2 Kings 17:38
in 2 Kings 17Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods:
KJV
And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
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This verse in 2 Kings 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Do not worship other gods or bow down to them
on 2 Kings 17:35-39
Verses 35 to 39 recite the Sinai covenant, the commandments of Exodus 20:2 to 5, in the LORD's own words. Its first command is “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them”. Five verses circle one command broken for generations, and the chapter states what was always required.
This site's exposition
Do not forget the covenant
John Gill identified this covenant as the law given at Sinai, whose first table governed the worship of God alone. Deuteronomy 4:23 gives the same warning against forgetting the covenant. Moses gave that warning first.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Israel Subdued by Assyria. 1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the L ORD , but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:90%@v1-3
And the covenant that I have made with you, ye shall not forget,.... The law given at Mount Sinai; the first table of which chiefly concerned the worship of the one true and living God, and forbid the worship of any other, as follows: neither shall ye fear other gods; or make them the object of worship.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהַבְּרִ֛ית | vehaberit | and the covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| כָּרַ֥תִּי | karati | I made | H3772 → | 288 times |
| אִתְּכֶ֖ם | ʾitekhem | with you | H854 → | 929 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשְׁכָּ֑חוּ | tishkachu | you must forget | H7911 → | |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִֽירְא֖וּ | tireu | you must fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֥ים | ʾelohim | gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֲחֵרִֽים׃ | ʾacherim | other | H312 → | 166 times |
וְהַבְּרִ֛יתand the covenant
vehaberitH1285 →284 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
כָּרַ֥תִּיI made
karatiH3772 →288 times
אִתְּכֶ֖םwith you
ʾitekhemH854 →929 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִשְׁכָּ֑חוּyou must forget
tishkachuH7911 →
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תִֽירְא֖וּyou must fear
tireuH3372 →315 times
אֱלֹהִ֥יםgods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
אֲחֵרִֽים׃other
ʾacherimH312 →166 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 4:23Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as…
- Ezekiel 16:59
For this is what the Lord GOD says: I will deal with you according to your deeds, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
- Joshua 23:16
If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against…
- Matthew 24:4
Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you.
- Deuteronomy 29:25
And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of…
- Deuteronomy 4:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies11
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.