17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners 5 from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria 6 in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.
1 sn Lair is a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
2 tn The parallel passage in Isa 36:19 omits “Hena and Ivvah.” The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
3 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
4 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 33, 35).
3 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
4 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.