What is the meaning of 2 Kings 17:34? To this day “ To this day ” (2 Kings 17:34) tells us the problem was not a momentary lapse but a long-running pattern that had outlived the exile of Israel. The writer, looking back after the Assyrian resettlement (see 2 Kings 17:24), can still say nothing has changed. • The phrase echoes 2 Kings 17:41, emphasizing a stubborn, generational resistance. • Similar lament appears in Judges 2:19, where each generation “continued in their corrupt ways.” • Hebrews 3:7-9 warns believers not to repeat that hard-hearted history “today.” They are still practicing their former customs The settlers in Samaria blended imported pagan rituals with a token acknowledgement of Yahweh (2 Kings 17:29-33). “Former customs” points back to the idolatry that provoked God’s judgment on Israel in the first place (2 Kings 17:7-12). • Deuteronomy 12:30-31 forbids adopting Canaanite worship patterns. • 1 Kings 12:28-31 describes Jeroboam’s golden calves, an earlier “custom” that never fully disappeared. • Jeremiah 10:3 calls such practices “worthless.” None of them worship the LORD Outward homage is meaningless when the heart remains divided. These colonists “feared the LORD” only superficially (2 Kings 17:32-33), yet Scripture bluntly says they did not worship Him at all. • Exodus 20:3-5 insists on exclusive loyalty—no rivals, no images. • 2 Chronicles 25:14-15 shows God’s anger when people try to serve Him alongside other gods. • Jesus reaffirms the standard: “You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave The verse piles up legal terms to stress comprehensive neglect. God’s covenant demands were clear and complete. • Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5 underscores Moses delivering those very “statutes and ordinances.” • Psalm 119 celebrates the blessing of keeping every facet of God’s law. • James 1:22 urges believers to be “doers of the word,” not merely hearers who deceive themselves. The descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel The covenant was given to a specific people forever identified by God’s own naming of Jacob (Genesis 32:28). Ignoring that covenant wasn’t just lawbreaking; it was a rejection of identity and relationship. • Exodus 3:15 links the name “LORD… the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” to everlasting remembrance. • Amos 3:2 reminds Israel, “You only have I known… therefore I will punish you.” • Romans 9:4-5 notes the privileges Israel possessed—yet privileges bring responsibility. summary 2 Kings 17:34 is a sober snapshot: even after judgment and exile, the transplanted inhabitants of Samaria clung to their old pagan practices, refusing wholehearted worship and obedience to the LORD. Their persistence (“to this day”) highlights the depth of human rebellion, the futility of syncretism, and the ongoing relevance of God’s covenant standards. The verse challenges every generation to break from “former customs,” honor the one true God alone, and live out the full counsel of His statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments. |
    |