They feared the LORD but maintained idol worship, showing that half-hearted commitment leads to confusion and disunity.
“They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.” (v.32) In the broader context of 2 Kings 17, the northern kingdom of Israel has just been conquered by the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC under the reign of Shalmaneser V. Many Israelites were taken into exile, and peoples from other regions were brought into Samaria, the capital of the now-fallen northern kingdom. These newcomers attempted to combine worship of the LORD with the worship of their traditional gods. Here, the verse highlights that they tried to honor the LORD in some capacity—“feared the LORD”—yet simultaneously retained their pagan habits by establishing their own priests and continuing the practice of worshiping in high places—local shrines or elevated locations traditionally used for idolatry. This mixing of reverence for the true God with pagan rituals reflects the broader theme of half-hearted worship that Scripture repeatedly condemns Exodus 20:3).
“They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places…” (v.32) underscores a key issue: although they recognized the God of Israel, their manner of service was not in accordance with the laws that God had given through Moses. The newly imported peoples appointed priests to lead worship in high places, which had been a recurrent source of religious corruption throughout Israel’s history (1 Kings 12:31). Instead of centralizing worship at the temple in Jerusalem (which, at this time, was the prescribed place for worship in God’s covenantal plan for the nation), they continued the practice of idolatry. Historically, the people here are a precursor to the Samaritans mentioned centuries later in the Gospels (John 4:9), who similarly claimed to worship God but had diverged from the Judah-based traditions. By Jesus’ time (around AD 30), tensions between Jews and Samaritans were well established, tracing back in part to these events.
“…who acted for them in the houses of the high places.” (v.32) reveals that these priests served within makeshift shrines and did not follow the Levitical priesthood established by God. Samaria, located in the central region of the Northern Kingdom’s territory, became a melting pot of foreign customs and incomplete adherence to God’s commands after the Assyrian resettlement. The appointment of priests outside of God’s instructions undermined the reliability of their worship, blending truth with error. When Jesus addressed the woman at the well in John 4, He invited her (a Samaritan) into a deeper and purer worship, foreshadowed by the warnings of Israel’s history—a call to honor God truly rather than mixing cultural traditions with genuine devotion.
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2 Kings 17:32 meaning
“They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.” (v.32) In the broader context of 2 Kings 17, the northern kingdom of Israel has just been conquered by the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC under the reign of Shalmaneser V. Many Israelites were taken into exile, and peoples from other regions were brought into Samaria, the capital of the now-fallen northern kingdom. These newcomers attempted to combine worship of the LORD with the worship of their traditional gods. Here, the verse highlights that they tried to honor the LORD in some capacity—“feared the LORD”—yet simultaneously retained their pagan habits by establishing their own priests and continuing the practice of worshiping in high places—local shrines or elevated locations traditionally used for idolatry. This mixing of reverence for the true God with pagan rituals reflects the broader theme of half-hearted worship that Scripture repeatedly condemns Exodus 20:3).
“They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places…” (v.32) underscores a key issue: although they recognized the God of Israel, their manner of service was not in accordance with the laws that God had given through Moses. The newly imported peoples appointed priests to lead worship in high places, which had been a recurrent source of religious corruption throughout Israel’s history (1 Kings 12:31). Instead of centralizing worship at the temple in Jerusalem (which, at this time, was the prescribed place for worship in God’s covenantal plan for the nation), they continued the practice of idolatry. Historically, the people here are a precursor to the Samaritans mentioned centuries later in the Gospels (John 4:9), who similarly claimed to worship God but had diverged from the Judah-based traditions. By Jesus’ time (around AD 30), tensions between Jews and Samaritans were well established, tracing back in part to these events.
“…who acted for them in the houses of the high places.” (v.32) reveals that these priests served within makeshift shrines and did not follow the Levitical priesthood established by God. Samaria, located in the central region of the Northern Kingdom’s territory, became a melting pot of foreign customs and incomplete adherence to God’s commands after the Assyrian resettlement. The appointment of priests outside of God’s instructions undermined the reliability of their worship, blending truth with error. When Jesus addressed the woman at the well in John 4, He invited her (a Samaritan) into a deeper and purer worship, foreshadowed by the warnings of Israel’s history—a call to honor God truly rather than mixing cultural traditions with genuine devotion.