In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years. In the twelfth yearThis phrase sets a specific historical context, anchoring the events in a precise timeline. The twelfth year of Ahaz's reign over Judah provides a chronological marker that helps us understand the interconnectedness of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The number twelve often symbolizes governmental perfection or completeness in the Bible, which may suggest a divinely ordained timing for the events that follow. of Ahaz’s reign over Judah
Ahaz was a king of Judah known for his idolatrous practices and lack of faithfulness to God. His reign is marked by political instability and spiritual decline, which contrasts with the ideal of a king who leads his people in righteousness. This context highlights the spiritual and moral decay present in the southern kingdom, setting the stage for the narrative of Israel's own struggles. Hoshea son of Elah
Hoshea's name means "salvation" or "deliverance" in Hebrew, which is ironic given the impending fall of Israel during his reign. As the son of Elah, Hoshea's lineage is noted, though little is known about his father. This introduction of Hoshea emphasizes the personal responsibility and leadership role he assumes in a time of national crisis. became king of Israel
Hoshea's ascension to the throne marks a significant moment in Israel's history. The northern kingdom of Israel was plagued by political turmoil and idolatry, and Hoshea's reign would be the last before the Assyrian conquest. His becoming king signifies a continuation of the dynastic struggles and the failure to return to covenant faithfulness. in Samaria
Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, established by King Omri. It was a city known for its idolatry and political alliances with foreign powers. The mention of Samaria underscores the centrality of this city in Israel's political and religious life, as well as its role in the nation's downfall. and he reigned nine years
The duration of Hoshea's reign is relatively short, reflecting the instability and impending judgment upon Israel. The number nine can symbolize finality or judgment in biblical numerology, which is fitting given that Hoshea's reign ends with the Assyrian conquest and the exile of the Israelites. This period serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of persistent disobedience to God. Persons / Places / Events 1. HosheaThe last king of Israel, who reigned in Samaria. His reign marked the end of the Northern Kingdom due to its conquest by Assyria. 2. AhazThe king of Judah during Hoshea's reign. His rule is noted for idolatry and political alliances that were contrary to God's commands. 3. SamariaThe capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It was a center of political and religious activity and eventually fell to the Assyrians. 4. IsraelRefers to the Northern Kingdom, distinct from Judah, which was the Southern Kingdom. Israel's persistent idolatry led to its downfall. 5. AssyriaThe empire that conquered Israel during Hoshea's reign, leading to the exile of the Israelites. Teaching Points The Consequences of IdolatryIsrael's fall under Hoshea's reign serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of turning away from God. Idolatry leads to spiritual and national ruin. Leadership and AccountabilityHoshea's reign illustrates the importance of godly leadership. Leaders are accountable for guiding their people in righteousness and truth. The Importance of ObedienceThe history of Israel underlines the necessity of obedience to God's commands. Disobedience brings about divine judgment and loss of blessings. God's Sovereignty in JudgmentThe fall of Israel demonstrates God's sovereignty. Despite human rebellion, God's purposes prevail, and His judgments are just. Hope in RepentanceWhile Israel faced judgment, the broader biblical account offers hope through repentance and restoration, as seen in the promises to Judah and the coming of Christ. Bible Study Questions 1. What lessons can we learn from Hoshea's reign about the impact of leadership on a nation's spiritual health? 2. How does the fall of Israel under Hoshea's rule illustrate the principles found in Deuteronomy 28 regarding obedience and disobedience? 3. In what ways can we guard against idolatry in our own lives, considering the example of Israel's downfall? 4. How does the contrast between Hoshea and Hezekiah's reigns in 2 Kings 18 encourage us to pursue faithfulness to God? 5. Reflecting on the sovereignty of God in the judgment of Israel, how can we find hope and assurance in His promises of restoration through Christ? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 18Provides a contrast between the reigns of Hoshea and Hezekiah, king of Judah, highlighting the consequences of disobedience versus faithfulness to God. Hosea 13Offers prophetic insight into the spiritual state of Israel during Hoshea's reign, emphasizing the nation's idolatry and impending judgment. Deuteronomy 28Details the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, which are reflected in the fate of Israel under Hoshea. People Adrammelech, Ahaz, Anammelech, Avites, Avvites, David, Elah, Hoshea, Israelites, Jacob, Jeroboam, Nebat, Pharaoh, Sepharvites, ShalmaneserPlaces Assyria, Avva, Babylon, Bethel, Cuth, Cuthah, Egypt, Gozan, Habor River, Halah, Hamath, Samaria, SepharvaimTopics Ahaz, Elah, Hoshea, Hoshe'a, Judah, Nine, Reign, Reigned, Ruling, Samaria, Sama'ria, TwelfthDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 17:1-2 8739 evil, examples of 2 Kings 17:1-6 5366 king Library Divided Worship
'These nations feared the Lord, and served their own gods.'--2 KINGS xvii. 33. The kingdom of Israel had come to its fated end. Its king and people had been carried away captives in accordance with the cruel policy of the great Eastern despotisms, which had so much to do with weakening them by their very conquests. The land had lain desolate and uncultivated for many years, savage beasts had increased in the untilled solitudes, even as weeds and nettles grew in the gardens and vineyards of Samaria. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureA Kingdom's Epitaph
'In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 7. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8. And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture September the Eleventh a Fatal Divorce
"They feared the Lord, and served their own gods." --2 KINGS xvii. 24-34. And that is an old-world record, but it is quite a modern experience. The kinsmen of these ancient people are found in our own time. Men still fear one God and serve another. But something is vitally wrong when men can divorce their fear from their obedience. And the beginning of the wrong is in the fear itself. "Fear," as used in this passage, is a counterfeit coin, which does not ring true to the truth. It means only the …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
Discourse 9 "No man can serve two masters; For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions Mongrel Religion
I. I shall first call your attention to THE NATURE OF THIS Mongrel Religion. It had its good and bad points, for it wore a double face. These people were not infidels. Far from it: "they feared the Lord." They did not deny the existence, or the power, or the rights of the great God of Israel, whose name is Jehovah. They had not the pride of Pharaoh who said, "Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice?" They were not like those whom David calls "fools," who said in their hearts, "There is no God." …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881 Building in Troublous Times
'Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; 2. Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3. But Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Profession and Practice.
18th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. xxii. 42. "What think ye of Christ?" INTRODUCTION.--Many men are Christians neither in understanding nor in heart. Some are Christians in heart, and not in understanding. Some in understanding, and not in heart, and some are Christians in both. If I were to go into a Temple of the Hindoos, or into a Synagogue of the Jews, and were to ask, "What think ye of Christ?" the people there would shake their heads and deny that He is God, and reject His teaching. The …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent The Original Text and Its History.
1. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, with the exception of certain portions of Ezra and Daniel and a single verse of Jeremiah, (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Dan. 2:4, from the middle of the verse to end of chap. 7; Jer. 10:11,) which are written in the cognate Chaldee language. The Hebrew belongs to a stock of related languages commonly called Shemitic, because spoken mainly by the descendants of Shem. Its main divisions are: (1,) the Arabic, having its original seat in the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his Adherents, in this Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls.
1. The power of the Church in enacting laws. This made a source of human traditions. Impiety of these traditions. 2. Many of the Papistical traditions not only difficult, but impossible to be observed. 3. That the question may be more conveniently explained, nature of conscience must be defined. 4. Definition of conscience explained. Examples in illustration of the definition. 5. Paul's doctrine of submission to magistrates for conscience sake, gives no countenance to the Popish doctrine of the obligation …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion A More Particular view of the Several Branches of the Christian Temper, by which the Reader May be Farther Assisted in Judging what He Is, And
1, 2. The importance of the case engages to a more particular survey what manner of spirit we are of.--3. Accordingly the Christian temper is described, by some general views of it, as a new and divine temper.--4. As resembling that of Christ.--5. And as engaging us to be spiritually minded, and to walk by faith.--6. A plan of the remainder.--7. In which the Christian temper is more particularly considered with regard to the blessed God: as including fear, affection, and obedience.--8, 9. Faith and …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 17:1 NIV2 Kings 17:1 NLT2 Kings 17:1 ESV2 Kings 17:1 NASB2 Kings 17:1 KJV
2 Kings 17:1 Commentaries
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