2 Kings 17:31

Compare all

29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them ^ain the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt.

30 The men of ^aBabylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 ^aand the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites ^bburned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 So they feared the Lord, ^aand from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the¹ high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

33 ^aThey feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, ^awhom He named Israel,

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< 2 Kings 17:30

2 Kings 17:32 >>

2 Kings 17:31

Nibhaz and Tartak are either gods of whom no other notice has come down to us, or intentional corruptions of the Babylonian names Nebo and Tir, the great god of Borsippa, who was the tutelar deity of so many Babylonian kings. The Jews, in their scorn and contempt of polytheism, occasionally and purposely altered, by way of derision, the names of the pagan deities. Anammelech is possibly an instance of the same contemptuous play upon words.

Adrammelech, "the glorious king," signifies the sun. The Assyrian inscriptions commonly designate Tsipar, or Sepharvaim II Kings 17:24, "Sippara of the Sun." The title "Adrammelech" has not yet been found in the inscriptions hitherto; but it would plainly be a fitting epithet of the great luminary.

The sun-god of the Babylonians, Shamas, was united at Sippara and elsewhere with a sun-goddess, Anunit, whose name may be represented in the Anammelech of the text. The Hebrews, taking enough of this name to show what they meant, assimilated the termination to that of the male deity, thus producing a ridiculous effect, regarded as insulting to the gods in question.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing 2 Kings 17:31:**

2 Kings 17:24
Ezra 4:3
Isaiah 36:19
Isaiah 37:13
Isaiah 57:5
John 4:22

<< 2 Kings 17:30

2 Kings 17:32 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.