2 Kings 17:15

They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The narrator recounts the northern kingdom's progressive apostasy during the era of prophetic warnings preceding the Assyrian conquest.

The words — וַ/יִּמְאֲס֣וּ (va/i.yim.'a.Su) translates literally as "and they rejected," and בְּרִית/וֹ֙ (be.ri.T/o) means "his covenant," marking the deliberate abandonment of divine agreement.

The thread — This pattern of forsaking statutes for worthless idols appears in Deuteronomy 12:30, Deuteronomy 32:21, and Jeremiah 2:5.

Why it lands — The text states that rejecting covenant law directly produces moral worthlessness and forces conformity to forbidden surrounding nations.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיִּמְאֲס֣וּva/i.yim.'a.Suand/ they rejected אֶת־'et-<obj.>חֻקָּ֗יוchu.Ka/vstatutes/ his וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>בְּרִיתוֹ֙be.ri.T/ocovenant/ his אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich כָּרַ֣תka.Rathe had made אֶת־'et-with אֲבוֹתָ֔ם'a.vo.Ta/mancestors/ their וְאֵת֙ve./'Etand/ <obj.>עֵֽדְוֹתָ֔יו'e.de.vo.Ta/vtestimonies/ his אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich הֵעִ֖ידhe.'Idhe warnedבָּ֑םBa/m<in>/ themוַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּva/i.Ye.le.khuand/ they walked אַחֲרֵ֤י'a.cha.Reiafter הַהֶ֙בֶל֙ha./He.vel<the>/ vanity וַיֶּהְבָּ֔לוּva/i.yeh.Ba.luand/ they became vain וְאַחֲרֵ֤יve./'a.cha.Reiand/ after הַגּוֹיִם֙ha./go.Yimthe/ nations אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich סְבִֽיבֹתָ֔םse.vi.vo.Ta/m[were] around/ them אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.Sherwhich צִוָּ֤הtzi.Vahhe had commanded יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahweh אֹתָ֔ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them לְבִלְתִּ֖יle./vil.Tito/ not עֲשׂ֥וֹתa.Sotto doכָּהֶֽם׃ka./Hemlike/ them

King James Version

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 12:30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”
Deuteronomy 32:21 They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.
Jeremiah 2:5 This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
Exodus 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splattered on the altar.
1 Kings 16:13 This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.
Psalms 115:8 Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
Jeremiah 8:9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
Deuteronomy 6:17 You are to diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes He has given you.
Deuteronomy 29:10 All of you are standing today before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel,