The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:31 Explained

2 Kings 17:31

KJV: And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

YLT: and the Avites have made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites are burning their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, gods of Sepharvim.

Darby: and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

ASV: and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the Avites  made  Nibhaz  and Tartak,  and the Sepharvites  burnt  their children  in fire  to Adrammelech  and Anammelech,  the gods  of Sepharvaim. 

What does 2 Kings 17:31 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 17:27-41 - They Feared The Lord And Served Their Own Gods
The policy of peopling Israel with other races was intended to keep the land under cultivation, and to break the ties of fatherland, which are the spring of patriotism. Men will not fight for a land which does not pull at their heart-strings. These newly-imported peoples believed that each country was under the care of its own local deity. They therefore deemed it advisable, that, without renouncing their own gods, they should give the God of Israel some sort of recognition. Samaritan religion of this kind is still very popular. Too many people feel that they ought to do something to show their respect for God. They attend to the outward forms of worship, lest they should lose caste; but in their hearts they enthrone worldly and worthless ideals.
The Jews, as we learn from John 4:9, hated the Samaritans, as a kind of mongrel race. But how generous was the Savior, ministering to the woman of Sychar, healing the Samaritan leper, and making one of this despised people the central figure in his parable of mercy, thus compelling the world to speak of the good Samaritan! [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 17:31 mean?

and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak and the Sepharvites burned - their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech - the gods of Sepharvites Sepharvites
וְהָעַוִּ֛ים עָשׂ֥וּ נִבְחַ֖ז וְאֶת־ תַּרְתָּ֑ק וְהַסְפַרְוִ֗ים שֹׂרְפִ֤ים אֶת־ בְּנֵיהֶם֙ בָּאֵ֔שׁ לְאַדְרַמֶּ֥לֶךְ וַֽעֲנַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [אלה] (אֱלֹהֵ֥י) [ספרים] (סְפַרְוָֽיִם)

וְהָעַוִּ֛ים  and  the  Avites 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַוִּים  
Sense: inhabitants of Ava or Ivah.
עָשׂ֥וּ  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
נִבְחַ֖ז  Nibhaz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נִבְחַז  
Sense: a deity of the Avites introduced by them into Samaria in the time of Shalmaneser; idol had the figure of a dog.
תַּרְתָּ֑ק  Tartak 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: תַּרְתָּק  
Sense: one of the deities of the Avite people of Samaria.
וְהַסְפַרְוִ֗ים  and  the  Sepharvites 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: סְפַרְוִים  
Sense: an inhabitant of Sepharvaim.
שֹׂרְפִ֤ים  burned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
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.
בְּנֵיהֶם֙  their  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בָּאֵ֔שׁ  in  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
לְאַדְרַמֶּ֥לֶךְ  to  Adrammelech 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַדְרַמֶּלֶךְ 
Sense: an idol or god of the Sepharvites, introduced to Israel by Shalmaneser the fifth.
וַֽעֲנַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  and  Anammelech 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲנַמֶּלֶךְ  
Sense: an Assyrian false god introduced to Israel during the monarchy; worshipped with rites resembling those of Molech; companion god of ‘Adrammelech’.
[אלה]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
(אֱלֹהֵ֥י)  the  gods  of 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹוהַּ  
Sense: God.
[ספרים]  Sepharvites 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
(סְפַרְוָֽיִם)  Sepharvites 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: סְפַרְוַיִם  
Sense: a city in Syria conquered by the king of Assyria.