EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Kings 17:9
9They secretly did things that the Lord their God said were not right. In all their towns, they built altars to worship false gods. They built them everywhere, in small villages and in strong cities.
2 Kings 17:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
- New International Version (NIV)The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city.
Context of 2 Kings 17:9
7All this happened because the Israelites did bad things against the Lord, their God. The Lord had brought them safely out of Egypt. He had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But now they worshipped other gods. 8They did the same bad things that the nations that lived in Canaan did. The Lord had chased those nations out of Canaan so that the Israelites could live there. The Israelites copied the bad things that the kings of Israel were doing. They secretly did things that the Lord their God said were not right. In all their towns, they built altars to worship false gods. They built them everywhere, in small villages and in strong cities. 10They put up stone pillars and Asherah poles to worship their gods. They put them on top of all the high hills and under all the big trees. 11At all those places they burned incense to worship their gods, as the nations in Canaan had done. The Lord had chased those nations out of Canaan so that the Israelites could live there. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord very angry.
Read all of 2 Kings 172 Kings 17:9 word by word
וַיְחַפְּא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל דְּבָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־כֵ֔ן עַל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּבְנ֨וּ לָהֶ֤ם בָּמוֹת֙ בְּכָל־עָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם מִמִּגְדַּ֥ל נוֹצְרִ֖ים עַד־עִ֥יר מִבְצָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- did secretlyחָפָאchâphâ' · to do secretlyH2644
- thingsדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
- not right against the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- their Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and they builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- them high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
- in all their citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- from the towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
- of the watchmenנָצַרnâtsar · to watchH5341
- to the fencedמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
Cross-references for 2 Kings 17:9
- Deuteronomy 13:6Even someone in your own family may try to turn you away from the Lord. It may be your own brother, your son or your daughter. It may be your wife whom you love. It may be a friend that you like very much. They may say to you secretly, ‘We should worship other gods.’ Those are gods that you and your ancestors never knew about before.
- Deuteronomy 27:15‘God will curse anyone who makes any image of a god and who worships it secretly. The Lord hates all idols that people make with metal or with wood.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Yes, we agree!’
- Job 31:27But I have never wanted to worship them or to give them honour.
- Ezekiel 8:12The Lord said, ‘Son of man, look at the wicked things that Israel's leaders are doing! They are doing them secretly in the dark. Each of them has a room where they worship their images of idols. They say, “The Lord does not see us! The Lord has gone away from our land!” ’
- 2 Kings 18:8He won battles against the Philistines as far as Gaza. He took all their towns, large and small.
- Hosea 12:11The people in Gilead do wicked things. They will become as useless as their idols. At Gilgal, the people offer bulls as sacrifices on their altars. Those altars will be like heaps of stones in a farmer's field.’
Commentaries on 2 Kings 17:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Did secretly those things - There was much hidden iniquity and private idolatry among them, as well as public and notorious crimes. From the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city - That is, the idolatry was universal; every place was made a place for some idolatrous rite or act of worship; from the largest city to the smallest village, and from the public watchtower to the shepherd's cot.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Literally, the words run thus - “And the children of Israel concealed (or dissembled‘) words which were not so concerning the Lord their God;” the true meaning of which probably is, the Israelites cloaked or covered their idolatry with the pretence that it was a worship of Yahweh: they glossed it over and dissembled toward God, instead of openly acknowledging their apostasy. From the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city - This phrase was probably a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-23Verses 7-23 Though the destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes was but briefly related, it is in these verses largely commented upon, and the reasons of it given. It was destruction from the Almighty: the Assyrian was but the rod of his anger, Is 10:5. Those that bring sin into a country or family, bring a plague into it, and will have to answer for all the mischief that follows. And vast as the outward wickedness of the world is, the secret sins…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-13Israel committed many sins, including pagan rituals and practices. Whether done openly or in secret, God knew about them all. Israel's kings often started these practices by building pagan shrines, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles. They copied pagan sacrifices and idol worship (2 Kings 10:29; 15:18, 28; 1 Kings 12:28–33; 15:34; 16:30–33). People from all parts of Israelite society, both royalty and commoners, continued these sins. They ignored warnings…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 17:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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