They outwardly acknowledged the LORD but remained committed to their familiar idols, thus blending true worship with pagan customs and disobeying God’s command to worship Him alone.
They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile (2 Kings 17:33). This verse describes the syncretistic mindset of the people in the land of Israel. After the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrian forces around 722 BC—an event that was brought about by Israel’s disobedience and worship of foreign gods—the Assyrians repopulated the area with people from other nations. Because of this, these new settlers continued to blend their pagan traditions with the worship of the LORD. They outwardly recognized Him but also clung to the gods and practices they brought with them. Throughout the biblical narrative, this repeated pattern of idolatry and partial devotion led to God’s ongoing judgments on Israel (2 Kings 17:7-11). They turned the worship of the true God into a spiritual patchwork of various beliefs, which is contrary to the LORD’s command to worship Him exclusively (Exodus 20:3). These settlers may have acknowledged the LORD as one deity among many, reflecting a persistent spiritual confusion that had already existed in the northern kingdom prior to the exile (2 Kings 17:10ff, 2 Kings 17:36). Israel was commanded to remove pagan influences, but here, the new inhabitants openly adopted them and intermingled them with worship of the LORD, setting a precedent for further religious compromise.
Because Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, was now home to these foreign settlers, the land that once housed the covenant people of Israel hosted a mix of religious observances. The result was a group of people who claimed a partial faith in the LORD, but in reality practiced a syncretistic religion. They did not fully submit to Him as the one true God. The LORD had consistently warned His people to worship Him alone (Deuteronomy 12:1-3). But the inhabitants ignored this, serving God on one hand while simultaneously offering worship to their own deities on the other. This verse underscores how easy it is for cultural customs and external influences to dilute one’s faith when full devotion to God is lacking. It echoes an important lesson for believers in every era: honoring the LORD requires complete faithfulness, not a divided loyalty between multiple gods or multiple ways of worship.
Set to dark mode
2 Kings 17:33 meaning
They feared the LORD and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile (2 Kings 17:33). This verse describes the syncretistic mindset of the people in the land of Israel. After the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrian forces around 722 BC—an event that was brought about by Israel’s disobedience and worship of foreign gods—the Assyrians repopulated the area with people from other nations. Because of this, these new settlers continued to blend their pagan traditions with the worship of the LORD. They outwardly recognized Him but also clung to the gods and practices they brought with them. Throughout the biblical narrative, this repeated pattern of idolatry and partial devotion led to God’s ongoing judgments on Israel (2 Kings 17:7-11). They turned the worship of the true God into a spiritual patchwork of various beliefs, which is contrary to the LORD’s command to worship Him exclusively (Exodus 20:3). These settlers may have acknowledged the LORD as one deity among many, reflecting a persistent spiritual confusion that had already existed in the northern kingdom prior to the exile (2 Kings 17:10ff, 2 Kings 17:36). Israel was commanded to remove pagan influences, but here, the new inhabitants openly adopted them and intermingled them with worship of the LORD, setting a precedent for further religious compromise.
Because Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, was now home to these foreign settlers, the land that once housed the covenant people of Israel hosted a mix of religious observances. The result was a group of people who claimed a partial faith in the LORD, but in reality practiced a syncretistic religion. They did not fully submit to Him as the one true God. The LORD had consistently warned His people to worship Him alone (Deuteronomy 12:1-3). But the inhabitants ignored this, serving God on one hand while simultaneously offering worship to their own deities on the other. This verse underscores how easy it is for cultural customs and external influences to dilute one’s faith when full devotion to God is lacking. It echoes an important lesson for believers in every era: honoring the LORD requires complete faithfulness, not a divided loyalty between multiple gods or multiple ways of worship.