2 Kings 17:12
in 2 Kings 17They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they served idols, whereof Jehovah had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
KJV
For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
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This verse in 2 Kings 17
Commentary
3 notes on this verseFor they served idols,.... Baalim, as the Targum; dunghill gods, as the word signifies, as they are often called in Scripture; and Sterculius was one of the names of Saturn, an Heathen deity, which he had, as is supposed, by his finding out the method of making land fruitful with dung (i): whereof the Lord said unto them, ye shall not do this thing; see Exo 20:3. (i) Vid. Macrob. l. 1. c. 7. Lactant. de fals. Relig. l. 1. c. 20.
This site's exposition
the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city
on 2 Kings 17:9-12
Verses 9 to 12 catalogue the buildup by scale rather than by list: high places built in every city from the watchtower to the walled town, images and groves set on every high hill and under every green tree, incense burned in all of them. The idols are named only by category, because the point is saturation rather than inventory. The Lord had said plainly, ye shall not do this thing, and the chapter measures the distance between that one sentence and generations of practice covering the whole land.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), the works of their own hands and creatures of their own fancy, though God had warned them particularly not to do this thing. (6.) They burnt incense in all the high places, to the honour of strange gods, for it was to the dishonour of the true God,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּֽעַבְד֖וּ | vaiyaavdu | and they served | H5647 → | 288 times |
| הַגִּלֻּלִ֑ים | hagilulim | the idols | H1544 → | 48 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָמַ֤ר | ʾamar | he had said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָהֶ֔ם | lahem | to them | ||
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַעֲשׂ֖וּ | taasu | you must do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדָּבָ֥ר | hadavar | the thing | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיַּֽעַבְד֖וּand they served
vaiyaavduH5647 →288 times
הַגִּלֻּלִ֑יםthe idols
hagilulimH1544 →48 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָמַ֤רhe had said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָהֶ֔םto them
lahem
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תַעֲשׂ֖וּyou must do
taasuH6213 →2628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדָּבָ֥רthe thing
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Leviticus 26:1“You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am…
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:4
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.
- Numbers 33:52
you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
- Deuteronomy 27:15
‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people…
- Exodus 23:24
You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
- Exodus 20:4–5
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.
- Leviticus 19:4
Through
Deuteronomy 12:4You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:23
You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
- Deuteronomy 20:18
so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
- Deuteronomy 16:21–22
Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
- Leviticus 20:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.