The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:13 Explained

2 Kings 17:13

KJV: Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

YLT: And Jehovah testifieth against Israel, and against Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and every seer, saying, 'Turn back from your evil ways, and keep My commands, My statutes, according to all the law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent unto you by the hand of My servants the prophets;'

Darby: And Jehovah testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through my servants the prophets.

ASV: Yet Jehovah testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yet the LORD  testified  against Israel,  and against Judah,  by  all the prophets,  [and by] all the seers,  saying,  Turn  ye from your evil  ways,  and keep  my commandments  [and] my statutes,  according to all the law  which I commanded  your fathers,  and which I sent  to you by  my servants  the prophets. 

What does 2 Kings 17:13 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 17:13-26 - The End Of Stiff-Necked Disobedience
There are three leading counts in this terrible indictment against Judah and Israel: (1) idolatry; (2) the ignoring of the Law; and (3) disregard of the many warnings brought them by prophets and seers. And all were aggravated by the fact that they sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt. How greatly the complexion of our sins is deepened, when we remember the anguish by which we have been redeemed!
Interwoven with the black catalogue of sin are golden threads of tender love, 2 Kings 17:13. But note the remarkable expression of 2 Kings 17:15, that we resemble the objects we adore, Psalms 115:8. Israel, as we have seen, was never restored. Those that returned to Judah with Ezra were for the most part Jews. Yet many Hebrews became believers in Christ, and were added to the Church at Pentecost and afterward, 1 Peter 1:1-2. Paul gives us a far horizon in Romans 11:25-27; and who can tell, in these days when the Turkish Empire is trembling to its foundations, whether we are not very near that hour of the restoration of Israel and the restitution of all things! [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 17:13 mean?

And yet testified Yahweh against Israel and against Judah by all of His prophets every seer saying Turn from your ways evil and keep My commandments [and] My statutes according to all the law which I commanded - your fathers and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets
וַיָּ֣עַד יְהוָ֡ה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל וּבִיהוּדָ֡ה בְּיַד֩ כָּל־ [נביאו] (נְבִיאֵ֨י) כָל־ חֹזֶ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר שֻׁ֝֠בוּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶ֤ם הָֽרָעִים֙ וְשִׁמְרוּ֙ מִצְוֺתַ֣י חֻקּוֹתַ֔י כְּכָ֨ל־ הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי אֶת־ אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽאֲשֶׁר֙ שָׁלַ֣חְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם בְּיַ֖ד עֲבָדַ֥י הַנְּבִיאִֽים

וַיָּ֣עַד  And  yet  testified 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עוּד 
Sense: to return, repeat, go about, do again.
יְהוָ֡ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל  against  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וּבִיהוּדָ֡ה  and  against  Judah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
(נְבִיאֵ֨י)  His  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
כָל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חֹזֶ֜ה  seer 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹזֶה 
Sense: seer.
לֵאמֹ֗ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שֻׁ֝֠בוּ  Turn 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
מִדַּרְכֵיכֶ֤ם  from  your  ways 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
הָֽרָעִים֙  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וְשִׁמְרוּ֙  and  keep 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
מִצְוֺתַ֣י  My  commandments 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: מִצְוָה  
Sense: commandment.
חֻקּוֹתַ֔י  [and]  My  statutes 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: חֻקָּה  
Sense: statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed.
כְּכָ֨ל־  according  to  all 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַתּוֹרָ֔ה  the  law 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
צִוִּ֖יתִי  I  commanded 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
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.
אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם  your  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וַֽאֲשֶׁר֙  and  which 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁלַ֣חְתִּי  I  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
עֲבָדַ֥י  My  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
הַנְּבִיאִֽים  the  prophets 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.