Bible Strands
2 Kings 17:39
but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The passage records a covenant command from Yahweh to the northern kingdom of Israel, positioned between an instruction to remember the established covenant and a report of the people's persistent disobedience.
The words — The Hebrew verb תִירָאוּ (ti.Ra.'u) literally means "you will fear," paired with יַצִּ֣יל (ya.Tzil), meaning "he will deliver." These terms are bound by the conjunctions כִּי (ki) and אִם־ ('im-), which function as "that" and "except" to frame the stipulation.
The thread — The conditional structure appears in 2 Kings 17:36, which grounds the worship command in Yahweh's past deliverance from Egypt. The text's pattern of reverence and service runs through 1 Samuel 12:24 and Luke 1:74, where fear links to faithful service and rescue links to fearless service.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to commit to exclusive worship of Yahweh as the stated condition for deliverance from enemies. It presents obedience as the mechanism for protection rather than a reward for prior merit.
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
But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 12:24 Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
- Luke 1:74 deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
- 2 Kings 17:36 Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.
- Nehemiah 9:27 So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.
- Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
- Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Luke 1:50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
- Isaiah 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
- Luke 1:71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,