Reasons for Israel’s Exile
2 Kings 17:7-23
2 K.17.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- חטאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- המעלה: VERB,hiphil,ptcp,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מתחת: PREP
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וייראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 20:2-3 (verbal): Both passages invoke the Lord as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt and immediately prohibit/condemn worship of other gods; the language of divine deliverance and exclusive loyalty is shared.
- Deuteronomy 6:14-15 (thematic): Commands Israel not to follow other gods or provoke the LORD's anger, echoing 2 Kgs 17:7's charge that Israel 'feared other gods' despite God's saving act.
- Judges 2:11-13 (structural): Narrates the same pattern: Israel sins by serving other gods after God’s acts of deliverance, leading to divine anger—serves as an earlier scriptural instance of the covenantal failure described in 2 Kgs 17:7.
- Psalm 106:6-8, 19-23 (allusion): Psalm 106 recounts Israel's forgetfulness of God who saved them from Egypt and their subsequent worship of idols (e.g., the golden calf), paralleling 2 Kgs 17:7's theme of apostasy following deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God—who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt—and they feared other gods,
- When the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, they feared other gods.
2 K.17.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בחקות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הוריש: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מפני: PREP
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומלכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:9 (verbal): Immediate context in the same chapter—continues the account of Israel abandoning Yahweh and following the practices of the nations, using similar language about walking after other gods.
- 2 Kings 17:15 (verbal): Directly echoes the wording here: Israel 'rejected his statutes and covenant' and 'walked after the statutes of the nations,' linking the people's actions to foreign customs.
- Deuteronomy 12:29-31 (thematic): Mosaic warning against adopting the religious practices of the nations dispossessed by Israel—provides the theological background condemning imitation of pagan rites.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (thematic): Jeroboam as king institutes rival cultic practices (golden calves), illustrating how Israelite kings promoted non‑Yahwistic rites that the people then followed.
Alternative generated candidates
- they followed the practices of the peoples whom the LORD had driven out before the people of Israel, and the practices of the kings of Israel.
- They walked in the statutes of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the people of Israel, and in the practices that the kings of Israel had adopted.
2 K.17.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחפאו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- כן: ADV
- על: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- ויבנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- במות: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עריהם: NOUN,f,pl,poss:3mp
- ממגדל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נוצרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עד: PREP
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מבצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 2:11-13 (thematic): Israelite people do evil in the sight of the LORD, forsake Yahweh and serve Baal/other gods—general description of the same unfaithfulness behind building high places.
- 1 Kings 12:31 (structural): Jeroboam sets up high places and shrines and appoints priests from non-Levite ranks—explicit instance of building high places to secure worship apart from Jerusalem.
- Deuteronomy 12:2-4 (structural): Command to destroy the high places and not worship as the nations do—provides the covenantal law violated by Israel’s building of high places.
- 2 Chronicles 33:3-5 (thematic): King Manasseh builds up high places, erects altars to foreign gods and leads the people into idolatry—parallel pattern of royal/communal establishment of cultic sites.
- 2 Kings 17:10 (verbal): Immediate continuation in the same narrative stating they set up images, made grove‑poles and sacrificed on all the high places—direct verbal and narrative parallel.
Alternative generated candidates
- The people of Israel did things that were not right against the LORD their God; they built high places in all their towns, from the watchtower to the fortified city.
- The people of Israel secretly did things contrary to the LORD their God; they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
2 K.17.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מצבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ואשרים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- גבעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גבהה: ADJ,f,sg
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רענן: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Deut.12.2-3 (verbal): Explicit law commanding the destruction of high places, pillars and Asherah poles—directly contrasts and provides the legal background to Israel’s practice of erecting them in 2 Kgs 17:10.
- Deut.16.21 (verbal): Prohibition against planting an Asherah tree beside the LORD’s altar—connects the motif of Asherah poles and sacred trees, echoing the phrase “under every green tree.”
- Hosea 4.13 (thematic): Describes sacrifices on mountain tops and under oaks, poplars and terebinths; closely parallels the imagery of high places and worship under trees used in 2 Kgs 17:10.
- Judg.6.25-28 (thematic): Gideon’s tearing down of his father’s altar to Baal and cutting down the Asherah pole (then building an altar to YHWH on a high place) reflects the same practices of Asherah and high-place cultic activity depicted in 2 Kgs 17:10.
- 2 Kgs.21.3 (structural): Account of Manasseh building altars and setting up Asherah imagery in the temple and land—another instance in Kings where Asherah poles and high-place worship are installed, paralleling 2 Kgs 17:10 within the Deuteronomistic history.
Alternative generated candidates
- They set up pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
- They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
2 K.17.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקטרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- שם: ADV
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במות: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הגלה: VERB,hiph,perf,3,ms
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מפניהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- דברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- להכעיס: VERB,hiphil,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 12:2–4 (thematic): Commands Israel to demolish the high places and not adopt the worship practices of the nations; contrasts with 2 Kgs 17:11 where they burn offerings on high places 'like the nations.'
- Deuteronomy 12:29–31 (thematic): Warning not to imitate the detestable rites of the nations (sacrifices to other gods on high places); provides the theological background for why such behavior 'provokes the LORD.'
- Judges 2:11–13 (structural): Describes Israel's recurring pattern of doing evil and serving Baal/the nations' gods after Joshua’s generation — a narrative pattern mirrored in 2 Kgs 17’s account of apostasy and high-place cults.
- 1 Kings 14:22–24 (verbal): Reports Israel’s persistent sins in Jeroboam’s time — 'they also left the LORD and served other gods, and made for themselves high places' — language and actions closely parallel to 2 Kgs 17:11.
- 2 Chronicles 28:24 (verbal): Reports that people 'burned incense in the high places' and sacrificed there, echoing the specific practice described in 2 Kgs 17:11 and illustrating the chronicled pattern of cultic high-place worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- They burned incense on all the high places, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them did; they did wicked things to provoke the LORD.
- There they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations whom the LORD had carried away from before them had done, and they committed wicked acts to provoke the LORD.
2 K.17.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעבדו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- הגללים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 20:4-5 (verbal): The Decalogue explicitly forbids making and worshiping graven images—direct legal basis for the indictment that they served idols despite God's command.
- Deuteronomy 4:15-19 (verbal): Warns Israel not to fashion likenesses of anything or be led into idolatry; closely parallels the prohibition appealed to in 2 Kgs 17:12.
- Leviticus 26:1 (verbal): A cultic law forbidding idols and pillars in worship; provides the priestly/tanakhic prohibition that the people violated by serving 'the calves' and other images.
- Jeremiah 2:11-13 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of Israel exchanging the true God for worthless idols—echoes the theme of covenant unfaithfulness criticized in 2 Kgs 17:12.
- 1 Kings 11:4-6 (thematic): Reports Israelite/royal turning to foreign gods despite divine command; illustrates the same pattern of disobedience to the prohibition against idol worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- They served idols—things the LORD had told them not to do.
- They served idols—what the LORD had commanded them not to do.
2 K.17.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וביהודה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- נביאי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- כל: DET
- חזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- שבו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- מדרכיכם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,pl
- הרעים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- ושמרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מצותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- חקותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
- ככל: PREP
- התורה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אבתיכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons+PRON,2,pl
- ואשר: CONJ+PRON,rel
- שלחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- אליכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- הנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (thematic): Calls for careful obedience to the LORD’s commandments and not turning aside—parallels 2 Kgs 17:13’s insistence to keep God’s statutes and turn from evil ways.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 (verbal): Describes how God sent messengers/prophets to Israel who were mocked and ignored, echoing 2 Kgs 17:13’s report that God testified by His prophets to call the people to repentance.
- Jeremiah 7:25-26 (quotation): Explicitly states that from the fathers’ days God sent prophets to warn Israel but they did not heed—closely mirrors the language and theme of God’s sending prophets in 2 Kgs 17:13.
- Ezekiel 33:7-9 (structural): Presents the prophet’s role as watchman who must warn the people to turn from sin; thematically parallels the prophetic summons to repentance in 2 Kgs 17:13 and the consequences of refusing the warning.
- Amos 3:7 (allusion): Affirms that the LORD reveals His purposes to His servants the prophets, supporting 2 Kgs 17:13’s portrayal of God communicating and testifying to Israel and Judah through prophets.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, as in all the law that I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
- And the LORD testified to Israel and to Judah by all his prophets and seers, saying, “Return from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your fathers and sent to you through my servants the prophets.”
2 K.17.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- ויקשו: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- ערפם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss3,m,pl
- כערף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבותם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- האמינו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Exodus 32:9 (verbal): God calls Israel a 'stiff-necked people' (same Hebrew metaphor עָרְפָּה), linking stubbornness and refusal to listen to YHWH.
- Deuteronomy 9:6 (verbal): Moses warns Israel they are a 'stiff-necked people' like their fathers—similar language of hardening and culpable disobedience.
- Jeremiah 7:26 (verbal): Jeremiah condemns prior generations for not listening and being 'stiff-necked,' echoing the image of hardened necks and ancestral unbelief.
- Acts 7:51 (allusion): Stephen accuses his hearers of being 'stiff-necked' and resisting God's messengers, applying the OT motif of hardened refusal to believe.
- Psalm 78:8 (thematic): Speaks of fathers as a 'stubborn and rebellious generation' whose hearts were not steadfast with God—a thematic parallel to ancestral unbelief in 2 Kgs 17:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- But they would not listen; they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
- But they would not listen; they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who would not believe in the LORD their God.
2 K.17.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימאסו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- חקיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- בריתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כרת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אבותם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- ואת: CONJ
- עדותיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- העיד: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אחרי: PREP
- ההבל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויהבלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ואחרי: CONJ
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- סביבתם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- עשות: VERB,qal,inf
- כהם: PREP+3mp
Parallels
- Judges 2:11-13 (thematic): Israel 'forsook the LORD' and 'followed other gods,' serving Baal and the surrounding nations—parallels the turning away from God's statutes and following the nations described in 2 Kgs 17:15.
- Deuteronomy 31:16-18 (structural): Moses predicts that after his death the people will 'act corruptly' and 'go after other gods,' breaking the covenant—an explicit covenant‑breaking motif echoed in 2 Kgs 17:15.
- Ezekiel 20:13 (verbal): God charges that the people 'did not walk in my statutes' and 'rejected my ordinances,' language closely mirroring the wording of rejected statutes and testimonies in 2 Kgs 17:15.
- Jeremiah 11:10-11 (allusion): Accuses the people of returning to the iniquities of their fathers and breaking the covenant, with the LORD forewarning judgment—thematically parallel to Israel's covenant rejection and idolatry in 2 Kgs 17:15.
- 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 (verbal): Describes the people and officials 'mocking the messengers' and 'trespassing against the commandments,' provoking God's anger—echoes the rejection of God's laws and consequent apostasy found in 2 Kgs 17:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- They rejected his statutes and his covenant that he had made with their fathers, and the testimonies he had given against them; they followed vanity and became vain, and after the nations around them—whom the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
- They rejected his statutes and his covenant that he had made with their fathers and the testimonies by which he testified against them; they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations round about them—those whom the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
2 K.17.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעזבו: VERB,qal,wayq,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- מצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מסכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- עגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אשירה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וישתחוו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לכל: PREP
- צבא: NOUN,m,sg,const
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויעבדו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הבעל: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 32:1-6 (verbal): The people make a calf and worship it, an early instance of calf-idolatry and direct verbal parallel to Israel’s making of images and sacrificing to them.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (structural): Jeroboam erects two calves at Bethel and Dan to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem—directly parallels the motif of ‘two calves’ and establishment of rival worship sites.
- Amos 5:25-27 (allusion): Isaiah/Amos tradition condemns Israel for offering sacrifices and then worshiping the ‘host of heaven,’ linking celestial/baal-worship with the reason for exile—echoes 2 Kgs 17’s complaint about worshiping the heavenly host.
- Judges 2:11-13 (thematic): Summary statement of Israel’s apostasy: they forsook YHWH and served Baals and foreign gods, establishing the recurring pattern of unfaithfulness reflected in 2 Kgs 17:16.
- Psalm 106:19-21 (verbal): The psalm recounts Israel’s making of a calf at Horeb and exchanging God for an image—echoes the specific charge of creating idols and forsaking God’s commandments.
Alternative generated candidates
- They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves a molten image, two calves; they set up an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
- They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves a molten image and two calves; they set up an Asherah pole, bowed down to the whole host of heaven, and served Baal.
2 K.17.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעבירו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- בניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- בנותיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויקסמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- קסמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וינחשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויתמכרו: VERB,hitp,impf,3,m,pl
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להכעיסו: PREP+VERB,hiphil,inf+OBJ,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 20:2-5 (thematic): Law forbidding offering children to Molech and prescribing punishment—parallels the practice of child sacrifice condemned in 2 Kgs 17:17.
- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (verbal): Explicit prohibition of divination, soothsaying, and necromancy—corresponds to the verse's mention of קסמים וינחשו (enchantments and divination).
- Psalm 106:37-38 (verbal): Israelites 'sacrificed their sons and their daughters' and 'shed innocent blood'—a direct thematic and verbal echo of child sacrifice and blood-guilt.
- Jeremiah 32:35 (allusion): Condemns building high places and 'burning their sons and daughters in the fire' for other gods—prophetic denunciation that parallels 2 Kgs 17:17's description and judgment.
- 2 Kings 21:6 (structural): In the same historical/narrative tradition Manasseh 'caused his son to pass through the fire'—a parallel instance of child sacrifice within the Deuteronomistic history.
Alternative generated candidates
- They burned their sons and daughters in the fire, practiced divination and sorcery, cast spells, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him.
- They burned their sons and their daughters in the fire, practiced divination and sorcery, observed omens, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him.
2 K.17.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתאנף: VERB,hitp,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מאד: ADV
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויסרם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מעל: PREP
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשאר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רק: PRT
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לבדו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:6 (structural): Same narrative event—Assyrian deportation of Israel; complements v.18's statement that God removed Israel from His sight.
- 1 Kings 14:15-16 (thematic): Prophecy against Jeroboam’s house that Israel will be cut off from the land, leaving only Judah—parallel judgment and outcome.
- Deuteronomy 28:63-64 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses: Yahweh will turn His anger on Israel and scatter them among the nations for disobedience—background theology for v.18.
- Leviticus 26:33 (verbal): God’s warning that He will scatter Israel among the nations and draw a sword after them—verbal and thematic resonance with being 'removed' from His presence.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence; only the tribe of Judah alone remained.
- Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
2 K.17.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לא: PART_NEG
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בחקות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:7-12 (structural): Immediate context describing the sins of Israel—idolatry and covenant violations—which verse 17:19 says Judah likewise imitated; shows the narrative pattern linking Israel’s apostasy to Judah’s failure.
- Jeremiah 7:24 (verbal): Uses similar language about not listening/keeping God’s commands: 'But they would not obey… they did not incline their ear,' paralleling Judah’s failure to keep the LORD’s commandments.
- 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 (thematic): Summarizes Judah’s persistent transgressions and rejection of God’s messengers (prophets), leading to judgment—echoes 2 Kgs 17:19’s theme that Judah failed to keep the LORD’s statutes.
- Ezekiel 8:6 (cf. 8:16) (allusion): Ezekiel portrays elders and people of Judah engaging in the abominations of Israel and adopting foreign practices—an echo of the charge that Judah 'walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God; they walked in the practices that Israel had practiced.
- Yet Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.
2 K.17.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימאס: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זרע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויענם: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ויתנם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj:3mp
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שסים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- השליכם: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- מפניו: PREP+3ms
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:23 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: explains that Israel was removed from the LORD's sight — closely tied to v.20's language of rejection and expulsion.
- Deuteronomy 28:64 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses predicting scattering and exile into foreign lands as a consequence of disobedience — parallels being cast out from God's presence and delivered to others.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-21 (thematic): Retells Judah's exile: God gave them into the hand of the Chaldeans/Nebuchadnezzar and removed them from the land because of sin, echoing the judgment and deportation motif.
- Judges 2:14-15 (thematic): Describes the recurrent pattern where the LORD delivers Israel into the hands of enemies because they served other gods — parallels the causation (apostasy → punishment) in 2 Kgs 17:20.
- Hosea 9:17 (verbal): Uses language of God 'casting away' or rejecting Israel and their subsequent wandering among nations — a prophetic echo of divine rejection and exile.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore the LORD rejected all the house of Israel, afflicted them, and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he cast them from his presence.
- So the LORD rejected all the offspring of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers until he thrust them from his presence.
2 K.17.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- קרע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעל: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימליכו: VERB,hiph,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- ירבעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וידח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ירבעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאחרי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והחטיאם: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- חטאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גדולה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 12:19-20 (structural): Reports the northern tribes' secession from David's house—explicitly parallels 'Israel was torn away from the house of David' and the installation of a separate king.
- 1 Kings 12:25-33 (verbal): Narrates Jeroboam's establishment of rival worship (golden calves at Bethel and Dan) and non-Levitical priests—concrete account of how Jeroboam 'drove Israel from following the LORD' and led them into sin.
- 1 Kings 13:33-34 (thematic): Summarizes Jeroboam's religious innovations and their effect: 'he made Israel to sin'—a direct thematic restatement of 2 Kgs 17:21's claim about Jeroboam causing great sin.
- 1 Kings 14:15-16 (thematic): Prophetic judgment linking Israel's exile to the sin of Jeroboam: because of his offenses the land and people will suffer—connects Jeroboam's apostasy with the eventual removal of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 11:16-17 (allusion): Describes priests and Levites abandoning the northern kingdom to serve Judah because they would not serve Jeroboam's altars—illustrates the religious consequences of Jeroboam's break with the Davidic/temple order referenced in 2 Kgs 17:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- For Israel had torn themselves away from the house of David and made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king; and Jeroboam led Israel into sin and turned them from following the LORD—he made them commit a great sin.
- For Israel had been torn away from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king; Jeroboam led Israel into sin, and they committed a great sin.
2 K.17.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חטאות: NOUN,f,pl,const
- ירבעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- סרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ממנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 12:28-33 (verbal): Describes Jeroboam's founding of golden calves, high places and non‑Levitical priests—the specific innovations called “the sins of Jeroboam” that Israel continued to walk in.
- 2 Chronicles 11:15 (thematic): Chronicles likewise reports Jeroboam’s appointment of priests for the high places from the common people, emphasizing the institutionalized idolatry echoed in 2 Kgs 17:22.
- 2 Kings 17:23 (structural): Immediate sequel that links Israel’s persistence in Jeroboam’s sins (verse 22) to the structural consequence—YHWH’s removal of Israel from the land (exile).
- Psalm 106:34-36 (thematic): A poetic summary of Israel’s repeated failure to purge pagan practices and idols; thematically parallels the persistent idolatry described as ‘walking in the sins of Jeroboam.’
Alternative generated candidates
- The people of Israel persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed; they did not turn from them.
- The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam had done; they did not depart from them.
2 K.17.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הסיר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעל: PREP
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- הנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויגל: VERB,qal,wayyiq,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעל: PREP
- אדמתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אשורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 17:6 (verbal): Same historical report: Israel taken by Assyria and carried from their land — the narrative account of the exile reiterated in the same context.
- 1 Kings 14:15 (allusion): Prophetic warning that the LORD would remove Israel from the land because of Jeroboam’s sins — an earlier prophecy of the same fate described in 2 Kings 17:23.
- Deuteronomy 28:64-68 (thematic): Covenant curse passages predicting scattering/exile among the nations as punishment for disobedience — theological background for Israel’s removal.
- Hosea 9:3 (allusion): Prophetic lament that Ephraim/Israel will not dwell in the land and will be sent away — echoes the theme of removal from the presence of the LORD.
Alternative generated candidates
- Until the LORD removed Israel from his presence, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their land into Assyria, to this day.
- Until the LORD removed Israel from his presence, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets; so Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria and remains there to this day.
When the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and they feared other gods,
they walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the children of Israel, and in the practices of the kings of Israel whom they had set over them.
The people of Israel secretly practiced things that were not right against the LORD their God; they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from tower to fortified city.
They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every leafy tree.
There they offered sacrifices on all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had carried away before them; and they did evil to provoke the LORD.
They worshiped the idols, concerning which the LORD had told them, 'You shall not do this.'
Yet the LORD testified against Israel and Judah by all his prophets and seers, saying, 'Return from your evil ways; keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.' But they would not listen; they stiffened their necks like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies that he had testified against them; they followed vanity and became vain, and they went after the nations round about them, as the LORD had commanded them not to do.
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images—two calves—and an Asherah; they bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.
They burned their sons and their daughters in the fire, practiced divination and augury, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him.
The LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.
Even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.
Therefore the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers until he had cast them from his presence.
For Israel had torn themselves away from the house of David and made Jeroboam son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam led Israel into sin, and they committed a great trespass.
The people of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did; they did not depart from them.
Until the LORD removed Israel from his presence, as he had warned by all his servants the prophets; Israel was exiled from its land to Assyria and remains there to this day.