Melachim II 17:24-41

17:24

וַיָּבֵא מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר מִבָּבֶל וּמִכּוּתָה וּמֵעַוָּא וּמֵֽחֲמָת וּסְפַרְוַיִם וַיֹּשֶׁב בְּעָרֵי שֹֽׁמְרוֹן תַּחַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּֽרְשׁוּ אֶת־שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיֵּֽשְׁבוּ בְּעָרֶֽיהָ׃

And the king of Ashshur brought men from Bavel, and from Kuta, and from ῾Avva, and from Ḥamat, and from Sefarvayim, and settled them in the cities of Shomeron, in place of the children of Yisra᾽el: and they took possession of Shomeron and dwelt in its cities.

17:25

וַיְהִי בִּתְחִלַּת שִׁבְתָּם שָׁם לֹא יָרְאוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַיְשַׁלַּח יְהֹוָה בָּהֶם אֶת־הָאֲרָיוֹת וַיִּֽהְיוּ הֹרְגִים בָּהֶֽם׃

And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

Rashi

לא יראו את ה'. אף על פי שהעמים עובדי גלולים הם יראים מפניו, וקרו ליה אלהא דאלהיא, כענין שנאמר (מלאכי א יד): ושמי נורא בגוים, ואלו לא יראוני, כי אמרו אלו היתה בו יראה, לא נתן עמו לגלות:

They did not fear Adonoy. Even though the pagan nations fear Him and call him the God of the gods, in the manner as it is stated, ”And My Name is feared among the nations,”²⁸Malachi 1:14. but these did not fear Me, for they said, “If He were worthy of fear, He would not have allowed for His people to be exiled.”

17:26

וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר לֵאמֹר הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִגְלִיתָ וַתּוֹשֶׁב בְּעָרֵי שֹׁמְרוֹן לֹא יָֽדְעוּ אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ וַיְשַׁלַּח־בָּם אֶת־הָאֲרָיוֹת וְהִנָּם מְמִיתִים אוֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵינָם יֹדְעִים אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Then they spoke to the king of Ashshur, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Shomeron, know not the law of the God of the land: therefore he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the God of the land.

17:27

וַיְצַו מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר לֵאמֹר הֹלִיכוּ שָׁמָּה אֶחָד מֵהַכֹּֽהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר הִגְלִיתֶם מִשָּׁם וְיֵלְכוּ וְיֵשְׁבוּ שָׁם וְיֹרֵם אֶת־מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Then the king of Ashshur commanded, saying, Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the God of the land.

17:28

וַיָּבֹא אֶחָד מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר הִגְלוּ מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּבֵֽית־אֵל וַֽיְהִי מוֹרֶה אֹתָם אֵיךְ יִֽירְאוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה׃

Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Shomeron came and dwelt in Bet-el, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

17:29

וַיִּהְיוּ עֹשִׂים גּוֹי גּוֹי אֱלֹהָיו וַיַּנִּיחוּ ׀ בְּבֵית הַבָּמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ הַשֹּׁמְרֹנִים גּוֹי גּוֹי בְּעָרֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר הֵם יֹשְׁבִים שָֽׁם׃

Yet every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Shomeronim had made, every nation in their cities in which they dwelt.

Rashi

אשר עשו השומרונים. ישראל בעודם שם:

That the citizens of Shomron had made. [I.e.,] the [Bnei] Yisroel while they were still there.

גוי גוי אלהיו. לאומה ואומה עבודת גלולים שהיו עובדים בארצם, אף כאן עשו כן כל גויי העיר אשר הורישם סנחריב שם בערי ישראל:

Each nation … its own god. [I.e.,] each nation, [placed] the deity they had worshiped in their land, here, too, each nation did so in the city which Sancheiriv had given them as a possession there in the cities of Yisroel.

17:30

וְאַנְשֵׁי בָבֶל עָשׂוּ אֶת־סֻכּוֹת בְּנוֹת וְאַנְשֵׁי־כוּת עָשׂוּ אֶת־נֵֽרְגַל וְאַנְשֵׁי חֲמָת עָשׂוּ אֶת־אֲשִׁימָֽא׃

And the men of Bavel made Sukkot-benot, and the men of Kut made Nergal, and the men of Ḥamat made Ashima,

Rashi

סכות בנות. דמות תרנגולת עם אפרוחיה:

Succos Benos. [This idol was in] the form of a hen and her chicks.²⁹סכות stems from שכוי, being that a ‘ש’ and a ‘ס’ are interchangeable. The Gemara in Maseches Rosh Hashanah 26a cites a region where ‘שכוי’ is ‘a rooster.’ It follows then that ‘שכות’ or ‘סכות’ is a hen. Thus, סכות בנות is “a hen and her chicks.”—See Radak

נרגל. דמות תרנגול:

Neirgal. [This idol was in] the form of a rooster.³⁰See Maseches Sanhedrin 63b.

אשימא. דמות תיש וכן קרוין בלשון כל אומה ואומה, וכן פירשו רבותינו בסנהדרין (סג ב):

Ashimo. [This idol was in] the form of a goat.³¹אשימא stems from שמם [=desolation], and a goat has no wool is considered “desolate.” Or, אשימא stems from אשם [=guilt offering], for which a sheep is used.—Radak They are called [these names] in the language of each nation, and so did our Rabbis explain in [Maseches] Sanhedrin.³²63b.

17:31

וְהָעַוִּים עָשׂוּ נִבְחַז וְאֶת־תַּרְתָּק וְהַסְפַרְוִים שֹׂרְפִים אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ לְאַדְרַמֶּלֶךְ וַֽעֲנַמֶּלֶךְ (אלה) [אֱלֹהֵי] (ספרים) [סְפַרְוָֽיִם]׃

and the ῾Avvim made Nivĥaz and Tartaq, and the Sefarvim burnt their sons in fire to Adrammelekh, and ῾Anammelekh, god of Sefarvayim.

Rashi

נבחז. דמות כלב:

Nivchaz. [This idol was in] the form of a dog.³³נבחז stems from נבח [=bark], as in “they cannot bark [=לנבח],” in Yeshayohu 56:10; נבחז is a contraction of נבח and חז, i.e. when a dog barks [=נבח] it shows [=חז] its teeth.—Radak

תרתק. דמות חמור:

Tartok. [This idol was in] the form of a donkey.

לאדרמלך. דמות פרד:

To Adramelech. [This idol was in] the form of a mule.³⁴אדרמלת is a contraction of דאדר ליה למריה [= it honors its master] by carrying his burdens.—Radak

וענמלך. דמות סוס (שם):

Anamelech. [This idol was in] the form of a horse.³⁵ענמלת is a contraction of דעני ליה למריה בקרבא [= it responds to its master in battle].—Radak

17:32

וַיִּהְיוּ יְרֵאִים אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם מִקְצוֹתָם כֹּהֲנֵי בָמוֹת וַיִּהְיוּ עֹשִׂים לָהֶם בְּבֵית הַבָּמֽוֹת׃

So they feared the Lord, and made to themselves from all ranks of them priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

17:33

אֶת־יְהֹוָה הָיוּ יְרֵאִים וְאֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם הָיוּ עֹֽבְדִים כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־הִגְלוּ אֹתָם מִשָּֽׁם׃

They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations of the countries from which they were carried away.

Rashi

כמשפט הגוים אשר הגלו אותם משם. אותם עבודת כוכבים ומזלות שעובדים הגוים אשר הגלן סנחריב ואוכלוסיו משם, היו אלו עובדין כאן:

As was the custom of the nations from which they had been exiled. Those deities that are worshiped by the nations whom Sancheiriv and his armies had exiled (these) from there, they would worship here.³⁶Alternatively, כמשפט הגוים refers to some of the Bnei Yisroel who also worshiped idols while worshiping God.—Radak

17:34

עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה הֵם עֹשִׂים כַּמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים אֵינָם יְרֵאִים אֶת־יְהֹוָה וְאֵינָם עֹשִׂים כְּחֻקֹּתָם וּכְמִשְׁפָּטָם וְכַתּוֹרָה וְכַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר־שָׂם שְׁמוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they follow the statutes or the ordinances, or the Tora and the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Ya῾aqov, whom he named Yisra᾽el;

Rashi

אינם יראים את ה'. יראה שלימה כמשפט ישראל, ואף על פי שנתגיירו מיראת האריות, אין יראתם את ה' יראה שלימה, כמו שמפרש והולך, שאינם עוסקים בתורה ובמצות אשר צוה ה' את בני יעקב, ואינם עושים כחקותם וכמשפטם שהיה עליהם לעשות משנתגיירו, אלא כמו שהורם הכהן שהיה מן השמרונים שהיו עובדים עבודה זרה:

They do not fear Adonoy. A complete fear as is the custom of the [Bnei] Yisroel. And although they converted out of fear of the lions, [nonetheless,] their fear of Adonoy was not a complete fear, (like [Bnei] Yisroel's custom) as it goes on to elaborate, that they were not engaged in Torah [study] and [in performing] the commandments which God commanded the Bnei Yaakov, and they do not practice according to their statutes and according to their law, which they are obligated to practice once they converted, but as the priest who was of the people of Shomron, instructed them.³⁷Alternatively, the verse refers to the exiled Bnei Yisroel who “until this day” have not repented from the idolatrous practices, but continue to combine the worship of God with the worship of idols as they had practiced in Shomron.—Radak—who were idolatrous,

17:35

וַיִּכְרֹת יְהֹוָה אִתָּם בְּרִית וַיְצַוֵּם לֵאמֹר לֹא תִֽירְאוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם וְלֹא תַעַבְדוּם וְלֹא תִזְבְּחוּ לָהֶֽם׃

with whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, you shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

Rashi

ויכרת ה' אתם ברית. כשנתן להם תורה בהר סיני:

And Adonoy enacted a covenant with them. When He gave them the Torah at Mount Sinai.