The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:11 Explained

2 Kings 17:11

KJV: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

YLT: and make perfume there in all high places, like the nations that Jehovah removed from their presence, and do evil things to provoke Jehovah,

Darby: and there they burned incense on all the high places, as did the nations that Jehovah had carried away from before them, and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger;

ASV: and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Jehovah carried away before them; and they wrought wicked things to provoke Jehovah to anger;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And there they burnt incense  in all the high places,  as [did] the heathen  whom the LORD  carried away  before  them; and wrought  wicked  things  to provoke the LORD  to anger: 

What does 2 Kings 17:11 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 17:1-12 - The Cause Of Israel's Weakness
This chapter reads like a page from the books of the great white throne. Hoshea, the last king of Israel, did not follow in all the evil deeds of his eighteen predecessors, but the degeneracy of the nation was too far advanced for anything to arrest its collapse. The dry-rot had eaten its way through the specious covering. Worldly policy was the immediate cause of the nation's downfall. Had they obeyed God simply and absolutely, they could have trusted Him to maintain their independence. But they chose to enter into alliances, now with Syria, and then with Egypt, and so became entangled in the wars of their allies. See Hosea 7:11; Hosea 9:3; Hosea 9:6; Hosea 12:1, etc.
Let us read carefully the bill of divorce which the Heavenly Husband gave to the recreant people whom he put away. It is a pathetic document from 2 Kings 17:7 onward; but none can say that Jehovah had not good and sufficient cause for acting as he did. The wonder is that He bore so long with the apostate race. Read Hosea 1:1-11; Hosea 2:1-23; Hosea 3:1-5 to learn how the divine heart was rent when the hour of separation came: but let us not forget the assurances of Romans 11:1-36, that the true Israel shall ultimately be saved. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 17

1  Hoshea the Last King of Israel
3  Being subdued by Shalmaneser, he conspires against him with So, king of Egypt
5  Samaria for sinning is led into captivity
24  The strange nations transplanted into Samaria make a mixture of religions

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 17:11 mean?

And they burned incense there on all the high places like the nations whom had carried away Yahweh before them and they did things wicked to provoke to anger - Yahweh
וַיְקַטְּרוּ־ שָׁם֙ בְּכָל־ בָּמ֔וֹת כַּגּוֹיִ֕ם אֲשֶׁר־ הֶגְלָ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ דְּבָרִ֣ים רָעִ֔ים לְהַכְעִ֖יס אֶת־ יְהוָֽה

וַיְקַטְּרוּ־  And  they  burned  incense 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
בְּכָל־  on  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בָּמ֔וֹת  the  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
כַּגּוֹיִ֕ם  like  the  nations 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁר־  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הֶגְלָ֥ה  had  carried  away 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם  before  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙  and  they  did 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
דְּבָרִ֣ים  things 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
רָעִ֔ים  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לְהַכְעִ֖יס  to  provoke  to  anger 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּעַס  
Sense: to be angry, be vexed, be indignant, be wroth, be grieved, provoke to anger and wrath.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.