They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
Parallel translations
- WEB They feared Yahweh, and also served their own gods, after the ways of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
- KJV They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
- BSB They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.
- NASB They feared the Lord, yet they were serving their own gods in accordance with the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken into exile.
- NLT And though they worshiped the Lord, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came.
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 feared the LORD yet served their own gods according to their native customs. Divided worship became the settled pattern.
Overview
The narrator summarizes the people's religion as a contradiction: they 'feared the LORD' while still serving their ancestral idols. This split allegiance is precisely the divided heart that Scripture everywhere condemns. It anticipates Jesus' teaching that no one can serve two masters, for true worship of God demands undivided devotion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Luke 16:13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”
- 2 Kgs 17:41So these nations feared Yahweh, and also served their engraved images. Their children likewise, and their children’s children, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.
- Matt 6:24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
- 1 Kgs 18:21Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.
- Zeph 1:5those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,
- Hos 10:2Their heart is divided. Now they will be found guilty. He will demolish their altars. He will destroy their sacred stones.
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 17:33 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.