The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:15 Explained

2 Kings 17:15

KJV: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

YLT: and reject His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and go after the vain thing, and become vain, and after the nations that are round about them, of whom Jehovah commanded them not to do like them;

Darby: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant which he had made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he had testified unto them; and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.

ASV: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they rejected  his statutes,  and his covenant  that he made  with their fathers,  and his testimonies  which he testified  against them; and they followed  vanity,  and became vain,  and went after  the heathen  that [were] round about  them, [concerning] whom the LORD  had charged  them, that they should not do  like them. 

What does 2 Kings 17:15 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 17:15 mean?

And they rejected - His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers and His testimonies which He had testified against them and they followed - idols and became idolaters and [went] after the nations who [were] all around them [concerning] whom had charged Yahweh them that not they should do like them
וַיִּמְאֲס֣וּ אֶת־ חֻקָּ֗יו וְאֶת־ בְּרִיתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר כָּרַ֣ת אֶת־ אֲבוֹתָ֔ם וְאֵת֙ עֵֽדְוֺתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵעִ֖יד בָּ֑ם וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ אַחֲרֵ֤י הַהֶ֙בֶל֙ וַיֶּהְבָּ֔לוּ וְאַחֲרֵ֤י הַגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִֽיבֹתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֹתָ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י עֲשׂ֥וֹת כָּהֶֽם

וַיִּמְאֲס֣וּ  And  they  rejected 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָאַס 
Sense: to reject, despise, refuse.
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.
חֻקָּ֗יו  His  statutes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֹק  
Sense: statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due.
בְּרִיתוֹ֙  His  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
כָּרַ֣ת  He  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
אֲבוֹתָ֔ם  their  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
עֵֽדְוֺתָ֔יו  His  testimonies 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֵדוּת  
Sense: testimony.
הֵעִ֖יד  He  had  testified 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עוּד 
Sense: to return, repeat, go about, do again.
בָּ֑ם  against  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ  and  they  followed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אַחֲרֵ֤י  - 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
הַהֶ֙בֶל֙  idols 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֶבֶל  
Sense: vapour, breath.
וַיֶּהְבָּ֔לוּ  and  became  idolaters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָבַל  
Sense: to act emptily, become vain, be vain.
וְאַחֲרֵ֤י  and  [went]  after 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
הַגּוֹיִם֙  the  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
סְבִֽיבֹתָ֔ם  all  around  them 
Parse: Adverb, third person masculine plural
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  [concerning]  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
צִוָּ֤ה  had  charged 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לְבִלְתִּ֖י  that  not 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: בִּלְתִּי  
Sense: not, except adv.
עֲשׂ֥וֹת  they  should  do 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כָּהֶֽם  like  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural