II Kings 17:27 · Bible study
2 Kings 17:27 Commentary: The Law of the God of the Land
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
After the Assyrian exile, the king sends a priest to teach the new settlers about Yahweh. Explore the meaning and the resulting syncretism.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Assyrian king sends a deported priest to teach the new settlers the customs of Yahweh, resulting in a syncretistic religion.
- Key words: mishpat (custom/ordinance), kohen (priest), 'e.chad (one, indicates a single priest sent).
- Main debate: Did the priest teach genuine Yahwism or a corrupted northern cult version? The narrative suggests the latter (v. 29, 33).
- Theological theme: God’s exclusive claim on worship; the danger of syncretism; God’s sovereignty over foreign nations.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of true worship, the history of Samaria, and warning against mixing faith with other loyalties.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.”
KJV King James Version 1769
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And the king of Asshur commandeth, saying, `Cause to go thither one of the priests whom ye removed thence, and they go and dwell there, and he doth teach them the custom of the God of the land.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And the king of Assyria commanded saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye have brought away from thence; and let them go and abide there, and let him teach them the manner of thegod of the land.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying: Carry thither one of the priests whom you brought from thence captive, and let him go, and dwell with them: and let him teach them the ordinances of the God of the land.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y el rey de Asiria mandó, diciendo: Llevad allí á alguno de los sacerdotes que trajisteis de allá, y vayan y habiten allí, y enséñenles la costumbre del Dios del país.
E o rei da Assíria mandou, dizendo: Levai ali a algum dos sacerdotes que trouxestes dali, e vão e habitem ali, e ensinem-lhes o costume do Deus do país.
Le roi d’ Assyrie donna cet ordre: Faites-y aller l’ un des prêtres que vous avez emmenés de là en captivité; qu’ il parte pour s’ y établir, et qu’ il leur enseigne la manière de servir le dieu du pays.
Der König von Assyrien gebot und sprach: Bringet dahin der Priester einen, die von dort sind weggeführt, und ziehet hin und wohnet daselbst, und er lehre sie die Weise Gottes im Lande.
Toen gebood de koning van Assyrie, zeggende: Brengt een der priesteren daarheen, die gijlieden van daar weggevoerd hebt, dat zij henentrekken, en wonen aldaar; en dat hij hun lere de wijze des Gods van het land.
Allora il re d’Assiria dette quest’ordine: “Fate tornare colà uno dei sacerdoti che avete di là trasportati; ch’egli vada a stabilirsi quivi, e insegni loro il modo di servire l’iddio del paese”.
Tedy rozkazał król Assyryjski, mówiąc: Zawiedźcie tam jednego z kapłanów, któreście stamtąd przywiedli, aby poszedłszy mieszkał tam, i nauczał ich obyczaju Boga onej ziemi.
И повелел царь Ассирийский, и сказал: отправьте туда одного из священников, которых вы выселили оттуда; пусть пойдет и живет там, и он научит их закону Бога той земли.
亞述 王 就吩咐 說：「叫 所 擄來的 祭司 回去 一個，使他住 在那裡，將 那地 之神 的規矩 指教那些民。」
Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you took away, and let him be living there and teaching the people the way of the god of the land.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 17:27
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 Assyrian king's order in this verse is a pragmatic response to what he perceives as a local deity's anger. The settlers report that they do not know 'the law of the god of the land,' and lions are killing them. The king sends back one of the deported priests to teach 'the manner of the god of the land' (Hebrew mishpat, custom or ordinance). The Cambridge Bible notes that among ancient peoples, the manner or ceremonial detail of worship mattered most. Barnes highlights the change in number: 'let them go' (the priest with assistants) but 'let him teach' (only the priest qualified to teach the hidden rites). The narrative results in a syncretistic religion: the settlers feared Yahweh but also served their own gods (v. 29, 33). Matthew Henry summarizes that they learned just enough to become a mixed people, not true worshippers. Consensus holds that the teaching was partial and did not lead to exclusive devotion to Yahweh.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Genuine Yahwist teaching: Verse 28 says the priest 'taught them how they should fear Yahweh,' and later Samaritans were known for strict monotheism. This view sees the teaching as authentic Torah instruction.
- Syncretistic cult teaching: The priest likely came from Bethel's corrupted cult (1 Kings 12:28–33). Verses 29–31 show the settlers kept their own gods, suggesting the teaching did not demand exclusive loyalty.
- Pragmatic paganism: The king and settlers treat Yahweh as one territorial god among many. The teaching was merely about appeasing him, not about covenantal relationship.
What is clear: The verse describes the starting point of a mixed religion: the settlers learned enough about Yahweh to fear him, but they did not abandon their own gods.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The priest's teaching and its authority | The king sent back a priest from among the deported Israelites to teach the settlers about Yahweh. | Some commentators (e.g., Gill, Jewish traditions) see this as a genuine attempt to instruct in the law, while others note the priest likely came from the syncretistic sanctuaries of Dan and Bethel, so his teaching would have been mixed from the start. |
| The result of the teaching | The settlers feared Yahweh but also served their own gods, creating a mixed religion. | Christians differ on whether any genuine faith existed. Matthew Henry saw it as surface-level; Adam Clarke observed that later Samaritans abandoned idolatry, so the teaching eventually bore some fruit. |
| The king's motive | The king acted to stop the lion attacks, which he attributed to ignorance of the local god's demands. | Some view this as a pagan understanding, he treats Yahweh like any territorial deity, while others see it as an unconscious acknowledgment of Yahweh's power over the land. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits within the story of the fall of the Northern Kingdom (c. 722 BC). The king of Assyria, probably Sargon II or Sennacherib, deported Israelites and resettled foreigners in Samaria. Such resettlement was standard Assyrian policy to break national identity and prevent rebellion.
The colonists came from five regions, each with its own gods. They did not initially worship Yahweh, and the narrator reports that Yahweh sent lions among them (v. 25). In the ancient Near East, each land was thought to have a territorial deity whose favor was needed for safety and fertility. The settlers assume Yahweh is the god of the land and they have offended him by not knowing his 'mishpat' (custom, ordinance).
The king's command to send back a priest shows a calculated effort to pacify the local deity. The priest likely came from the former cult centers of Dan or Bethel (see 1 Kings 12:28, 33), which had practiced a syncretistic worship from the start. Verse 28 says the priest settled in Bethel, reinforcing that this was the northern cult's headquarters. The result was not pure Yahwism but a blending of faiths, the settlers added Yahweh to their pantheon, a pattern that continued and gave rise to the Samaritan religion described in later Jewish sources.
The term 'mishpat' here carries the sense of 'custom' or 'ritual requirement.' It is used for both God's ordinances and human practices. Its use suggests the king and settlers viewed Yahweh's worship as a set of external rites to be performed correctly.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The double change in number, 'let them go' (plural) and 'let him teach' (singular), is a stylistic feature of the Hebrew, not a corruption. Barnes and the Cambridge Bible explain it as the priest traveling with attendants who could not teach. The LXX rendering differs slightly but carries the same sense.
Reception History
Jewish and Samaritan traditions diverge on this verse. Later Jewish sources (e.g., Pirke Eliezer cited by Gill) name the priest as Dosthai or Dosithaeus, sent to circumcise and teach the law. The Samaritans themselves claimed continuity with the teaching of this priest. Adam Clarke noted that the instruction eventually led to the Samaritans becoming monotheistic and free from idolatry after the Babylonian captivity, though by his day they were a tiny remnant. Reformation commentators like Matthew Henry used the passage to warn against mixing Christian faith with pagan customs. Modern historical scholarship reads the verse as an etiological narrative explaining how the Samaritan religion arose as a blend of indigenous Israelite and imported pagan traditions.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A crisis exposes ignorance. The lions reveal that the settlers do not know 'the manner of the God of the land.'
- The king’s solution is a partial remedy. He sends a priest to teach the external forms, not the heart of the covenant.
- Partial teaching produces mixed worship. The settlers fear Yahweh and serve their own gods, a dangerous combination.
Five-point outline
- God’s sovereignty over all nations. Even the Assyrian king acknowledges the power of the God of Israel.
- The danger of knowing only the form. The priest taught the 'manner' (mishpat) but likely not the exclusive loyalty Yahweh demands.
- Human tendency to add God to other gods. The settlers added Yahweh to their existing pantheon.
- God’s jealousy for wholehearted worship. The narrative condemns their syncretism (v. 32, 34).
- Genuine worship requires both truth and trust. Teaching the law without the heart of love leads to a split religion.
Illustration hooks
- A family moves to a new country and tries to follow local etiquette without learning the language or values, polite but shallow.
- A company adopts a diversity policy but does not change its culture, surface compliance, no transformation.
- A new student in school picks up the slang and style but not the academic rigor, looks the part, misses the substance.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Was the priest teaching the true worship of Yahweh, or a corrupted version from the northern kingdom?
- Did the settlers truly fear the Lord, or was it just fear of punishment?
- What does this say about blending Christianity with cultural habits that contradict faith?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows the difficulty of transmitting faith when only the externals are passed on. The new settlers wanted to stop the lion attacks, so they learned the 'manner' of the God of the land. But they did not give up their own gods. Many of us face the same pull, adding Jesus to a life already full of other allegiances. This story invites us to examine whether our worship is exclusive or mixed.
Discussion questions
- Why did the settlers think they needed to learn about the god of the land? What does this reveal about their view of deities?
- Read verses 24, 28. What problem did the king aim to solve, and how does his solution show his understanding of Yahweh?
- The priest taught 'how they should fear Yahweh' (v. 28). What might this teaching have included? What might it have left out?
- Verse 29 says the settlers 'made gods of their own' while also fearing Yahweh. Why is it so natural for humans to mix worship?
- How does this passage challenge our own tendency to compartmentalize faith? Where might we be 'fearing the Lord' on Sunday while serving other gods the rest of the week?
- What would it take for the settlers to have worshipped Yahweh alone? What does that require from us?
- How does the rest of Scripture (e.g., Exodus 20:3, Matthew 6:24) speak to the issue of divided loyalty?
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)
| Judges 17:13 | Then Micah said, “Now I know that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.” |
| I Kings 12:31 | He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. |
| I Kings 13:2 | He cried against the altar by Yahweh’s word, and said, “Altar! Altar! Yahweh says: ‘Behold, a son will be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’” |
| II Chronicles 11:15 | He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goat and calf idols which he had made. |
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
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that the imperfect teaching from the one priest actually succeeded in overthrowing Samaritan idolatry. By the time of the Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans were as free from idolatry as the Jews, and they remain so to this day, though now their community is reduced to about thirty families.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that the shift from singular to plural and back in the original text is deliberate, not a copying error. The assistants accompany the priest to live there, but only the priest himself is qualified to teach the sacred worship practices known only to those who served at Dan and Bethel.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Assyrian king assumed that only a priest could teach the new colonists, because in heathen worship the outward ceremony and precise observances were what mattered most. The less spiritual worship is, the more it fixates on the "manner" of performance. The command for the priest to go with attendants shows he would be escorted by a body of subordinates to add grandeur.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Then the King of Asshur commanded, saying, Carie thither one of the Priestes whome ye brought thence, and let him goe and dwell there, and teache them the maner of the God of the countrey.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that the original Hebrew verb is plural, suggesting the king sent more than one priest, not a single teacher. He supports this with Jewish tradition naming two specific priests, Dosthai and Zachariah, and Josephus's report that the people themselves requested priests be sent to instruct them.
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.