Lux Domini
And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.

What does 2 Kings 17:38 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

HopeAnxiety and fearJustice and mercyTruthProphetic witness

Read with

Keep this verse inside 2 Kings 17:34-38 and alongside a few nearby related passages.

Commentary on 2 Kings 17:38

And the covenant that I have made with you, ye shall not forget,.... The law given at Mount Sinai; the first table of which chiefly concerned the worship of the one true and living God, and forbid the worship of any other, as follows: neither shall ye fear other gods; or make them the object of worship.

Key words

covenant

And the covenant that I have made with you, ye shall not forget,.

forget

And the covenant that I have made with you, ye shall not forget,.

neither

The law given at Mount Sinai; the first table of which chiefly concerned the worship of the one true and living God, and forbid the worship of any other, as follows: neither shall ye fear other gods; or make them the object of worship.

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.

prophetic witnessjudgmentexileidolatry

Explore by topic

Bible verses about hope

A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.

Bible verses about anxiety and fear

Verses for readers searching for biblical language about fear, worry, troubled thoughts, and the call to trust God under pressure.

Bible verses about justice and mercy

Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.

Bible verses about truth

Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.