17:2 And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD,
a but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
(a) Though he invented no new idolatry or impiety as others
did, yet he sought help from the Egyptians, whom God
had forbidden.
17:4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he
had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no
present to the king of Assyria, b as [he had done] year
by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and
bound him in prison.
(b) For he had paid tribute for eight years.
17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took
Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed
them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in
the cities of the c Medes.
(c) For at this time the Medes and Persians were subject to
the Assyrians.
17:7 For [so] it was, that the children of Israel had d sinned
against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out
of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king
of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
(d) He sets forth at length the cause of this great plague
and perpetual captivity, to admonish all people, and
nations to cleave to the Lord God, and worship only him
for fear of similar judgment.
17:9 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 e of
the watchmen to the fenced city.
(e) Meaning, throughout all their borders.
17:14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their
necks, like to the neck of their f fathers, that did not
believe in the LORD their God.
(f) So that to allege the authority of our fathers or
great antiquity, except we can prove that they were
godly, is but to declare that we are the children of
the wicked.
17:16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God,
and made them molten images, [even] two calves, and made a
grove, and worshipped all the g host of heaven, and
served Baal.
17:17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to h pass
through the fire, and used divination and enchantments,
and i sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the
LORD, to provoke him to anger.
17:18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed
them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe
of Judah k only.
(k) No whole tribe was left but Judah, and they of
Benjamin and Levi who remained were counted with
Judah.
17:20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and
afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of
spoilers, until he had cast them out of his l sight.
(l) Out of the land where he showed the greatest tokens of
his presence and favour.
17:21m For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they
made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave
Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great
sin.
(m) That is, God cut off the ten tribes,
(1Ki 12:16,20).
17:24 And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and
from n Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from
Sepharvaim, and placed [them] in the cities of Samaria
instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed
Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
(n) Of these people came the Samaritans, of which mention
is so often made in the gospel, and with whom the Jews
would have nothing to do, (Joh 4:9).
17:25 And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there,
[that] they o feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD
sent lions among them, which slew [some] of them.
(o) That is, they served him not: therefore, lest they
should blaspheme him, as though there were no God,
because he chastised the Israelites, he shows his
mighty power among them by this strange punishment.
17:27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither
one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let
them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner
of the God p of the land.
(p) That is, how to worship him: thus the wicked rather
than losing their conveniences will change to all
religions.
17:30 And the men of Babylon made q Succothbenoth, and the men
of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
(q) Meaning that every country served the idol that was
most esteemed in the place to which they came.
17:33 They r feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after
the manner of the nations whom they carried away from
thence.
(r) That is, they had a certain knowledge of God, and
feared him because of the punishment, but they
continued to be idolaters as do the papists who
worship both God and idols: but this is not to fear
God, as appears in (2Ki 17:34).
17:34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear
not the LORD, neither do they after s their statutes, or
after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment
which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he
named Israel;
(s) He means by this the Israelites to whom God had given
his commandments.
17:41 So these t nations feared the LORD, and served their
graven images, both their children, and their children's
children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
(t) That is, these strangers who were sent into Samaria by
the Assyrians.
