Discovery Box2 Kings 17:16-18
Context17:16 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, 1 and worshiped 2 Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, 3 and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. 4
17:18 So the Lord was furious 5 with Israel and rejected them; 6 only the tribe of Judah was left.
2 Kings 17:21-23
Context17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. 7 Jeroboam drove Israel away 8 from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 9 17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate 10 them. 17:23 Finally 11 the Lord rejected Israel 12 just as he had warned he would do 13 through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.
[17:16] 1 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] 3 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
[17:17] 4 tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the
[17:18] 5 tn Heb “very angry.”
[17:18] 6 tn Heb “turned them away from his face.”
[17:21] 7 tn Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”
[17:21] 8 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] 9 tn Heb “a great sin.”
[17:22] 10 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[17:23] 12 tn Heb “the
