God’s Word Translation
2 Kings 17:15
15They rejected his decrees, the promise he made to their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They went after worthless idols and became as worthless as the idols. They behaved like the nations around them, although the Lord had commanded them not to do that.
2 Kings 17:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.
- New International Version (NIV)They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them.
Context of 2 Kings 17:15
13The Lord had warned Israel and Judah through every kind of prophet and seer, “Turn from your evil ways, and obey my commands and decrees as I commanded your ancestors in all my teachings, the commands I sent to you through my servants the prophets.” 14But they refused to listen. They became as impossible to deal with as their ancestors who refused to trust the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees, the promise he made to their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They went after worthless idols and became as worthless as the idols. They behaved like the nations around them, although the Lord had commanded them not to do that. 16They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God: They made two calves out of cast metal. They made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah. They prayed to the entire army of heaven. They worshiped Baal. 17They sacrificed their sons and daughters by burning them alive. They practiced black magic and cast evil spells. They sold themselves by doing what the Lord considered evil, and they made him furious.
Read all of 2 Kings 172 Kings 17:15 word by word
וַיִּמְאֲס֣וּ אֶת־חֻקָּ֗יו וְאֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר כָּרַ֣ת אֶת־אֲבוֹתָ֔ם וְאֵת֙ עֵֽדְוֹתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵעִ֖יד בָּ֑ם וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ אַחֲרֵ֤י הַהֶ֙בֶל֙ וַיֶּהְבָּ֔לוּ וְאַחֲרֵ֤י הַגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִֽיבֹתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֹתָ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י עֲשׂ֥וֹת כָּהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they rejectedמָאַסmâ'as · to rejectH3988
- his statutesחֹקchôq · statute: decreeH2706
- and his covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- that he madeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
- with their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- and his testimoniesעֵדוּת‛êdûth · testimonyH5715
- which he testifiedעוּד‛ûd · to testifyH5749
- against them; and they followedאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- against them; and they followedיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- vanityהֶ֫בֶלhebel hăbêl · vanityH1892
- and became vainהָבַלhâbal · to become vainH1891
- the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- round aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
- whom the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- had chargedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
- them, that they should not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for 2 Kings 17:15
- Jeremiah 8:9Wise people are put to shame, confused, and trapped. They have rejected the Lord’s word. They don’t really have any wisdom.
- Exodus 24:6Moses took half of the blood and put it into bowls, and he threw the other half against the altar.
- Deuteronomy 29:10All of you are standing here today in the presence of the Lord your God. The heads of your tribes, your leaders, your officers, and all the men of Israel are here.
- Jeremiah 31:32It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
- Deuteronomy 6:17Be sure to obey the commands of the Lord your God and the regulations and laws he has given you.
- 2 Chronicles 36:15The Lord God of their ancestors repeatedly sent messages through his messengers because he wanted to spare his people and his dwelling place.
- Nehemiah 9:26But they were defiant and rebelled against you. They threw your teachings over their shoulders and killed your prophets who warned them to turn back to you. They committed outrageous sins.
- Jeremiah 4:4Be circumcised by the Lord, and get rid of the foreskins of your hearts, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. If you don’t, my fury will flare up like a fire. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out, because of the evil you do.
- Deuteronomy 32:21They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him because they worshiped worthless idols. So I will use those who are not my people to make them jealous and a nation of godless fools to make them angry.
- 1 Samuel 12:21Don’t turn away to follow other gods. They can’t help or rescue you, because they don’t exist.
- 1 Kings 16:13This was for all the sins committed by Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, led Israel to sin, and made the Lord God of Israel furious because of their worthless idols.
- Psalms 115:8Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.
- Jeremiah 10:8They are complete idiots. They learn nonsense from wooden idols.
- John 2:8Jesus said to them, “Pour some, and take it to the person in charge.” The servers did as they were told.
- Jeremiah 2:5This is what the Lord says: What did your ancestors find wrong with me that they went so far away from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
- Romans 1:21They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 17:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15As idols are “vanity” and “nothingness,” mere weakness and impotence, so idolators are “vain” and impotent. Their energies have been wasted, their time misspent; they have missed the real object of their existence; their whole life has been a mistake; and the result is utter powerlessness. Literally, the word rendered “vanity” seems to mean “breath” or “vapor” - a familiar image for nonentity. It occurs frequently in the prophets, and especially in…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. 14-15Like their ancestors (Deuteronomy 10:16; 1 Samuel 12:6–9; Psalm 106:28), the Israelites continued to be unfaithful to the Lord (Isaiah 65:6–7; Amos 2:4; see Acts 7:51–53).Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 17:15
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries