Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

Every nation made gods of their own - That is, they made gods after the fashion of those which they had worshipped in their own country.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The “Samaritans” here are the Israelites. The temples built by them at the high places 1 Kings 12:31; 1 Kings 13:32 had remained standing at the time of their departure. They were now occupied by the new-comers, who set up their own worship in the old sanctuaries.

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible

THEY "FEARED" JEHOVAH AND SERVED THEIR OWN GODS

"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. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the men of Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared Jehovah, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared Jehovah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away."

This type of "fearing Jehovah" was, of course, without any genuine value whatever, and yet there remained among some of the poorer classes of the Israelites who had not been deported but left in Samaria a residual knowledge of Jehovah, based upon the Samaritan Pentateuch, and that accounts for the reception of Jesus Christ by Samaria (Luke 4). These people mingled racially with the new population, and were thoroughly hated and despised by the Jews.

The various gods which the people are said to have made were:

"Succoth-benoth" (2 Kings 17:30). "This means `booths (houses) of daughters,' either houses of prostitution, or shrines to which were carried images of female deities."[14]

"Cuth made Nergal" (2 Kings 17:30). "This deity was the Babylonian lord of the underworld; he was the equivalent of the Roman god Mars."[15]

"The men of Hamath made Ashima" (2 Kings 17:30). This deity is mentioned only here and is "unknown outside of the O.T."[16]

"The Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak (2 Kings 17:31). "These two names are totally unknown, and the words themselves are uncertain. Jewish tradition says that one of these deities was worshipped under the image of a dog's head, and the other under the guise of an ass. However, the Jews were notoriously abusive when they referred to heathen gods."[17]

"The Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech" (2 Kings 17:31). Both of these deities were related in some way to Molek, as indicated by the final two syllables in each name. This horrible worship was especially strong in Carthage.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Howbeit, every nation made gods of their own,.... Served and worshipped those they brought with them, and which were the work of their own hands, even the nations, or those out of the nations, mentioned 2 Kings 17:24 these, notwithstanding the instructions they had about the worship of the God of Israel, retained and served their own deities: and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt; as the Israelites had built high places everywhere for idolatry, and put images in them, 2 Kings 17:9 these Heathens placed their gods there in the room of them, which were as follow.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Howbeit every nation made gods of their own — These Assyrian colonists, however, though instructed in the worship, and acknowledging the being of the God of Israel, did not suppose Him to be the only God. Like other heathens, they combined His worship with that of their own gods; and as they formed a promiscuous society from different nations or provinces, a variety of idols was acknowledged among them.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

2 Kings 17:29 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.

Ver. 29. Made gods of their own.] Goodly gods, that were made of men. Olim truncus eram ficulnus, &c. God made man after his own image, and men, to be even with him, will needs make gods after their image. See Romans 1:23, 2 Corinthians 8:5.

Every nation in the cities.] So each city had its own god, and lest they should miss of the right, they closed their petitions with that general Diique deaeque omnes; or, as Medics doth in the tragedy, O Deus quisquis es, vel in caelo vel in terra; O God, whoever thou art in heaven or earth. (a) But God requireth that we be at a better certainty. [Hebrews 11:6 Matthew 16:15]

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Made gods of their own or, worshipped, (as that verb is sometimes used; of which see Exodus 32:35) i.e. those whom they worshipped in the places from whence they came, whose names here follow.

The Samaritans, i.e. the former people, or inhabitants, not of the city, but of the kingdom of Samaria.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

29.Every nation made gods of their own — While trying to observe the manner of the god of their new country they did not reject or neglect their old divinities. This was no inconsistency for a heathen, for none of these idolaters supposed that the gods of his own land were the only true divinities.

Houses of the high places — Which the exiled Israelites had built, and which had been left standing in the various cities of Samaria. The Samaritans in this verse are not the new colonists, but the former Israelitish population, called Samaritans from the name of their capital city.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

2 Kings 17:29. Howbeit, every nation made gods of their own — Or, worshipped, as the Hebrew word here used sometimes means; of which see Exodus 32:35. That is, they worshipped the gods which they had served in the places from whence they came. And put them in the high places which the Samaritans — That is, which the former inhabitants of the city and kingdom had made.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Dwelt. This impure service did not deserve a mitigation of the late chastisement. But God often punishes in this world (Haydock) to manifest his glory, (John ix. 3.) and spares to display his power (Calmet) and goodness. (Haydock) --- He had sufficiently convinced these nations of his dominion over all.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

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.

Howbeit every nation made gods of their own. These Assyrian colonists, however, though instructed in the worship and acknowledging the being of the God of Israel, did not suppose Him to be the only God. Like other pagans, they combined His worship with that of their own gods; and as they formed a promiscuous society from different nations or provinces, a variety of idols were acknowledged among them.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(29) Howbeit.—And. The colonists did not fear Jehovah in a monotheistic sense; they simply added his cultus to that of their ancestral deities.

The houses of the high places.—The temples or chaples which constituted the sanctuaries of the different cities in the Samaritan territory.

The Samaritans—i.e., the people of northern Israel. (Comp. Samaria in 2 Kings 17:24.)

Dwelt.—Were dwelling.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

made gods

Psalms 115:4-8; 135:15-18; Isaiah 44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Hosea 8:5,6; Micah 4:5; Romans 1:23