In this passage, we read, “To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel” (v.34). The phrase “to this day” indicates that the author is describing a persistent and ongoing failure among the people, suggesting that they continued in their disobedient practices for a considerable span of years. Far from revering the God who delivered them, these people neglected the commandments that were originally given to Jacob, an important patriarch who lived around the early second millennium BC (commonly dated approximately 2006-1859 BC). Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), fathered the twelve tribes forming the nation, emphasizing the significance of the special covenant they were meant to uphold.
The verse highlights how “they do not fear the LORD” (v.34), a stark contrast to the command that demanded exclusive reverence toward God (Exodus 20:3). By ignoring “the statutes,” “the ordinances,” and “the law” (v.34), they broke fundamental aspects of worship and moral conduct given by the LORD, leading to a spiritual decline. Historically, 2 Kings 17 describes the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel around 722 BC, when the Assyrians conquered Samaria, the capital city located in the central region of the hill country of Ephraim. This rebellion and mixing of foreign customs in that territory contributed to the continued departure from pure worship of the LORD.
Furthermore, this ongoing disregard for God’s commandments can be linked to a broader biblical theme: those who dismiss God’s rightful kingship find themselves in spiritual and sometimes physical exile (Psalm 106:36-39). Jesus later lamented hardened hearts and a refusal to accept God’s instruction, pointing toward the need for repentance and redemption (Luke 13:34). The reference to how the people carried on “according to the earlier customs” (v.34) underscores their clinging to idolatrous practices rather than returning to the scripturally ordained relationship with God.
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2 Kings 17:34 meaning
In this passage, we read, “To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law or the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel” (v.34). The phrase “to this day” indicates that the author is describing a persistent and ongoing failure among the people, suggesting that they continued in their disobedient practices for a considerable span of years. Far from revering the God who delivered them, these people neglected the commandments that were originally given to Jacob, an important patriarch who lived around the early second millennium BC (commonly dated approximately 2006-1859 BC). Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), fathered the twelve tribes forming the nation, emphasizing the significance of the special covenant they were meant to uphold.
The verse highlights how “they do not fear the LORD” (v.34), a stark contrast to the command that demanded exclusive reverence toward God (Exodus 20:3). By ignoring “the statutes,” “the ordinances,” and “the law” (v.34), they broke fundamental aspects of worship and moral conduct given by the LORD, leading to a spiritual decline. Historically, 2 Kings 17 describes the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel around 722 BC, when the Assyrians conquered Samaria, the capital city located in the central region of the hill country of Ephraim. This rebellion and mixing of foreign customs in that territory contributed to the continued departure from pure worship of the LORD.
Furthermore, this ongoing disregard for God’s commandments can be linked to a broader biblical theme: those who dismiss God’s rightful kingship find themselves in spiritual and sometimes physical exile (Psalm 106:36-39). Jesus later lamented hardened hearts and a refusal to accept God’s instruction, pointing toward the need for repentance and redemption (Luke 13:34). The reference to how the people carried on “according to the earlier customs” (v.34) underscores their clinging to idolatrous practices rather than returning to the scripturally ordained relationship with God.