Bible Reading April 10 
2 Kings 15:1--17:41
Context15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 15:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. 2 15:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 15:5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease 3 until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, 4 while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.
15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 5 15:7 Azariah passed away 6 and was buried 7 with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king.
15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 8 for six months. 15:9 He did evil in the sight of 9 the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate 10 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam 11 and took his place as king. 15:11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 12 15:12 His assassination brought to fulfillment the Lord’s word to Jehu, 13 “Four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” 14 That is exactly what happened. 15
15:13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s 16 reign over Judah. He reigned for one month 17 in Samaria. 15:14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to 18 Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. 19 He killed him and took his place as king. 15:15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 20 15:16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. 21 He even ripped open the pregnant women.
15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years in Samaria. 22 15:18 He did evil in the sight of 23 the Lord; he did not repudiate 24 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 25
During his reign, 15:19 Pul 26 king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid 27 him 28 a thousand talents 29 of silver to gain his support 30 and to solidify his control of the kingdom. 31 15:20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. 32 Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.
15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 33 15:22 Menahem passed away 34 and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.
15:23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 35 for two years. 15:24 He did evil in the sight of 36 the Lord; he did not repudiate 37 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. 38 Pekah then took his place as king.
15:26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 39
15:27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 40 for twenty years. 15:28 He did evil in the sight of 41 the Lord; he did not repudiate 42 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, 43 Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people 44 to Assyria. 15:30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him 45 and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.
15:31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 46
15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 47 His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 15:34 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 48 15:35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.
15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 49 15:37 In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. 50 15:38 Jotham passed away 51 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.
16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 52 He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. 53 16:3 He followed in the footsteps of 54 the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, 55 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 56 whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. 57 They besieged Ahaz, 58 but were unable to conquer him. 59 16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria 60 recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. 61 Syrians 62 arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. 63 March up and rescue me from the power 64 of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked 65 me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were 66 in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute 67 to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; 68 he 69 attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people 70 to Kir and executed Rezin.
16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. 71 King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. 72 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. 73 Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 74 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and 75 saw the altar, he approached it 76 and offered a sacrifice on it. 77 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new 78 altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar 79 offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” 80 16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as 81 King Ahaz ordered.
16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” 82 down from the bronze bulls that supported it 83 and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning 84 that had been built 85 in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. 86
16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 87 16:20 Ahaz passed away 88 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 89 for nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of 90 the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened 91 him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 17:4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. 92 Hoshea had sent messengers to King So 93 of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. 94 17:5 The king of Assyria marched through 95 the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel 96 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.
17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of 97 Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped 98 other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices 99 of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. 100 17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. 101 They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. 102 17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. 103 17:12 They worshiped 104 the disgusting idols 105 in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. 106
17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.” 107 17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, 108 who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. 109 They paid allegiance to 110 worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. 111 They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. 112 17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, 113 and worshiped 114 Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, 115 and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. 116
17:18 So the Lord was furious 117 with Israel and rejected them; 118 only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example. 119 17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated 120 them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. 121 Jeroboam drove Israel away 122 from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 123 17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate 124 them. 17:23 Finally 125 the Lord rejected Israel 126 just as he had warned he would do 127 through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.
17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners 128 from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria 129 in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, 130 they did not worship 131 the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, 132 “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people 133 because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you 134 deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” 135 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. 136 He taught them how to worship 137 the Lord.
17:29 But each of these nations made 138 its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria 139 had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, 140 the people from Cuth made Nergal, 141 the people from Hamath made Ashima, 142 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, 143 and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, 144 the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped 145 the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 146 17:33 They were worshiping 147 the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship 148 the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave 149 the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement 150 with them 151 and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; 152 bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they 153 pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.
[15:2] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:3] 2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[15:5] 3 tn Traditionally, “he was a leper.” But see the note at 5:1.
[15:5] 4 tn The precise meaning of בֵית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhofÿshit), “house of […?],” is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
[15:6] 5 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Azariah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:7] 6 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:7] 7 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[15:8] 8 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:9] 9 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:9] 10 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:10] 11 tc The MT reads, “and he struck him down before the people and killed him” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). However, the reading קָבָל עָם (qaval ’am), “before the people,” is problematic to some because קָבָל is a relatively late Aramaic term. Nevertheless, the Aramaic term qobel certainly antedates the writing of Kings. The bigger problem seems to be the unnecessary intrusion of an Aramaic word at all here. Most interpreters prefer to follow Lucian’s Greek version and read “in Ibleam” (בְיִבְלְעָם, bÿivle’am). Cf. NAB, TEV.
[15:11] 12 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:12] 13 tn Heb “It was the word of the
[15:12] 14 tn “sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.”
[15:12] 15 tn Heb “and it was so.”
[15:13] 16 sn Azariah was also known by the name Uzziah.
[15:13] 17 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[15:14] 18 tn Heb “and came to.”
[15:14] 19 tn Heb “went up from Tirzah and arrived in Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria.”
[15:15] 20 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he conspired, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:16] 21 tn Heb “then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, for it would not open, and he attacked.”
[15:17] 22 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:18] 23 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:18] 24 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:18] 25 tc The MT of v. 18 ends with the words, “all his days.” If this phrase is taken with what precedes, then one should translate, “[who encouraged Israel to sin] throughout his reign.” However, it may be preferable to emend the text to בְיֹמָיו (bÿyomav), “in his days,” and join the phrase to what follows. The translation assumes this change.
[15:19] 26 sn Pul was a nickname of Tiglath-pileser III (cf. 15:29). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 171-72.
[15:19] 28 tn Heb “Pul.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:19] 29 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75,000 pounds of silver (cf. NCV “about seventy-four thousand pounds”); NLT “thirty-seven tons”; CEV “over thirty tons”; TEV “34,000 kilogrammes.”
[15:19] 30 tn Heb “so his hands would be with him.”
[15:19] 31 tn Heb “to keep hold of the kingdom in his hand.”
[15:20] 32 tn Heb “and Menahem brought out the silver over Israel, over the prominent men of means, to give to the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver for each man.”
[15:21] 33 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Menahem, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[15:22] 34 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:23] 35 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:24] 36 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:24] 37 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:25] 38 tn Heb “and he struck him down in Samaria in the fortress of the house of the king, Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men from the sons of the Gileadites, and they killed him.”
[15:26] 39 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah, and all which he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:27] 40 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:28] 41 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:28] 42 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:29] 43 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
[15:30] 45 tn Heb “and struck him down and killed him.”
[15:31] 46 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekah, and all which he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:33] 47 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:34] 48 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[15:36] 49 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:37] 50 tn Heb “the
[15:38] 51 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:2] 52 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:2] 53 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
[16:3] 54 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
[16:3] 55 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
[16:3] 56 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[16:5] 57 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
[16:5] 58 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
[16:5] 59 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
[16:6] 60 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ’aram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ’edom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
[16:6] 62 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew
[16:7] 63 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.
[16:7] 64 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
[16:7] 65 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
[16:8] 66 tn Heb “that was found.”
[16:8] 67 tn Or “bribe money.”
[16:9] 68 tn Heb “listened to him.”
[16:9] 69 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
[16:10] 71 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
[16:10] 72 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
[16:11] 73 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
[16:11] 74 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
[16:12] 75 tn Heb “and the king.”
[16:12] 76 tn Heb “the altar.”
[16:12] 77 tn Or “ascended it.”
[16:14] 78 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
[16:15] 79 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
[16:15] 80 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
[16:16] 81 tn Heb “according to all which.”
[16:17] 82 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
[16:17] 83 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
[16:18] 84 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
[16:18] 85 tn Heb “that they built.”
[16:18] 86 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
[16:19] 87 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[16:20] 88 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[17:1] 89 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[17:2] 90 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[17:3] 91 tn Heb “went up against.”
[17:4] 92 tn Heb “and the king of Assyria found in Hoshea conspiracy.”
[17:4] 93 sn For discussion of this name, see HALOT 744 s.v. סוֹא and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 196.
[17:4] 94 tn Heb “and bound him in the house of confinement.”
[17:5] 95 tn Heb “went up against.”
[17:6] 96 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
[17:7] 97 tn Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:8] 99 tn Heb “walked in the customs.”
[17:8] 100 tn Heb “and [the practices of] the kings of Israel which they did.”
[17:9] 101 tn The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ (vayÿkhappÿ’u), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה (khafah), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא). In this case Israel claimed that the
[17:9] 102 sn That is, from the city’s perimeter to the central citadel.
[17:11] 103 tn Heb “and they did evil things, angering the
[17:12] 105 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.
[17:12] 106 tn Heb “about which the
[17:13] 107 tn Heb “obey my commandments and rules according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.”
[17:14] 108 tn Heb and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers.”
[17:15] 109 tn Or “and his warnings he had given them.”
[17:15] 110 tn Heb “They went [or, ‘followed’] after.” This idiom probably does not mean much if translated literally. It is found most often in Deuteronomy or in literature related to the covenant. It refers in the first instance to loyalty to God and to His covenant or His commandments (1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the
[17:15] 111 tn Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” The words “to the
[17:15] 112 tn Heb “and [they walked] after the nations which were around them, concerning which the
[17:16] 113 tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.
[17:17] 115 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
[17:17] 116 tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the
[17:18] 117 tn Heb “very angry.”
[17:18] 118 tn Heb “turned them away from his face.”
[17:19] 119 tn Heb “they walked in the practices of Israel which they did.”
[17:20] 120 tn Or “afflicted.”
[17:21] 121 tn Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”
[17:21] 122 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the verb is נָדָא (nada’), an alternate form of נָדָה (nadah), “push away.” The marginal reading (Qere) assumes the verb נָדָח (nadakh), “drive away.”
[17:21] 123 tn Heb “a great sin.”
[17:22] 124 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[17:23] 126 tn Heb “the
[17:23] 127 tn Heb “just as he said.”
[17:24] 128 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
[17:24] 129 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
[17:25] 130 tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”
[17:26] 132 tn Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.
[17:26] 133 tn Heb “Look they are killing them.”
[17:27] 134 tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.
[17:27] 135 tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.
[17:28] 136 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[17:29] 138 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
[17:29] 139 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
[17:30] 140 sn No deity is known by the name Succoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
[17:30] 141 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
[17:30] 142 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
[17:31] 143 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:31] 144 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:32] 146 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
[17:34] 149 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:35] 151 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
[17:36] 152 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
[17:40] 153 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
