2 Kings 17:17
And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's striking here is that the Israelites weren't just doing bad things; they were actively selling themselves into evil. This wasn't a passive slide into sin, but a deliberate, paid-for commitment to wickedness, a choice to become enslaved to what God detested. It shows how thoroughly they had embraced rebellion, to the point of treating evil as a commodity they could purchase.
This passage describes the utter spiritual collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after they fell to the Assyrians. The preceding verses detail how the Israelites had abandoned God's commands and worshipped idols, leading to their downfall and exile. This verse then vividly illustrates the depths of their wickedness, showing how they engaged in horrific child sacrifice, sorcery, and idol worship, actively choosing to provoke God's anger.
We often think of ancient idolatry as merely bowing to statues. But this verse reveals a chilling reality far beyond simple worship.
The people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen so deep into the practices of the surrounding nations that they adopted their most abhorrent rituals.
Offering Their Children
The phrase 'burned their sons and their daughters as offerings' points to child sacrifice, a practice associated with Canaanite deities like Molech. This wasn't just a minor sin; it was a profound rejection of God's command to cherish and protect life, especially the lives of children. It was a deliberate act of offering their own flesh and blood to false gods, a ultimate act of devotion to the demonic.
Divination and Omens
Alongside sacrifice, they practiced 'divination and omens.' This means they were seeking guidance and trying to manipulate their future through forbidden means – consulting spirits, interpreting signs, and casting lots – anything but seeking the Lord. These practices are all about trying to gain control and knowledge apart from God's revealed will.
It's easy to think of God's anger as distant or unfair. But this verse shows His anger is a righteous, necessary response to profound evil.
The Bible doesn't shy away from describing God's anger. Here, His anger is not a petty human emotion, but a holy and just reaction to the deep depravity and rebellion of His people.
Prostitution of the Soul
The phrase 'sold themselves to do evil' is powerful. It implies a willing, conscious decision to enter into slavery to sin. They weren't accidentally falling into sin; they were actively choosing it, making it their master. This is the ultimate betrayal of the covenant relationship they had with God.
Provoking His Wrath
Because God is good and just, He cannot tolerate evil, especially when it's committed by those He has set apart. Their actions were not just sins; they were deliberate acts of defiance that 'provoked him to anger.' This anger is a demonstration of His holiness and His commitment to justice. It’s the natural consequence of turning away from the Source of all life and love to embrace death and destruction.
Understand the original words
qesem · Hebrew Noun
Practices intended to gain hidden knowledge or control the future through occult means, forbidden by God as they replace reliance on His revelation and sovereignty.
nachash · Hebrew Noun
A sign or token used to predict the future, often interpreted through non-divine methods, which God prohibited because it diverts trust from Him.
makar · Hebrew Verb
A figurative way of saying they fully surrendered their freedom and will to the service of sin, becoming slaves to evil instead of servants of God.
aph · Hebrew Noun
An intense divine reaction to human rebellion and covenant-breaking. It is the righteous, settled indignation of a holy God against that which violates His nature and people.
This verse describes the extreme religious corruption that the Assyrian deportees and their replacements practiced in the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, highlighting the dire spiritual consequences of conquest and forced cultural assimilation.
c. 740-730 BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Israel
Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V began conquering and deporting populations from the northern Kingdom of Israel.
c. 722 BC— this verse
Fall of Samaria
The capital city of the northern Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, fell to the Assyrian Empire under Sargon II, marking the end of the kingdom.
c. 722 BC onwards
Assyrian Resettlement
The Assyrians repopulated the depopulated areas of the former northern kingdom with people from other parts of their empire. These newcomers brought their own gods and religious practices.
c. 722 BC onwards
Syncretism and Idolatry
The new settlers, who became known as the Samaritans, blended their own religious traditions with elements of Israelite worship, leading to a syncretic religion that the later Judean writers considered deeply offensive and idolatrous. This included practices like child sacrifice and divination, as mentioned in the verse.
This passage directly condemns the practice of sacrificing children to pagan gods, highlighting the severe sin described in 2 Kings 17:17.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12It lists various forbidden practices including sorcery and divination, which are explicitly mentioned as things the Israelites did in 2 Kings 17:17.
Jeremiah 7:31This prophetic passage echoes the condemnation of burning children as offerings in the Valley of Hinnom, directly linking it to the Lord's anger and judgment.
Ezekiel 20:31The prophet Ezekiel confronts Israel with similar accusations of offering their children and resorting to idols, demonstrating a consistent pattern of disobedience that provoked God.
What's striking here is that the Israelites weren't just doing bad things; they were actively selling themselves into evil. This wasn't a passive slide into sin, but a deliberate, paid-for commitment to wickedness, a choice to become enslaved to what God detested. It shows how thoroughly they had embraced rebellion, to the point of treating evil as a commodity they could purchase.
This passage describes the utter spiritual collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after they fell to the Assyrians. The preceding verses detail how the Israelites had abandoned God's commands and worshipped idols, leading to their downfall and exile. This verse then vividly illustrates the depths of their wickedness, showing how they engaged in horrific child sacrifice, sorcery, and idol worship, actively choosing to provoke God's anger.
This passage describes the utter spiritual collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after they fell to the Assyrians. The preceding verses detail how the Israelites had abandoned God's commands and worshipped idols, leading to their downfall and exile. This verse then vividly illustrates the depths of their wickedness, showing how they engaged in horrific child sacrifice, sorcery, and idol worship, actively choosing to provoke God's anger.
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"And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger." — What's striking here is that the Israelites weren't just doing bad things; they were actively selling themselves into evil. This wasn't a passive slide into sin, but a deliberate, paid-for commit…
