The Meaning of 2 Kings 17:41 Explained

2 Kings 17:41

KJV: So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

YLT: and these nations are fearing Jehovah, and their graven images they have served, both their sons and their sons' sons; as their fathers did, they are doing unto this day.

Darby: And these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images, both their children and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they, unto this day.

ASV: So these nations feared Jehovah, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So these nations  feared  the LORD,  and served  their graven images,  both their children,  and their children's  children:  as did  their fathers,  so do  they unto this day. 

What does 2 Kings 17:41 Mean?

Study Notes

feared
.
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

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 17:41 mean?

So nations these feared - Yahweh and yet their carved images become served also their children and children their children's as did their fathers they have continued doing even to day this -
וַיִּהְי֣וּ ׀ הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֗לֶּה יְרֵאִים֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֔ה וְאֶת־ פְּסִֽילֵיהֶ֖ם הָי֣וּ עֹֽבְדִ֑ים גַּם־ בְּנֵיהֶ֣ם ׀ וּבְנֵ֣י בְנֵיהֶ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֤וּ אֲבֹתָם֙ הֵ֣ם עֹשִׂ֔ים עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה פ

וַיִּהְי֣וּ ׀  So 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הַגּוֹיִ֣ם  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאֵ֗לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
יְרֵאִים֙  feared 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
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.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְאֶת־  and  yet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פְּסִֽילֵיהֶ֖ם  their  carved  images 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פָּסִיל  
Sense: image, idol, graven image.
הָי֣וּ  become 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עֹֽבְדִ֑ים  served 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
גַּם־  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
בְּנֵיהֶ֣ם ׀  their  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּבְנֵ֣י  and  children 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בְנֵיהֶ֗ם  their  children's 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אֲבֹתָם֙  their  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
עֹשִׂ֔ים  have  continued  doing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
עַ֖ד  even  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הַיּ֥וֹם  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַזֶּֽה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation