The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:29 Explained

2 Kings 17:29

KJV: Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

YLT: and they are making each nation its gods, and place them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans have made, each nation in their cities where they are dwelling.

Darby: And every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.

ASV: Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Howbeit every nation  made  gods  of their own, and put  [them] in the houses  of the high places  which the Samaritans  had made,  every nation  in their cities  wherein they dwelt. 

What does 2 Kings 17:29 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 17:29 mean?

And However continued to make however every nation every nation gods of its own and put [them] in the shrines on the high places which had made the Samaritans every [every] nation in the cities where they dwelt there
וַיִּהְי֣וּ עֹשִׂ֔ים גּ֥וֹי גּ֖וֹי אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיַּנִּ֣יחוּ ׀ בְּבֵ֣ית הַבָּמ֗וֹת אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָשׂוּ֙ הַשֹּׁ֣מְרֹנִ֔ים גּ֥וֹי גּוֹי֙ בְּעָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥ם יֹשְׁבִ֖ים שָֽׁם

וַיִּהְי֣וּ  And  However 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עֹשִׂ֔ים  continued  to  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
גּ֥וֹי  however  every  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
גּ֖וֹי  every  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֱלֹהָ֑יו  gods  of  its  own 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַיַּנִּ֣יחוּ ׀  and  put  [them] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֻנָּח  
Sense: to rest.
בְּבֵ֣ית  in  the  shrines  on 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
הַבָּמ֗וֹת  the  high  places 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
עָשׂוּ֙  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
הַשֹּׁ֣מְרֹנִ֔ים  the  Samaritans 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֹׁמְרֹנִי  
Sense: inhabitants of Samaria.
גּ֥וֹי  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
גּוֹי֙  [every]  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
בְּעָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם  in  the  cities 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
אֲשֶׁ֛ר  where 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יֹשְׁבִ֖ים  dwelt 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.