Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
What does 2 Kings 17:28 mean?
The terror of the Almighty will sometimes produce a forced or feigned submission in unconverted men; like those brought from different countries to inhabit Israel.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside 2 Kings 17:24-28 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 2 Kings 17:28
The priest sent to the colonists was not a true Yahweh-priest, but one of those who had been attached to the calf-worship, probably at Bethel. Hence, he would be willing to tolerate the mixed religion, which a true Yahweh-priest would have unsparingly condemned.
Key words
- priests
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Then one of the priests whom, they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel,.
- carried
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Then one of the priests whom, they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel,.
- Samaria
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Then one of the priests whom, they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel,.
Context in 2 Kings 17
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2 Kings 17 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as decline of Judah. Second Kings follows the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, recounts the decline of both kingdoms, and ends with Jerusalem’s fall and a faint glimmer of Davidic continuity. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prophetic witness, judgment, and exile in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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Glossary
- Samaria Place
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Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Samaria.
- Bethel Place
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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 ). Modern identification: Beitin.