBREW CANON 1. Purpose 2. Character of Data IV. HISTORICAL VALUE 1. Treatment of Historical Data 2. Chronology 3. Value of Assyrian Records...
  

• Samaria

  [nave] SAMARIA 1. City of, built by Omri, 1 Kin. 16:24. Capital of the kingdom of the ten tribes, 1 Kin. 16:29; 22:51; 2 Kin. 13:1, 10; 15:8. Besieged by Ben-hadad, 1 Kin. 20; 2 Kin. 6:24-33; 7. The king of Syria is led into, by...
  

• Apharsachites

  [nave] APHARSACHITES, this is transliterated in the KJV, NKJV, and ASV but translated as "officials" (NIV) "lesser governors" (NASB) "legates" (NJB). Ezra 5:6; 6:6, with 2 Kin. 17.
  

• Judgments

  [nave] JUDGMENTS On the serpent, Gen. 3:14, 15. Eve, Gen. 3:16; Adam, Gen. 3:17-19. Cain, Gen. 4:11-15; the Antediluvians, Gen. 6; 7; Sodomites, Gen. 19:23-25; Egyptians, the plagues and overthrow, Ex. 7-14; Nadab and Abihu, Lev....
  

• Israel

  [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...
  

• JESUS CHRIST, 2

  [isbe] JESUS CHRIST, 2 - LITERATURE Jesus Christ: The Founder of the Christian religion; the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world; the Lord and Head of the Christian church. I. The Names. 1. Jesus: (Iesous) is the Greek equiva...
  

• GODS

  [isbe] GODS - ('elohim; theoi): I. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 1. Superhuman Beings (God and Angels) 2. Judges, Rulers 3. Gods of the Nations 4. Superiority of Yahweh to Other Gods 5. Regulations Regarding the Gods of the Nations 6. Israe...
  

• Tartak

  [ebd] prince of darkness, one of the gods of the Arvites, who colonized part of Samaria after the deportation of Israel by Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:31).
  [isbe] TARTAK - tar'-tak (tartaq): In 2 Ki 17:31 mentioned as the name of an idol of the Avvites, one of the peoples sent by Shalmaneser to the cities of Samaria. It is otherwise unknown.
  [smith] (prince of darkness), one of the gods of the Avite or Avvite colonists of Samaria. (2 Kings 17:31) According to rabbinical tradition, Tartak is said to have been worshipped under the form of an ass.
  [nave] TARTAK, an Assyrian idol, 2 Kin. 17:31.
  

• BETHEL

  [ebd] house of God. (1.) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz (Gen. 28:19). The name Bethel was at first app...
  [isbe] BETHEL - beth'-el (beth-'el; Baithel and oikos theou, literally, "house of God"): (1) A town near the place where Abraham halted and offered sacrifice on his way south from Shechem. 1. Identification and Description: It lay ...
  [smith] (the house of God) well known city and holy place of central Palestine, about 12 mlles north of Jerusalem. If we are to accept the precise definition of (Genesis 12:8) the name of Bethel would appear to have existed at this s...
  

• Anammelech

  [ebd] one of the gods worshipped by the people of Sepharvaim, who colonized Samaria (2 Kings 17:31). The name means "Anu is king." It was a female deity representing the moon, as Adrammelech (q.v.) was the male representing the su...
  [isbe] ANAMMELECH - a-nam'-e-lek (`anammelekh = Assyrian Anu-malik, "Anu is the prince"): A Babylonian (?) deity worshipped by the Sepharvites in Samaria, after being transported there by Sargon. The worship of Adrammelech (who is ...
  [smith] (image of the king), one of the idols worshipped by the colonists introduced into Samaria from Sepharvaim. (2 Kings 17:31) He was worshipped with rites resembling those of Molech, and is the companion-god to Adrammelech.
  [nave] ANAMMELECH, an Assyrian idol, 2 Kin. 17:31.
  

• Nergal

  [ebd] the great dog; that is, lion, one of the chief gods of the Assyrians and Babylonians (2 Kings 17:30), the god of war and hunting. He is connected with Cutha as its tutelary deity.
  [isbe] NERGAL - nar'-gal (nereghal): A Babylonian deity, identified with the planet Mars, and worshipped at Cutha (compare 2 Ki 17:30). See BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA, RELIGION OF.
  [smith] (hero), one of the chief Assyrian and Babylonian deities, seems to have corresponded closely to the classical Mars. (2 Kings 17:30) It is conjectured that he may represent the deified Nimrod.
  [nave] NERGAL, an idol, 2 Kin. 17:30.
  

• Nibhaz

  [ebd] barker, the name of an idol, supposed to be an evil demon of the Zabians. It was set up in Samaria by the Avites (2 Kings 17:31), probably in the form of a dog.
  [isbe] NIBHAZ - nib'-haz (nibhchaz): Given as the name of an idol of the Avvites, introduced by them into Samaria (2 Ki 17:31), but otherwise unknown. The text is supposed to be corrupt.
  [smith] (the barker), a deity of the Avites, introduced by them into Samaria in the time of Shalmaneser. (2 Kings 17:31) The rabbins derived the name from a Hebrew root nabach , "to bark," and hence assigned to it the figure of a ...
  [nave] NIBHAZ, an idol, 2 Kin. 17:31.
  

• Babylon

  [nave] BABYLON City of Built by Nimrod, Gen. 10:10. In the land of Shinar, Gen. 10:10; 11:2. Tower of, Gen. 11:1-9. Capital of the kingdom of Babylon, Dan. 4:30; 2 Kin. 25:13; 2 Chr. 36:6, 7, 10, 18, 20. Gates of, Isa. 45:1, 2...
  

• Samaria Resettled

  

Hatred Between Jews and Samaritans

Back to Commentary Page