They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
Parallel translations
- WEB and they served idols, of which Yahweh had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
- KJV For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
- NKJV for they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
- NASB They served idols, concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
- NLT Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They served idols despite God's explicit command not to. Their sin was open defiance of a clear word from the LORD.
Overview
Israel worshiped idols that the LORD had directly forbidden, leaving them without excuse. Their disobedience was not ignorance but rebellion against a plainly revealed command. This direct violation of the first and second commandments lay at the heart of the covenant breach that brought judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Lev 26:1“You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God.
- Exod 20:3–5You shall have no other gods before Me.
- Deut 4:23–25Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you.
- Deut 5:7–9You shall have no other gods before Me.
- Deut 4:15–19So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
- Exod 34:14For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
- Deut 12:4You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 17:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.