2 Kings 17:8
New International Version
and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.

New Living Translation
They had followed the practices of the pagan nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices the kings of Israel had introduced.

English Standard Version
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.

Berean Standard Bible
and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

King James Bible
And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

New King James Version
and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

New American Standard Bible
They also followed the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

NASB 1995
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

NASB 1977
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

Legacy Standard Bible
and walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel, and in the statutes of the kings of Israel which they had made.

Amplified Bible
and walked in the customs of the [pagan] nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons (descendants) of Israel, and in the pagan customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

Christian Standard Bible
They lived according to the customs of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites and according to what the kings of Israel did.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They had lived according to the customs of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites and the customs the kings of Israel had introduced.

American Standard Version
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.

Contemporary English Version
followed the customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of Israel, and were just as sinful as the Israelite kings.

English Revised Version
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and lived by the customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of the Israelites' way. They also did what their kings wanted them to do.

Good News Translation
followed the customs of the people whom the LORD had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel.

International Standard Version
and because they were following the rules of the nations whom the LORD had expelled before the Israelis and that the kings of Israel had practiced.

Majority Standard Bible
and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

NET Bible
they observed the practices of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel.

New Heart English Bible
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.

Webster's Bible Translation
And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel which they had made.

World English Bible
and walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and walk in the statutes of the nations that YHWH dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel that they made;

Young's Literal Translation
and walk in the statutes of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel that they made;

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will go in the laws of the nations which Jehovah dispossessed from the face of the sons of Israel, and the kings of Israel which they made.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they walked according to the way of the nations which the Lord had destroyed in the sight of the children of Israel and of the kings of Israel: because they had done in like manner.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they walked according to the rituals of the nations that the Lord had consumed in the sight of the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel. For they had acted similarly.

New American Bible
they followed the rites of the nations whom the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites and those that the kings of Israel had practiced.

New Revised Standard Version
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had introduced.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had destroyed from before the children of Israel,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they walked in the custom of the Gentiles whom LORD JEHOVAH destroyed from before the children of Israel
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they practised;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord cast out before the face of the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel as many as did such things,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel Exiled Because of Idolatry
7All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods 8and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel. 9The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.…

Cross References
Leviticus 18:3
You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.

Deuteronomy 18:9
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Deuteronomy 12:30-31
be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.” / You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

Deuteronomy 9:4-5
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. / It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2 Kings 21:2
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.

2 Kings 16:3
Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 28:3
Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:2
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.

Jeremiah 10:2
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.

Ezekiel 11:12
Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”

Ezekiel 20:32
When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

Psalm 106:35
but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.

Judges 2:12-13
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.

Judges 3:5-6
Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. / And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

1 Kings 14:24
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.


Treasury of Scripture

And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

walked

2 Kings 16:3,10
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel…

2 Kings 21:2
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Leviticus 18:3,27-30
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances…

of the kings of Israel

Hosea 5:11
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

Micah 6:16
For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Jump to Previous
Cast Children Customs Driven Drove Followed Heathen Introduced Israel Kings Nations Practices Practised Rules Statutes Walk Walked
Jump to Next
Cast Children Customs Driven Drove Followed Heathen Introduced Israel Kings Nations Practices Practised Rules Statutes Walk Walked
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.














and they had walked
The phrase "and they had walked" signifies a deliberate and continuous action. In Hebrew, the word "walked" (הָלַךְ, halak) often implies a way of life or conduct. It suggests that the Israelites adopted a lifestyle that was contrary to God's commandments. This walking is not merely physical but spiritual, indicating a journey away from God's path.

in the customs of the nations
The "customs of the nations" refers to the practices and traditions of the surrounding pagan nations. The Hebrew word for "customs" (חֻקּוֹת, chuqqot) can also mean statutes or decrees. These were the cultural and religious practices that God had explicitly warned the Israelites against adopting (Leviticus 18:3). The adoption of these customs signifies a profound spiritual compromise and disobedience.

that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites
This phrase underscores the historical context of God's judgment against the Canaanite nations. The LORD (יהוה, Yahweh) had driven out these nations due to their abominable practices, as seen in Deuteronomy 9:4-5. The Israelites' adoption of these same practices is a tragic irony, highlighting their failure to remain distinct and holy as God intended.

as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel
The "practices introduced by the kings of Israel" refers to the idolatrous innovations and religious syncretism initiated by the northern kings, starting with Jeroboam I, who set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-30). These practices were a direct violation of the first and second commandments and led the people further away from true worship of Yahweh.

(8) Statutes of the heathen . . . and of the kings of Israel.--The national guilt was twofold. It comprised: (1) idolatry in the strict sense--i.e., worship of other gods than Jehovah; (2) a heathenish mode of worshipping Jehovah Himself--namely, under the form of a bullock, as Jeroboam I. had ordained. The term "statutes" means religious rules or ordinances. (Comp. Exodus 12:14, "statutes;" Leviticus 20:23, "manners;" 1Kings 3:3, "ordinance.")

Which they had made--i.e., the statutes which the kings of Israel had made. (Comp. 2Kings 17:19 b.)

Verse 8. - And walked in the statutes of the heathen. The" statutes of the heathen" are their customs and observances, especially in matters of religion. The Israelites had been repeatedly warned not to follow these (see Leviticus 18:3, 30; Deuteronomy 12:29-31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14, etc.). Whom the Lord east out from before the children of Israel - i.e. the Canaanitish nations, whose idolatries and other "abominations" were particularly hateful to God (see Leviticus 18:26-29; Deuteronomy 20:18; Deuteronomy 29:17; Deuteronomy 32:16, etc.) - and of the kings of Israel. The sins and idolatries of Israel had a double origin. The great majority were derived from the heathen nations with whom they were brought into contact, and were adopted voluntarily by the people themselves. Of this kind were the worship at "high places" (ver. 9), the "images" and "groves" (ver. 10), the causing of their children to "pass through the fire" (ver. 17), the employment of divination and enchantments (ver. 17), and perhaps the "worship of the host of heaven" (ver. 16). A certain number, however, came in from a different source, being imposed upon the people by their kings. To this class belong the desertion of the temple-worship, enforced by Jeroboam (vex. 21), the setting up of the calves at Dan and Bethel (ver. 16) by the same, and the Baal and Astarte worship (ver. 16), introduced by Ahab. This last and worst idolatry was not established without a good deal of persecution, as we learn from 1 Kings 18:4. Which they had made.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and they had walked
וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ (way·yê·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

in the customs
בְּחֻקּ֣וֹת (bə·ḥuq·qō·wṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 2708: Something prescribed, an enactment, statute

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

whom
אֲשֶׁר֙ (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

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

had driven out
הוֹרִ֣ישׁ (hō·w·rîš)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

before
מִפְּנֵ֖י (mip·pə·nê)
Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the Israelites,
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

as well as in the practices
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

introduced
עָשֽׂוּ׃ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

by the kings
וּמַלְכֵ֥י (ū·mal·ḵê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Israel.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: 2 Kings 17:8 And walked in the statutes (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 17:7
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