2 Kings 17:27
New International Version
Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.”

New Living Translation
The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.”

English Standard Version
Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.”

New American Standard Bible
Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into exile, and have him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.”

NASB 1995
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”

NASB 1977
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile, and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you took away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him instruct them the custom of the god of the land.”

Amplified Bible
Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Take back [to Samaria] one of the priests whom you brought from there, and have him go and live there; and have him teach the people the custom of the god of the land.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported. Have him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the god of the land.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the king of Assyria issued a command: “Send back one of the priests you deported. Have him go and live there so he can teach them the requirements of the God of the land.”

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
The king replied, "Get one of the Israelite priests we brought here and send him back to Israel. He can live there and teach them about the god of that country."

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The king of Assyria gave this command: "Bring one of the priests you captured from there. Let him go back to teach them the customs of the god of that country."

Good News Translation
So the emperor commanded: "Send back one of the priests we brought as prisoners; have him go back and live there, in order to teach the people the law of the god of that land."

International Standard Version
So the king of Assyria issued this order: "Take one of the priests whom you carried away and let him go back and live there. Let him teach them the law of the god of the land."

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

NET Bible
So the king of Assyria ordered, "Take back one of the priests whom you deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land."

New Heart English Bible
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land."

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
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.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the king of Asshur commands, saying, “Cause one of the priests to go there whom you removed from there, and they go and dwell there, and he teaches them the custom of the God of the land.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the king of Assur will command, saying, Carry there one of the priests which ye brought from thence; and they shall go and dwell there, and he shall teach them the judgment of the God of the land.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying: “Lead to that place one of the priests, whom you brought as a captive from there. And let him go and live with them. And let him teach them the ordinances of the God of the land.”

New American Bible
The king of Assyria gave the order, “Send back some of the priests you deported, to go there and settle, to teach them the proper worship of the god of the land.”

New Revised Standard Version
Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there; let him go and live there, and teach them the law of the god of the land.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Take there one of the priests whom you have carried away from there; and let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the religion of the god of the land.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the King of Assyria commanded and said: “Bring out there one of the Priests whom you have taken captive from there, and he shall go and he shall dwell there and shall teach them the judgment of the God of the land.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying, Bring some Israelites thence, and let them go and dwell there, and they shall teach them the manner of the God of the land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel's Cities Resettled by Foreigners
26So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.” 27Then 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.” 28Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.…

Cross References
2 Kings 17:24-26
Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. / Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. / So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”

2 Kings 17:28-29
Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD. / 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.

2 Kings 17:33-34
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. / To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.

2 Kings 17:41
So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

2 Chronicles 30:6-9
At the command of the king, the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria. / Do not be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you can see. / Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you. ...

Ezra 4:1-2
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, / they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

Nehemiah 4:1-2
Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews / before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”

Isaiah 2:6
For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

Jeremiah 10:2-3
This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. / For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.

Jeremiah 44:8
Why are you provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to reside? As a result, you will be cut off and will become an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations of the earth.

Hosea 8:4-5
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. / He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

Amos 7:17
Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be divided by a measuring line, and you yourself will die on pagan soil. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their homeland.’”

Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, / and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

John 4:22
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.


Treasury of Scripture

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.

one of the priests

Judges 17:13
Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

1 Kings 12:31
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

1 Kings 13:2
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

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Assyria Carried Carry Commanded Custom Dwell Exile Law Manner Priests Teach Thence Thither
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.














Then the king of Assyria
This phrase introduces the central figure of authority in this narrative, the king of Assyria. Historically, the Assyrian Empire was a dominant force in the ancient Near East, known for its military prowess and expansive conquests. The king of Assyria at this time was likely Shalmaneser V or Sargon II, who played pivotal roles in the conquest and exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Assyrian kings were seen as instruments of God's judgment against Israel due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience.

commanded
The Hebrew root for "commanded" is צָוָה (tsavah), which implies a directive given with authority and expectation of obedience. This reflects the absolute power wielded by the Assyrian king over his subjects and territories. In a broader theological context, it also serves as a reminder of God's sovereign control over the nations, using even foreign rulers to accomplish His divine purposes.

Send back one of the priests
This phrase indicates a specific action taken by the Assyrian king to address a problem in the newly conquered land. The sending back of a priest suggests an attempt to restore religious order and appease the local deity, which in this context is the God of Israel. It highlights the ancient practice of syncretism, where conquering powers would often incorporate local religious practices to maintain peace and stability.

you deported
The term "deported" refers to the forced relocation of the Israelites by the Assyrians, a common practice used to prevent rebellion and assimilate conquered peoples. This action fulfilled the prophetic warnings given to Israel about the consequences of their unfaithfulness. The deportation was not just a physical removal but also a spiritual and cultural dislocation, emphasizing the severity of Israel's judgment.

from Samaria
Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and a significant cultural and religious center. Its mention here underscores the loss of national identity and autonomy for the Israelites. Samaria's fall was a pivotal moment in Israel's history, marking the end of the Northern Kingdom and serving as a cautionary tale of the dangers of turning away from God.

to live there
The phrase "to live there" implies a return to the land with the purpose of dwelling and establishing a presence. This action was intended to reintroduce the worship of the God of Israel in the land, which had been disrupted by the Assyrian conquest. It reflects the enduring connection between the people of Israel and their God, despite their physical displacement.

and teach them
The act of teaching here is crucial, as it involves instructing the new inhabitants of the land in the ways and laws of the God of Israel. The Hebrew root for "teach" is לָמַד (lamad), which conveys the idea of learning through instruction and practice. This highlights the importance of knowledge and understanding in maintaining a covenant relationship with God.

the requirements of the God of the land
This phrase emphasizes the necessity of adhering to the specific religious and moral obligations associated with the worship of the God of Israel. The "requirements" refer to the laws and commandments given by God, which were meant to guide the Israelites in their daily lives and ensure their distinctiveness as His chosen people. The acknowledgment of God as "the God of the land" underscores His sovereignty over all creation and His rightful claim to worship and obedience from all who dwell in the land.

(27) Carry.--Cause to go.

Let them go and dwell.--To be corrected after the Syriac and Vulg.: let him go and dwell.

Ye brought.--Ye carried away.

Verse 27. - Then the King of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence. It does not appear that this was a suggestion of the colonists. Either it was the king's own idea, or that of one of his advisers. The priests, who ministered at the two national sanctuaries - those of Dan and Bethel - had, as important personages, been all carried off. Though a "remnant" of Israel was left in the land (2 Chronicles 34:9), they were probably of the baser sort (comp. 2 Kings 25:12), or at any rate could not be trusted to know the details and intricacies of the Samaritan ritual. Thus it was necessary to send back a priest. And let them go and dwell there. We should have expected, "Let him go;" but the writer assumes that the priest would have an entourage, assistant-ministers and servants, and so says, "Let them go;" but immediately afterwards, And let him teach - since he alone would be competent - them the manner of the God of the land.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the king
מֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Assyria
אַשּׁ֜וּר (’aš·šūr)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 804: Ashshur

commanded:
וַיְצַ֨ו (way·ṣaw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

“Send back
הֹלִ֤יכוּ (hō·lî·ḵū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

one
אֶחָ֤ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of the priests
מֵהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ (mê·hak·kō·hă·nîm)
Preposition-m, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3548: Priest

you carried off
הִגְלִיתֶ֣ם (hiḡ·lî·ṯem)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1540: To denude, to exile, to reveal

from [Samaria],
מִשָּׁ֔ם (miš·šām)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

and have him go back
וְיֵלְכ֖וּ (wə·yê·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to live
וְיֵ֣שְׁבוּ (wə·yê·šə·ḇū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

there
שָׁ֙מָּה֙ (šām·māh)
Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

and teach
וְיֹרֵ֕ם (wə·yō·rêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3384: To flow as water, to lay, throw, to point out, to teach

the requirements
מִשְׁפַּ֖ט (miš·paṭ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

of the God
אֱלֹהֵ֥י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of the land.”
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT History: 2 Kings 17:27 Then the king of Assyria commanded saying (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 17:26
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