Bible Strands
2 Kings 17:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator introduces Hoshea’s accession to the throne of Israel and immediately assesses his nine-year reign in Samaria. The statement functions as a formal royal evaluation at the outset of his rule.
The words — וַיַּעַשׂ הָרָע בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה (va.ya‘as ha.rā‘a be‘ênê YHWH) translates literally as “and he did the evil in the eyes of Yahweh.” The terms רַק (rak) and לֹא כְּ (lo’ ke) specify that his conduct was not identical to that of his predecessors.
The thread — This evaluative formula appears in 2 Kings 3:2 and 2 Kings 13:2 to measure other Israelite kings against covenant standards. 2 Kings 10:31 uses a different phrasing to note Jehu’s failure to keep the law.
Why it lands — The text establishes a baseline for royal accountability by contrasting Hoshea’s specific sins with those of earlier rulers. It demands a reader to recognize that deviation from Yahweh’s standards is measured comparatively and historically within the monarchy.
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
King James Version
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 3:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
- 2 Kings 10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Kings 13:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
- 2 Kings 13:11 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.
- 2 Kings 15:9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Kings 15:18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and throughout his reign he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Kings 15:24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
- 2 Chronicles 30:5 So they established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it in great numbers as prescribed.