2 Kings 17:41

So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator records the ongoing religious behavior of the foreign peoples resettled in Samaria after the Assyrian campaign. This statement directly follows God's declaration that they refused to abandon their ancestral customs.

The words — The Hebrew יְרֵאִים (yir'îm) translates literally as "fearing," describing how the nations initially approached Yahweh. The text couples this with serving פְּסִילֵיהֶם (pesîlêhem), their carved idols, to document a simultaneous dual practice.

The thread — This pattern of divided allegiance appears in Matthew 6:24, which states no one can serve two masters, and 1 Kings 18:21, where Elijah demands the people stop wavering between two opinions. Zephaniah 1:5 similarly records those who swear by Yahweh while also swearing by other gods.

Why it lands — The text states that syncretic worship persists across generations without divine approval. It asks readers to identify where their own practices combine exclusive devotion with competing loyalties.

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

So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

Cross-references

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.
Zephaniah 1:5 those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,
2 Kings 17:32 So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places.
Joshua 24:14 Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
Ezra 4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!