2 Kings 17:2
New International Version
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

New Living Translation
He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not to the same extent as the kings of Israel who ruled before him.

English Standard Version
And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Berean Standard Bible
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

King James Bible
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

New King James Version
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

New American Standard Bible
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who preceded him.

NASB 1995
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

NASB 1977
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Amplified Bible
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who came before him.

Christian Standard Bible
He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

American Standard Version
And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

Contemporary English Version
Hoshea disobeyed the LORD and sinned, but not as much as the earlier Israelite kings had done.

English Revised Version
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He did what the LORD considered evil, but he didn't do what the kings of Israel before him had done.

Good News Translation
He sinned against the LORD, but not as much as the kings who had ruled Israel before him.

International Standard Version
He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, though not like the kings of Israel who had preceded him.

Majority Standard Bible
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

NET Bible
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him.

New Heart English Bible
He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

World English Bible
He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he does evil in the eyes of YHWH, only, not as the kings of Israel who were before him;

Young's Literal Translation
and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, only, not as the kings of Israel who were before him;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will do evil in the eyes of Jehovah, but not as the kings of Israel which were before him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he did evil before the Lord: but not as the kings of Israel that had been before him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he did evil before the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who had been before him.

New American Bible
He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, yet not to the extent of the kings of Israel before him.

New Revised Standard Version
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not like the kings of Israel who were before him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he did evil before LORD JEHOVAH, however, not as the Kings of Israel who were before him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hoshea the Last King of Israel
1In 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. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. 3Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.…

Cross References
2 Kings 16:2-4
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. / Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. / And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

2 Kings 21:2-6
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. / For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven. / Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” ...

2 Kings 23:32
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers had done.

2 Kings 23:37
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his fathers had done.

2 Kings 24:9
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done.

2 Kings 24:19
And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.

1 Kings 15:26
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

1 Kings 15:34
And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

1 Kings 16:25-26
But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. / For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

1 Kings 16:30-33
However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. / And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal. / First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria. ...

1 Kings 22:52-53
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. / Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

2 Chronicles 28:1-4
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. / Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals. / Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. ...

2 Chronicles 33:2-9
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. / For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven. / Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” ...

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Jeremiah 7:9-10
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’?


Treasury of Scripture

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

but not as the kings

2 Kings 3:2
And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

2 Kings 10:31
But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

2 Kings 13:2,11
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom…

Jump to Previous
Evil Eyes Israel Kings Preceded Sight
Jump to Next
Evil Eyes Israel Kings Preceded Sight
2 Kings 17
1. Hoshea the Last King of Israel
3. Being subdued by Shalmaneser, he conspires against him with So, king of Egypt
5. Samaria for sinning is led into captivity
24. The strange nations transplanted into Samaria make a mixture of religions.














He did evil
This phrase refers to the actions of Hoshea, the last king of Israel, who continued in the sinful practices of his predecessors. The Hebrew word for "evil" is "ra," which encompasses not only moral wickedness but also actions that are harmful and destructive. In the context of the kings of Israel, "doing evil" often involved idolatry and leading the nation away from the worship of Yahweh. This phrase sets the stage for understanding the spiritual decline that led to Israel's downfall.

in the sight of the LORD
The phrase "in the sight of the LORD" emphasizes that God's perspective is the ultimate measure of righteousness and wickedness. The Hebrew word for "sight" is "ayin," meaning "eye," indicating that God sees and judges the actions of individuals and nations. This phrase reminds us that human actions are always observed by God, and His standards are what truly matter, not human opinions or cultural norms.

but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him
This comparison suggests that while Hoshea did evil, his actions were not as egregious as some of the previous kings. The phrase implies a relative scale of wickedness among the kings of Israel. Historically, many of Hoshea's predecessors, such as Ahab, were notorious for their idolatry and leading Israel into sin. This distinction may indicate that Hoshea's reign, while still sinful, lacked the same intensity or scale of idolatry and rebellion against God as seen in earlier reigns.

(2) But not as the kings of Israel that were before him.--The preceding phrase is used of all the northern kings but Shallum, who only reigned a month, and had no time for the display of his religious policy. We can hardly assume that Hoshea abandoned the calf-worship of Bethel, but he may have discountenanced the cultus of the Baals and Asheras. The Seder Olam states that Hoshea did not replace the calf of Bethel, which, it assumes, had been carried off by the Assyrians in accordance with the prophecy of Hosea (Hosea 10:5). We may remember that the last sovereigns of falling monarchies have not always been the worst of their line--e.g., Charles I. or Louis XVI.

Verse 2. - And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Hoshea's general attitude towards Jehovah was much the same as that of former kings of Israel. De maintained the calf-worship, leant upon "arms of flesh," and turned a deaf ear to the teaching of the prophets e.g, Hoshea and Micah, who addressed their warnings to him. But he was not guilty of any special wickedness - he set up no new idolatry; he seems to have allowed his subjects, if they pleased, to attend the festival worship at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 30:11, 18). The rabbis add that when the golden calf of Bethel had been carried off by the Assyrians in one of their incursions, he did not replace it ('Seder Olam,' 2 Kings 22.); but it is not at all clear that the image was carried away until Hoshea's reign was over (see Dr. Pusey's comment on Barnes' NotesHosea 10:6 in his ' Minor Prophets,' p. 64).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And he did
וַיַּ֥עַשׂ (way·ya·‘aś)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

evil
הָרַ֖ע (hā·ra‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

in the sight
בְּעֵינֵ֣י (bə·‘ê·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

but
רַ֗ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

not
לֹ֚א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

like the kings
כְּמַלְכֵ֣י (kə·mal·ḵê)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

who
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

preceded
הָי֖וּ (hā·yū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

him.
לְפָנָֽיו׃ (lə·p̄ā·nāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face


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OT History: 2 Kings 17:2 He did that which was evil (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 17:1
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