II Kings 17:25 · Bible study
2 Kings 17:25 Commentary: Lions, Fear, and the God of the Land
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the interpretive tension in II Kings 17:25: was the lion attack supernatural judgment or natural consequence? Commentators weigh in.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The settlers failed to fear Yahweh, so He sent lions among them, killing some, a judgment that also served to assert His sovereignty over the land.
- Key words: Yārĕ'û (they feared), Qal perfect, indicating complete absence; wayĕšallaḥ (and He sent), Piel imperfect, deliberate agency; hā'ărāyôt (the lions), definite, specific beasts.
- Main debate: Was the lion attack a direct supernatural judgment or a natural consequence (depopulation leading to increased wildlife) that the settlers misinterpreted as divine punishment?
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over the land and His demand for exclusive worship; the danger of syncretism.
- Best use: Preaching on the fear of God, discerning God's hand in events, and the responsibility to teach others about the true God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
WEB World English Bible 2000
So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn’t fear Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
KJV King James Version 1769
And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah: therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and it cometh to pass, at the commencement of their dwelling there, they have not feared Jehovah, and Jehovah doth send among them the lions, and they are destroying among them.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Jehovah; and Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed [some] of them.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And when they began to dwell there, they feared not the Lord: and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y aconteció al principio, cuando comenzaron á habitar allí, que no temiendo ellos á Jehová, envió Jehová contra ellos leones que los mataban.
E aconteceu ao princípio, quando começaram a habitar ali, que não temendo eles ao SENHOR, enviou o SENHOR contra eles leões que os matavam.
Lorsqu’ ils commencèrent à y habiter, ils ne craignaient pas l’ Éternel, et l’ Éternel envoya contre eux des lions qui les tuaient.
Und da sie aber anhoben daselbst zu wohnen und den HERRN nicht fürchteten, sandte der HERR Löwen unter sie, die erwürgten sie.
En het geschiedde in het begin hunner woning aldaar, dat zij den HEERE niet vreesden; zo zond de HEERE leeuwen onder hen, die enigen van hen doodden.
E quando cominciarono a dimorarvi, non temevano l’Eterno; e l’Eterno mandò contro di loro dei leoni, che faceano strage fra loro.
A gdy tam oni mieszkać poczęli a nie bali się Pana, posłał Pan na nie lwy, którzy je zabijali.
И как в начале жительства своего там они не чтили Господа, то Господь посылал на них львов, которые умерщвляли их.
他們才 住 那裡的時候，不 敬畏 耶和華，所以耶和華 叫 獅子 進入他們中間， 咬死了 些人。
Now when first they were living there they did not give worship to the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them, causing the death of some of them.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 17:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the settlers' failure to fear Yahweh is the stated cause of the lion attacks. The verb yārĕ'û (they feared) is a Qal perfect, indicating a complete absence of reverence. Barnes, Cambridge, and Clarke note that the depopulation of Israel after the exile naturally led to an increase in wild beasts, especially lions from the Jordan thickets (Jer 49:19; 50:44). Yet the narrative states that “Yahweh sent lions,” using the Piel imperfect wayĕšallaḥ, which carries a sense of deliberate divine agency. Gill and Wesley see this as a direct act of God to assert His sovereignty over the land. Cambridge Bible remarks that the statement reflects the settlers' own interpretation; the writer may or may not share it. Thus all agree on the event and its immediate cause (no fear of Yahweh), but they differ on whether the lions were primarily a supernatural judgment or a natural occurrence that the settlers read as divine punishment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Direct divine judgment: The text explicitly says 'Yahweh sent lions,' using a verb of deliberate sending (Piel). Gill and Wesley emphasize God's assertion of sovereignty.
- Natural consequence misinterpreted: Barnes and Cambridge note that depopulation leads to increased wildlife; the settlers themselves assumed it was the god of the land. The narrator may simply report their perspective.
- Both divine and natural: Clarke and others suggest no contradiction: God can use natural means (increased lions) to accomplish His purposes, so the event is both natural and supernatural.
What is clear: The settlers did not fear Yahweh, and lions killed some of them; the passage is presented as part of the larger story of God's dealings with the land of Israel.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the lion attack | The settlers did not fear Yahweh, and lions killed some of them. | Some Christians read it as a direct supernatural judgment (Gill, Wesley), while others emphasize natural causes, depopulation led to more lions, and see the settlers' interpretation as their own (Barnes, Cambridge). |
| Interpretive stance of the narrator | The narrator records the settlers' own explanation in v.26 and the divine sending in v.25. | Does the narrator endorse the settlers' view? Cambridge Bible says we cannot know how far the writer shared it; others (Geneva, Matthew Henry) take the statement at face value as God's action. |
| Theological message for non-Israelites | God holds all people accountable to fear Him, even those who do not know His law. | Some traditions stress God's common grace in sending a teacher; others emphasize that ignorance does not excuse judgment, as seen in the lion attacks. |
| Application to modern life | No single event should be automatically assumed to be divine punishment without further revelation. | Some Christians are quick to see judgment in national tragedies; others caution against reading providence without scriptural warrant, citing the complexity of natural causes and human sin. |
Historical & Cultural Context
After the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom, the king of Assyria repopulated Samaria with people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim (v.24). These settlers brought their own polytheistic traditions, including the worship of local deities. In the ancient Near East, people commonly believed that each territory had its own god or gods who controlled the land's fertility and safety. The settlers' initial response was to ignore Yahweh entirely, they “did not fear the LORD” (v.25). The land, however, had been depopulated by the exile, leaving fields and towns empty. Without human presence, wild animals multiplied. Lions were known to lurk in the jungle along the Jordan River (Jer 49:19; 50:44; see also 1 Ki 20:23 for the concept of local gods). When these lions began killing people, the settlers interpreted the attacks as punishment from “the god of the land” (v.26). They approached the Assyrian king for help, and he sent back one of the exiled Israelite priests to Bethel to teach them “how they should fear Yahweh” (v.28). Yet even after instruction, their worship remained syncretistic: they feared Yahweh but also served their own gods (v.33,41). The tension in v.25, whether the lions were sent directly by God or were a natural consequence misinterpreted by the settlers, reflects the broader biblical theme of God's sovereignty over history, even when secondary causes are evident.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the translations uniformly render the same sense: the settlers did not fear Yahweh, and He sent lions among them.
Reception History
From the Reformation onward, commentators have wrestled with this verse. The Geneva Bible (1599) and Matthew Henry (1710) read it as direct judgment, emphasizing God's sovereignty. Wesley (1754) and Gill (1748) also affirm God's sovereign act, noting that the heathen custom was to worship local gods, so the settlers' neglect was especially culpable. By the 19th century, critical scholars like Barnes (1832) and the Cambridge Bible (1880) gave more weight to natural causes, pointing to depopulation and increased wildlife. This range of interpretation, from supernatural to natural, mirrors broader debates about divine action in history and remains a point of discussion in churches today.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The absence of fear invites judgment. The settlers did not acknowledge Yahweh at all, and the lions came. Fearing God is not optional for those who live in His land.
- God uses means, natural and supernatural. Commentators note the natural increase of lions after depopulation, yet the text says “Yahweh sent lions.” Both can be true: God works through secondary causes to accomplish His purposes.
- Ignorance is not innocence. The settlers did not know Yahweh, but they were still held accountable for not fearing Him. The priest was sent to teach them, showing that knowledge leads to responsibility.
Five-point outline
- Context: Assyria resettles Samaria with foreign peoples (v.24).
- Crisis: The settlers fail to fear Yahweh (v.25a).
- Consequence: Yahweh sends lions that kill some of them (v.25b).
- Interpretation: The settlers see it as the god of the land punishing them (v.26).
- Intervention: The Assyrian king sends a priest to teach them to fear Yahweh (v.28).
Illustration hooks
- A family moves into a new neighborhood and ignores the homeowners' association rules. When complaints and fines come, they blame the system rather than their own neglect. Like the settlers, they face consequences they did not expect.
- A community experiences a sudden spike in car accidents after a major road is built with poor lighting. Some residents talk about “bad luck” or “curses,” while others simply fix the lighting. The line between natural cause and divine message is often blurred in daily life.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know if a difficult event in my life is a consequence of my choices, a natural occurrence, or a direct judgment from God?
- Does God hold people accountable for not fearing Him even if they have never been taught about Him?
- What does it mean to “fear the Lord” in a healthy way, not out of terror but reverence?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us into the messy intersection of divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and natural phenomena. The settlers of Samaria faced a terrifying situation: lions attacking and killing people. They saw it as a message from the local deity. As we read the account, we are forced to ask how we interpret the events of our own lives. Is God speaking through circumstances? How do we discern His voice from coincidence or natural cause?
Discussion questions
- What does the text tell us about the settlers' spiritual condition at the beginning? Why did they not fear Yahweh?
- Read verse 26. How did the settlers themselves explain the lion attacks? What does that reveal about their worldview?
- Why does the narrator say “Yahweh sent lions” (v.25) when commentators like Barnes and Cambridge point out the natural cause of depopulation? Does the narrator intend us to see a contradiction?
- What does the response of the Assyrian king (v.27-28) tell us about how the nations viewed the gods of conquered lands?
- How do we, as Christians today, distinguish between a natural disaster, a consequence of sin, and a direct judgment from God? What guidelines does Scripture give?
- Verse 32 says the settlers “feared Yahweh” but also served their own gods. Is it possible to fear God and still live in disobedience? How does that challenge us?
- What does this passage teach us about the importance of teaching others to fear God? How can our church community help people who are ignorant of God come to know Him?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 22:25 | For Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ So your children might make our children cease from fearing Yahweh. |
| I Kings 13:24 | When he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body. |
| I Kings 20:36 | Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed Yahweh’s voice, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.” As soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him and killed him. |
| II Kings 2:24 | He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in Yahweh’s name. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of those youths. |
| II Kings 17:28 | So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh. |
| II Kings 17:32 | So they feared Yahweh, and also made from among themselves priests of the high places for themselves, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. |
| II Kings 17:34 | To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear Yahweh, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinances, or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; |
| II Kings 17:41 | 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. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the lions could have multiplied naturally after the land was depopulated, but the superstitious newcomers assumed a divine plague because they did not know how to worship the God of the land, thinking each district had its own deity. Yet he thinks it likely that God did intentionally send the lions as a judgment on this wicked people.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that after the land was depopulated and wild animals multiplied, the foreign colonists who resettled there interpreted the lion attacks as punishment from the local deity, the god of that land. They understood their suffering not as random misfortune but as a direct divine judgment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator treats the statement about lions as the people’s own explanation, not necessarily the historian’s view. These foreigners, accustomed to local deities, naturally assumed the God of Israel was angry because they did not know how to worship Him. The increase of wild beasts was simply a fact in a thinly settled land.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva commentator highlights a direct cause and effect: because the new settlers did not fear the Lord from the very start of their residence, God sent lions to attack and kill them. The judgment came swiftly and specifically in response to their lack of reverent awe toward Him.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that these settlers did not merely neglect the Lord, they refused even the usual pagan practice of honoring the local gods. Their exclusive worship of their own idols was a direct challenge to God, so He sent lions into their cities to assert His sovereignty and power.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the text does not say Hoshea was better than all previous kings, only less evil than his immediate predecessors. He still clung to Jeroboam's calf-worship; his relatively better conduct likely meant only that he opposed the extreme idolatry introduced by Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry points out that the new settlers of Samaria wanted to honor the Lord but only on their own terms, mixing His worship with their own idols. Their appointment of the lowest people as priests reveals they had no regard for true worship. This syncretism was not genuine fear of the Lord.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley emphasizes that God removed Israel and brought in the foreign settlers to demonstrate His absolute sovereignty over the land. It was not because of the newcomers' strength or Israel's weakness, but God's deliberate judgment. He warns that these new inhabitants face the same fate if they repeat Israel's sins.