2 Kings 17:41
New International Version
Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

New Living Translation
So while these new residents worshiped the LORD, they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their descendants do the same.

English Standard Version
So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

Berean Standard Bible
So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

King James Bible
So these 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.

New King James Version
So these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.

New American Standard Bible
So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.

NASB 1995
So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

NASB 1977
So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

Legacy Standard Bible
So while these nations were fearing Yahweh, they also were serving their graven images; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers acted, so they are acting this way to this day.

Amplified Bible
So these nations [superficially] feared the LORD; they also served their idols, as did their children and their children’s children, just as their fathers did, so do they to this day [the date of this writing].

Christian Standard Bible
They feared the LORD but also served their idols. Still today, their children and grandchildren continue doing as their ancestors did.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These nations feared the LORD but also served their idols. Their children and grandchildren continue doing as their fathers did until today.

American Standard Version
So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

Contemporary English Version
They did worship the LORD, but they also worshiped their own idols. Their descendants did the same thing.

English Revised Version
So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
These [other] nations worshiped the LORD but also served their own idols. So did their children and their grandchildren. They still do whatever their ancestors did.

Good News Translation
So those people worshiped the LORD, but they also worshiped their idols; and to this day their descendants continue to do the same.

International Standard Version
These nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their descendants did the same thing, as did their grandchildren. Just as their ancestors had done, they also do the same thing to this day.

Majority Standard Bible
So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

NET Bible
These nations are worshiping the LORD and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

New Heart English Bible
So these nations feared the LORD, and served their engraved images. Their children likewise, and their children's children, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they to this day.

World English Bible
So these nations feared Yahweh, and also served their engraved images. Their children did likewise, and so did their children’s children. They do as their fathers did to this day.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and these nations are fearing YHWH, and they have served their carved images, both their sons and their sons’ sons; as their fathers did, they are doing to this day.

Young's Literal Translation
and these nations are fearing Jehovah, and their graven images they have served, both their sons and their sons' sons; as their fathers did, they are doing unto this day.

Smith's Literal Translation
And these nations were fearing Jehovah and were serving their carved images, also their sons and their sons sons; as their fathers did, they are doing even to this day.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
So these nations feared the Lord, but nevertheless served also their idols: their children also and grandchildren, as their fathers did, so do they unto this day.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And such were these nations: to some extent fearing the Lord, yet nevertheless also serving their idols. As for their sons and grandsons, just as their fathers acted, so also did they act, even to the present day.

New American Bible
But these nations were both venerating the LORD and serving their own idols. Their children and children’s children are still acting like their ancestors, to this very day.

New Revised Standard Version
So these nations worshiped the LORD, but also served their carved images; to this day their children and their children’s children continue to do as their ancestors did.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So these nations also who dwelt in Samaria worshipped the LORD and served their graven images, also their children and their children's children; as did their fathers, so do they to this day.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And there were also these Gentiles who dwelt in Samaria who worshiped LORD JEHOVAH, and they were working for their carved images, as were also their children, also their grandchildren, and as their fathers had done, they have been doing also until today.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: yea, their sons and their son's sons do until this day even as their fathers did.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel's Cities Resettled by Foreigners
40But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs. 41So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

Cross References
Exodus 20:3-5
You shall have no other gods before Me. / You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. / You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Deuteronomy 6:14
Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

Joshua 24:14-15
Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. / But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

Judges 2:11-13
And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. / Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, / for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.

1 Kings 18:21
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

2 Kings 21:2-6
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. / For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven. / Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” ...

Jeremiah 10:2-5
This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. / For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. ...

Ezekiel 20:18-21
In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. / I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. / Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’ ...

Hosea 4:12-13
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God. / They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

Zephaniah 1:5-6
those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, / and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 15:8-9
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Mark 7:6-9
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ / You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” ...

Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

John 4:22-24
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. / But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. / God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”


Treasury of Scripture

So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they to this day.

these nations

2 Kings 17:32,33
So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places…

Joshua 24:14-20
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD…

1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

unto this day

Ezra 4:1-3
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; …

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2 Kings 17
1. Hoshea the Last King of Israel
3. Being subdued by Shalmaneser, he conspires against him with So, king of Egypt
5. Samaria for sinning is led into captivity
24. The strange nations transplanted into Samaria make a mixture of religions.














So while these nations feared the LORD
The phrase "feared the LORD" in Hebrew is "yare' et-YHWH," which implies a reverence or awe towards God. This fear is not merely terror but a recognition of God's sovereignty and holiness. Historically, the nations mentioned here were the peoples brought into Samaria by the Assyrians after the exile of the Israelites. They adopted a form of worship towards Yahweh, likely due to the influence of the remaining Israelites and the priest sent by the Assyrian king to teach them how to worship the God of the land (2 Kings 17:27-28). This fear, however, was superficial, as it was mixed with their pagan practices.

they also served their idols
The Hebrew word for "served" is "avad," which means to work or worship. This indicates a divided loyalty, where the nations attempted to blend the worship of Yahweh with their traditional idol worship. This syncretism is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, where the Israelites and surrounding nations often struggled with maintaining pure worship. The idols represent the gods of their native lands, which they continued to honor despite acknowledging Yahweh. This duality is condemned throughout Scripture, as God demands exclusive devotion (Exodus 20:3).

Even their children and grandchildren
This phrase highlights the generational impact of syncretism and disobedience. The Hebrew culture placed significant emphasis on teaching children the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). However, the continuation of idol worship among the descendants of these nations shows a failure to pass down true faith. It serves as a warning about the long-term consequences of compromised worship and the importance of instilling genuine faith in future generations.

continue to do as their fathers did
The phrase "as their fathers did" underscores the cyclical nature of sin and disobedience. The Hebrew word "asah" (to do) suggests a habitual action, indicating that the practices of idolatry became ingrained in their culture. This reflects the biblical principle that the sins of the fathers can influence subsequent generations (Exodus 34:7). It also emphasizes the need for repentance and breaking free from the patterns of the past to establish a new legacy of faithfulness.

to this day
This phrase serves as a historical marker, indicating that at the time of the writing of 2 Kings, the syncretistic practices were still ongoing. It suggests a period of reflection for the original audience, likely during the Babylonian exile, to understand the reasons for their current predicament. The persistence of these practices serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of compromising one's faith and the enduring consequences of such actions. It calls readers to examine their own lives and ensure their worship is pure and undivided.

(41) So these nations feared . . . images.--A variation of 2Kings 17:33.

Their children, and their children's children.--The captivity of Ephraim took place in 721 B.C. Two generations later bring us to the times of the exile of Judah--the age of the last Redactor of Kings.

Verse 41. - So these nations - i.e., the Babylonians, Cuthaeans, Hamathites, Avites, and Sepharvites settled in Samaria - feared the Lord, and served their graven images. The rabbinical writers tell us that Nergal was worshipped under the form of a cock, Ashima under the form of a goat, Nibhaz under the form of a dog, Tartak under that of an ass, while Adrammelech and Anammelech were represented by a mule and a horse respectively. Not much confidence can be placed in these representations. The Babylonian gods were ordinarily figured in human forms. Animal ones - as those of the bull and the lion, generally winged and human-headed, were in a few cases, but only in a few, used to represent the gods symbolically. Other emblems employed were the winged circle for Asshur; the disc plain or four-rayed for the male sun, six or eight-rayed for the female sun; the crescent for the moon-god Sin; the thunderbolt for the god of the atmosphere, Vul or Rimmon; the wedge or arrow-head, the fundamental element of writing, for Nebo. Images, however, were made of all the gods, and were no doubt set up by the several "nations" in their respective "cities." Both their children, and their children's children - i.e. their descendants to the time of the writer of Kings - as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So
וַיִּהְי֣וּ ׀ (way·yih·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

these
הָאֵ֗לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

nations
הַגּוֹיִ֣ם (hag·gō·w·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

worshiped
יְרֵאִים֙ (yə·rê·’îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

but also served
עֹֽבְדִ֑ים (‘ō·ḇə·ḏîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

their idols,
פְּסִֽילֵיהֶ֖ם (pə·sî·lê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6456: An idol, image

and
הָי֣וּ (hā·yū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

to
עַ֖ד (‘aḏ)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

this
הַזֶּֽה׃ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

day
הַיּ֥וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

their children
בְּנֵיהֶ֣ם ׀ (bə·nê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

and grandchildren
בְנֵיהֶ֗ם (ḇə·nê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

continue to do
עָשׂ֤וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

their fathers
אֲבֹתָם֙ (’ă·ḇō·ṯām)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

did.
עֹשִׂ֔ים (‘ō·śîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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OT History: 2 Kings 17:41 So these nations feared Yahweh and served (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 17:40
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