Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
What does 2 Kings 17:3 mean?
When the measure of sin is filled up, the Lord will forbear no longer. The inhabitants of Samaria must have endured great affliction.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 2 Kings 17:3-4 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 2 Kings 17:3
Of Shalmaneser, the successor of Tiglath-pileser in the Assyrian Canon, we know little from Assyrian sources, since his records have been mutilated by his successors, the Sargonids, who were of a wholly different family. The archives of Tyre mention him as contemporary with, and warring against, a Tyrian king named Elulaeus. The expedition, referred to here, was probably in the first year of Shalmaneser (727 B. C.). Its main object was the reduction of Phoenicia, which had re-asserted its independence, but (except Tyre) was once more completely reduced.
Key words
- Against
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Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria,.
- Shalmaneser
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Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria,.
- Assyria
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Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria,.
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
- Assyria Place
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Biblical region. Modern identification: Nineveh.