II Kings 17:29 · Bible study
2 Kings 17:29 Commentary: Syncretism After Exile
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Assyrian settlers keep worshipping their own gods after being taught to fear Yahweh? This study explores the syncretism of 2 Kings 17:29.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The foreign settlers in Samaria continued to worship their own gods even after being taught about Yahweh, placing their idols in the high places the Israelites had built.
- Key words: ĕlôhı̂m (gods), bāmâh (high place), nûaḥ (to place/set down, the Hiphil of nûaḥ indicates a permanent placement).
- Main debate: Whether the settlers’ worship of Yahweh was genuine or merely cultural accommodation; most commentators see it as syncretism rather than conversion.
- Theological theme: The human tendency to mix worship of the true God with other allegiances, and the failure of religious instruction to change the heart without repentance.
- Best use: A cautionary tale about divided loyalties in worship and a background to the Samaritan religion in the New Testament.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.
WEB World English Bible 2000
However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.
KJV King James Version 1769
Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and they are making each nation its gods, and place them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans have made, each nation in their cities where they are dwelling.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And every nation madegods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And every nation made gods of their own and put them in the temples of the high places, which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities where they dwelt.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas cada nación se hizo sus dioses, y pusiéronlos en los templos de los altos que habían hecho los de Samaria; cada nación en su ciudad donde habitaba.
Mas cada nação fez para si seus deuses, e puseram-nos nos templos dos altos que haviam feito os de Samaria; cada nação em sua cidade onde habitava.
Mais les nations firent chacune leurs dieux dans les villes qu’ elles habitaient, et les placèrent dans les maisons des hauts lieux bâties par les Samaritains.
Aber ein jegliches Volk machte seinen Gott und taten sie in die Häuser auf den Höhen, die die Samariter gemacht hatten, ein jegliches Volk in ihren Städten, darin sie wohnten.
Maar elk volk maakte zijn goden; en zij stelden ze in de huizen der hoogten, die de Samaritanen gemaakt hadden, elk volk in hun steden, waarin zij woonachtig waren.
Nondimeno, ognuna di quelle genti si fece i propri dèi nelle città dove dimorava, e li mise nelle case degli alti luoghi che i Samaritani aveano costruito.
Wszakże naczynili sobie każdy naród bogów swych, i postawili je w domu wyżyn, które byli pobudowali Samaryjczycy, każdy naród w miastach swych, w których mieszkali,
Притом сделал каждый народ и своих богов и поставил в капищах высот, какие устроили Самаряне, — каждый народ в своих городах, где живут они.
然而，各族 之人 在所 住的 城 裡各為自己 製造 神像，安置 在撒馬利亞人 所 造 有邱壇 的殿中。
And every nation made gods for themselves, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the towns where they were living.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 17:29
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse describes the persistence of idolatry among the Assyrian settlers in Samaria. Barnes notes that the “Samaritans” here are the Israelites of the northern kingdom, whose high places and temples remained standing after their deportation. The new settlers placed their own gods in these existing sanctuaries rather than tearing them down. Gill observes that despite the instruction from the Israelite priest (v.28), the settlers retained the gods they had brought from their homelands. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown emphasize that these colonists did not view Yahweh as the only God; they combined His worship with that of their own deities. Matthew Henry comments that they made gods of their own, showing the deep root of idolatry in the human heart. The Cambridge Bible adds that seeing the calves of Dan and Bethel would not draw them away from their earlier divinities. The verse sets the stage for the syncretistic religion that characterized the mixed population of Samaria for centuries.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse clearly states that the foreign settlers made their own gods and placed them in the high places, indicating continued idolatry despite instruction in Yahweh worship.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of 'Samaritans' | The term refers to the inhabitants of the northern kingdom of Israel at the time of the Assyrian conquest, not the later Samaritan sect. | Some argue that the later Samaritans are direct descendants of these mixed populations, while others see more continuity with the remnant of Israel that remained in the land. |
| Effectiveness of the priest's teaching | The teaching did not produce exclusive worship of Yahweh among the settlers. | Whether the priest taught correctly or the settlers deliberately refused exclusive worship is less clear; some see the priest’s instruction as inadequate, others see the settlers’ hearts as hardened. |
| Nature of syncretism | The settlers feared Yahweh and served their own gods, this is typically understood as syncretism. | Some interpret this as a gradual assimilation of Yahweh into their pantheon, while others see a more deliberate attempt to cover all religious bases. |
| Use of high places | The high places were cultic sites originally built by the Israelites for idolatry (1 Kings 12:31). | Whether using these existing sites was a neutral act or an inherently idolatrous continuation of Israel’s sin is debated; most see it as further corruption. |
Historical & Cultural Context
After the fall of Samaria in 722 BC, the Assyrian king Sargon II deported many Israelites and brought in people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim (v.24). This was a standard Assyrian policy to prevent rebellion by mixing populations. The new settlers did not initially worship Yahweh, and God sent lions among them (v.25). The king of Assyria then sent one of the exiled Israelite priests to teach them “how they should fear Yahweh” (v.28). The priest settled in Bethel, a major cult site of the northern kingdom where Jeroboam had set up a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-30). Despite this instruction, the settlers continued to worship their own national gods. They used the high places that the Israelites had built. The Hebrew word bamah (high place) refers to elevated cultic platforms used for worship. These high places had been condemned by the prophets as illegitimate sites for worship, but they remained standing. The settlers placed idols in these houses, effectively continuing the idolatry that had caused Israel's downfall. The phrase “every nation” (goy goy) emphasizes that each ethnic group maintained its distinct religious identity. This syncretism, fearing Yahweh while serving other gods, became the hallmark of the Samaritan religion, as later described in vv.32-41.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is consistent across manuscripts and versions.
Reception History
Read across church history as a warning against syncretism, this verse has been cited in discussions of idolatry and the corruption of worship. Early Christian writers pointed to it to explain the mixed religion of the Samaritans, a group that appears in the New Testament as both adversaries and recipients of the gospel. During the Reformation, commentators used the passage to illustrate the second commandment’s prohibition against images and the danger of combining true worship with human inventions. It remains a key text for understanding how religious instruction can fail when the heart remains attached to other loyalties.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Persistence of Old Idols: Despite new instruction, the settlers clung to the gods they had brought from their homelands. Religious habits die hard, especially when they are tied to ethnic identity.
- The Misuse of Sacred Spaces: They placed their idols in the high places once used for Israel’s worship. Instead of tearing down these sites, they repurposed them for their own gods, showing how quickly holy things can be corrupted.
- The Danger of Syncretism: Combining worship of Yahweh with other gods leads to a divided heart. The settlers “feared the Lord” but also served their own gods (v.33). This is not acceptable worship but a compromise that denies God’s exclusive claim.
Five-point outline
- God’s discipline through exile (v.24-25): The northern kingdom fell because of idolatry; the land is now occupied by foreigners.
- God’s mercy in sending instruction (v.27-28): Even after judgment, God provides a teacher to show them the right way.
- Human resistance to exclusive worship (v.29): The settlers hear the law but do not abandon their idols.
- The proliferation of idols (v.30-31): Each nation makes its own god, Succoth Benoth, Nergal, Ashima, and more.
- The tragic compromise of syncretism (v.32-33): They fear Yahweh and serve other gods, a pattern that continues for generations.
Illustration hooks
- A person who attends church regularly but still relies on a lucky charm or horoscope for guidance.
- A family that puts up a Christmas nativity scene but also consults an astrology app for daily decisions.
- A community that renovates an old chapel but fills it with a mix of religious symbols from different traditions, treating all as equally valid.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Why is it so hard to let go of old spiritual habits even when we know better?”
- “Does God accept partial obedience if we also honor other things?”
- “What modern ‘high places’ do we put our trust in alongside God, money, status, comfort?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows us that even when people are taught about God, they may still cling to familiar idols. The Assyrian settlers heard about Yahweh but did not abandon their own gods. How does this challenge us to examine our own hearts for competing loyalties?
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Kings 17:24-29. What happened after the Assyrians resettled Samaria?
- Why did the king of Assyria send a priest to teach the settlers?
- In verse 29, what did the settlers do with their own gods? Where did they put them?
- What does this verse reveal about the condition of their hearts toward God?
- How does the history of the high places (1 Kings 12:31) make this act even more significant?
- In what ways might we be tempted to “place our own gods” in spaces meant for God alone?
- What does this passage teach us about the nature of true worship?
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)
| 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 13:32 | For the saying which he cried by Yahweh’s word against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.” |
| Psalms 115:4 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. |
| Psalms 115:8 | Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. |
| Psalms 135:15 | The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. |
| Psalms 135:18 | Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them. |
| Isaiah 44:9 | Everyone who makes a carved image is vain. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their own witnesses don’t see, nor know, that they may be disappointed. |
| Isaiah 44:20 | He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?” |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that these nations did not invent entirely new deities but reproduced the same idols they had served back home. Their worship was not a fresh choice but a transplant: they carried their false gods with them and set them up in the new land.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the Samaritans in this verse as the original Israelites of the northern kingdom. He notes that the high-place temples built by Jeroboam remained standing after the exile, and the incoming foreign settlers simply took over those old sanctuaries for their own worship.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools commentary observes that the foreign settlers saw the calves at Dan and Bethel as no better than their own gods. Adopting this new worship form did not weaken their attachment to their earlier divinities. The high places stood ready for the strangers to install their idols everywhere.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note points out that each foreign nation resettled in Samaria made its own gods and set them up in the high places the Samaritans had built. These nations placed their deities in the very locations the Samaritans
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that these foreign settlers, though instructed about the worship of the God of Israel, deliberately kept and served the idols they brought with them. They placed those gods in the very same high places the Israelites had built for their own idolatry, simply replacing one set of false worship with another.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the Assyrian colonists did not deny the God of Israel existed or refuse to worship Him. Rather, they simply never regarded Him as the only God, mixing His worship with the gods they brought from their own nations and creating a jumble of idols.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the phrase means only that Hoshea was not as bad as his immediate predecessors, not all previous kings. He rejects the idea that Hoshea abandoned Jeroboam's calf worship; any improvement was limited to opposing the extra idolatries that had entered under 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.