In the ninth year of Hoshea, Samaria falls and Israel is carried away to Assyria — because they feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the nations; the men of Cuth and Babylon settle the cities, the lions come, and a mixed worship remains.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.
verse value 5211
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·Israel" (עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: king, he·reigned. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "of·Ahaz" (לְאָחָ֖ז), "nine" (תֵּ֥שַׁע). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "upon·Israel" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "in·year·of" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: בִּשְׁנַת֙ [in·year·of] (752) + שְׁתֵּ֣ים [two] (750) + עֶשְׂרֵ֔ה [ten] (575) + לְאָחָ֖ז [of·Ahaz] (46) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + מָ֠לַ֠ךְ [he·reigned] (90) + הוֹשֵׁ֨עַ [Hoshea] (381) + בֶּן־אֵלָ֧ה [son·of·Elah] (88) + בְשֹׁמְר֛וֹן [in·Samaria] (598) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [upon·Israel] (641) + תֵּ֥שַׁע [nine] (770) + שָׁנִֽים [years] (400) = 5211.
Rashi
In the twelfth year of Ahaz and so on. It is impossible to say that Hoshea reigned in the twelfth year of Ahaz, for in the fourth year of Ahaz he killed Pekah and reigned in his place, and when you check in the years of Pekah you will find so, and also it is impossible to say that he reigned only nine years, for he reigned from the fourth year of Ahaz until the sixth year of Hezekiah when Samaria was captured, behold more than sixteen years, and what does the verse come to teach nine years, from his rebellion against the king of Assyria, so it is taught in Seder Olam, and it is impossible to say that in the twelfth year of Ahaz he began to rebel, for then you will find the years of his rebellion [to be] five years in the days of Ahaz, and six years in the days of Hezekiah, behold eleven, and here he says nine, the twelfth year of Ahaz was not mentioned except concerning the following verse: upon him Shalmaneser came and so on, for in the twelfth year of Ahaz Sennacherib came up against Hoshea, and exiled those across the Jordan, and so we learned in Seder Olam, and a verse is written in Chronicles (I 5:26): and God of Israel moved the spirit of Pul king of Assyria and he exiled them, the Reubenites and the Gadites, and it did not explain in what time, and here it explained that in the twelfth year of Ahaz it was; three exiles were the ten tribes exiled: in the twentieth year of Pekah, as is written above (15:29): came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria and he took Ijon and Dan and so on, all the land of Naphtali, and exiled them to Assyria, and this was the fourth year of Ahaz, he waited eight years and came upon them [again] in the twelfth year of Ahaz, and exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites, and when Hoshea son of Elah saw [this] he rebelled against him and sent messengers to So king of Egypt (below 17:4), he waited eight years, and came and besieged Samaria, and it was captured at the end of three years, and they were all exiled, and this is what is said (in Isaiah 8:23): at the first time formerly He lightened the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, He lightened even at the second, that he exiled only the two tribes, but the last one was heavy — he swept away everything, like one who sweeps out the house — and in any case according to the calculation written here, the count of the years of his rebellion [being] nine years, he did not rebel against him until the fourteenth year of Ahaz, for Ahaz reigned sixteen, three years of Ahaz was the rebellion, and six years in the days of Hezekiah:
Radak
"In the twelfth year." But did he not become king in the fourth year of Ahaz, according to the calculation, as we have written above? And Seder Olam says: [the years are counted] from his rebellion. But he reigned from the fourth year of Ahaz until the sixth year of Hezekiah. And in the twelfth year of Ahaz, which is the eighth year of Hoshea, he rebelled against the king of Assyria. And from the year in which he rebelled until the end of his reign were nine years.
Ralbag
"In the twelfth year of Ahaz." We know that Hoshea reigned until the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea, as is mentioned in what follows. And since we already know that Ahaz began his reign in the seventeenth year of Pekah, it has become clear that Ahaz reigned for fourteen years alone before Hoshea's accession. Therefore, we must say that after twelve years of Ahaz had passed, and Ahaz was in his thirteenth year—for only three years remained to him—then Hoshea began to reign. But prior to this, he was a servant of the king of Assyria and was not counted as a king, but rather like a governor whom the king of Assyria had appointed, and they rebelled against him, as is stated. And after this, he continued in his kingship in rebellion for nine years.
Metzudat David
"In the twelfth year." For initially, Hoshea was a vassal king under the king of Assyria for nine broken years, and after some time he rebelled against him and reigned on his own for nine broken years. And what is stated above that Hoshea reigned in the twentieth year of Jotham means: then he became a vassal king, and he remained so until the beginning of the thirteenth year of Ahaz, for nine broken years, because the twentieth year of Jotham is the fifth year of Ahaz, for Jotham died in the sixteenth year of his reign, and immediately Ahaz began to reign. And what is stated here "in the twelfth year" means: after the twelfth year of Ahaz had passed, and at the beginning of the thirteenth year, Hoshea reigned on his own and rebelled against the king of Assyria.
Malbim
The questions: Here it states that he reigned in the twelfth year of Ahaz, whereas above (15:30) it states that he reigned in the twentieth year of Jotham, intending to say that it was the fifth year of Ahaz.
"In the twelfth year, etc." For what is stated above (2 Kings 15:30), that he reigned in the twentieth year of Jotham, means that he began his reign in the fifth year of Ahaz. At that time, he was established as a king under the authority of the king of Assyria. But in the twelfth year of Ahaz, he reigned as an independent kingdom, for he rebelled against the king of Assyria.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
verse value 2519
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֗ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·eyes·of" (בְּעֵינֵ֣י, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "as·kings·of" (כְּמַלְכֵ֣י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + הָרַ֖ע [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + רַ֗ק [only] (300) + לֹ֚א [not] (31) + כְּמַלְכֵ֣י [as·kings·of] (120) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הָי֖וּ [were] (21) + לְפָנָֽיו [to·his·face] (176) = 2519.
Rashi
Only not like the kings of Israel. Who abolished the toll-houses that sat from the days of Jeroboam on the roads, to guard that Israel should not go up on pilgrimage, and this one abolished them for the golden calves were already exiled in two exiles, in the first exile, and he took Ijon and Dan, he exiled the calf that was in Dan, and in the second when the Reubenites and Gadites were exiled, he took the calf that was in Bethel, to fulfill what is said (Hosea 10:6): also it shall be carried to Assyria. And since the toll-houses were abolished and they refrained from going up on pilgrimage, therefore their sentence was sealed for exile in his days, for until now they attributed the corruption to their kings, and now there was no one to attribute it to, and this is what Hoshea son of Beeri said (there 5:3): for now, Ephraim, you have committed harlotry; Israel is defiled, now your evil is revealed:
Radak
"Only not like the kings of Israel who were before him." They [the Sages] said that he removed all those guard posts that Jeroboam son of Nebat had stationed on the borders so that [the people] would not go up to Jerusalem. And it is said that on the fifteenth of Av he abolished those guard posts; therefore Israel would make the fifteenth of Av a festive day.
Metzudat David
“Only not, etc.” Our Sages of blessed memory said (Gittin 88a): That the guards whom Jeroboam appointed were nullified, so that they would not ascend to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals.
Malbim
Only not like the kings of Israel, for by then the calves had already been exiled, and the guards that the kings of Israel had previously appointed to prevent people from going up for the pilgrimage festivals were abolished, since the worship of the calves had been nullified.
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him presents.
verse value 2480
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Shalmaneser" (שַׁלְמַנְאֶ֖סֶר, 7 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·became·to·him" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "upon·him" (root על, 116x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Assyria', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: עָלָ֣יו [upon·him] (116) + עָלָ֔ה [went·up] (105) + שַׁלְמַנְאֶ֖סֶר [Shalmaneser] (681) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + אַשּׁ֑וּר [Assyria] (507) + וַֽיְהִי־ל֤וֹ [and·became·to·him] (67) + הוֹשֵׁ֙עַ֙ [Hoshea] (381) + עֶ֔בֶד [servant] (76) + וַיָּ֥שֶׁב [and·brought] (318) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + מִנְחָֽה [gift] (103) = 2480.
Metzudat David
"And he paid him tribute." Since it was a fixed obligation upon him every year, it says "vayashev" [he repeated], because he gave and gave again.
Malbim
The questions: What is the meaning of the phrase "and he rendered him tribute" [vayashev lo minchah]? It should have said "and he gave him," not the language of return.
"Upon him he ascended": Initially, he was a servant to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria. And when the king died, he became an independent king, and Shalmaneser ascended over him, and he became his servant. He rendered him tribute that he had not given throughout all the days of his rebellion; he repaid for the years that had passed.
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
verse value 6619
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. The shortest word is "treason" (קֶ֗שֶׁר, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Egypt" (מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 507: Assyria, Assyria. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "in·Hoshea" (בְּהוֹשֵׁ֜עַ), "to·So" (אֶל־ס֣וֹא), "and·not·offered" (וְלֹא־הֶעֱלָ֥ה). The root אשור appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·So" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מצרי ("king·of·Egypt") in II Kings. First appearance of the root כלא ("imprisonment") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·year', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Ralbag
"And the king of Assyria confined him, and put him in prison." I consider that this occurred after the passage of nine years of Hoshea's reign, for already the king of Assyria had come up against Samaria and besieged it, and at the conclusion of the matter he captured Samaria; then he confined Hoshea and imprisoned him in a prison.
Metzudat David
"And he found." It became known to the king of Assyria that Hoshea desired to rebel against him once more, and he sent to the king of Egypt for his aid; moreover, he did not bring up the tribute to him as he had done in every previous year.
"And he detained him." For at that time, when it was made known to him, Hosea was with him, and he detained him from going to his land and imprisoned him in the prison.
Metzudat Zion
And he detained him. He stopped and prevented him, so too (above 4:24): do not stop me:
Imprisoned. A matter of arrest, so too (Jeremiah 32:3): whom Zedekiah imprisoned:
Malbim
(4–6) And he found, but afterwards he found in him a plot, and he detained him upon his coming to him, and he imprisoned him in the house of detention, and he besieged Samaria for three years, and he captured it in the ninth year, and this was the final, general exile.
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
verse value 3224
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 3224 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "three" (שָׁלֹ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·went·up, and·went·up. The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "on" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "years" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·all·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥עַל [and·went·up] (116) + מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר [king·of·Assyria] (597) + בְּכׇל־הָאָ֑רֶץ [in·all·the·earth] (348) + וַיַּ֙עַל֙ [and·went·up] (116) + שֹׁמְר֔וֹן [Samaria] (596) + וַיָּ֥צַר [and·bound] (306) + עָלֶ֖יהָ [on] (115) + שָׁלֹ֥שׁ [three] (630) + שָׁנִֽים [years] (400) = 3224.
Radak
“And the king of Assyria went up throughout the land.” Explanation: He conquered it, and afterward he went up to Samaria and besieged it.
Metzudat David
"In all the land." In all of the Land of Israel, to conquer it all:
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
verse value 7197
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "he·took" (לָכַ֤ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 54: he·took, Medes. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "ninth" (הַתְּשִׁעִ֜ית), "he·took" (לָכַ֤ד). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·year·of" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings); "and·cities·of" (root עיר, 61x in II Kings); "king·of·Assyria" (root אשור, 45x in II Kings). First appearance of the root גוזן ("Gozan") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Assyria', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 8 words.
Rashi
In the ninth year. Of his rebellion:
And he exiled Israel. And he exiled Israel, and this is the measure of every word whose action has hey, such as: 'turned' 'built' 'exiled' 'committed harlotry' 'increased', when it comes to put at the beginning of the word vav yod, if the word is returned to the doer, the yod shall be dotted with hirek, such as (Genesis 12:7): and he built there an altar; (Exodus 32:15) and he turned and Moses went down; (below verse 23): and Judah was exiled from his land; (Jeremiah 3:8): and she went and committed harlotry also she; (Exodus 1:20): and the people increased and multiplied greatly. And if he speaks in the language of causer, the yod shall be dotted with segol, such as (Judges 15:4): and the tail turned to tail; (below 18:11): and he exiled Israel to Assyria; (Chronicles II 21:11): and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry; (Lamentations 2:5): and he caused mourning and moaning to increase in the daughter of Judah:
Metzudat David
"In the ninth year." From the time that he reigned on his own [and thus he did not reign for all nine years, for they had already imprisoned him in jail before he (the king of Assyria) went up against Samaria, and he besieged it for three years; and what is stated above, "Hoshea reigned... nine years," means: from the beginning of his reign until the exile, it was nine years]:
"River of Gozan." This implies: in Chalach and Chabor, which are situated on the river of Gozan:
Metzudat Zion
And he exiled [them]. From the word exile:
And he settled [them]. From the word dwell:
And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Hashem their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
verse value 4402
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "hand" (יַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "for·sinned" (כִּֽי־חָטְא֤וּ), "who·brought·up" (הַמַּעֲלֶ֤ה), "and·feared" (וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "their·God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings). First appearance of the root פרעה ("Pharaoh") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·of·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass when they had sinned..." This means: This exile occurred because the Children of Israel sinned, for until Hoshea became king, some of them were coerced, for the kings caused them to sin and did not permit them to ascend to Jerusalem. But Hoshea abolished the guards and gave them the choice, and despite all this, they did not ascend to Jerusalem and instead served the golden calves; therefore, the sin is counted against them.
Malbim
And now is the account of the cause of the exile of Israel, which occurred due to the multitude of their transgressions, as they went from one error to another. Initially, they sinned against the Lord, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt. The meaning is that all the idol-worshipping nations are subject to nature and the decrees of the stars and constellations. And when they worship the host of heaven, because they consider them to be intermediaries between God and themselves, it is not counted against them as a sin. But Israel, at the time that He brought them out from the land of Egypt, the Lord distinguished them from all the peoples through His special providence, and removed them from being under the dominion of the stars, so that they would be His portion and His inheritance, under His particular providence. And they have no right to fear other gods, or the powers of the stars, or the decrees of heaven, and all the more so not to serve them or bow down to them, for they are given directly to the Lord, without any intermediary. As it is stated, "Whom the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven, but you the Lord has taken and brought out from the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people of inheritance to Himself." And the first sin of Israel was in that they feared other gods; in this they sinned against the Lord from this aspect, namely, that He had brought them out from the land of Egypt to be under His providence.
and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Hashem cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they practised;
verse value 4007
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·walked" (וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חקה ("in·statutes·of") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ [and·walked] (72) + בְּחֻקּ֣וֹת [in·statutes·of] (516) + הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [the·nations] (64) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + הוֹרִ֣ישׁ [he·cast·out] (521) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + מִפְּנֵ֖י [from·face·of] (180) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וּמַלְכֵ֥י [and·kings·of] (106) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + עָשֽׂוּ [they·did] (376) = 4007.
Radak
"And the kings of Israel who did." Explanation: "And like the statutes of the kings of Israel who did."
Ralbag
And the kings of Israel who did. This means: And in the statutes of the kings of Israel who did, such as Jeroboam son of Nebat and his companions, for already Israel had gone after their statutes and abandoned the covenant of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"And the kings of Israel." The word "be-chukot" (in the statutes) stands in place of two words, as if it said: "In the statutes of the kings of Israel, which they did for the service of idolatry."
Metzudat Zion
Drive out. Expel:
Malbim
"And they walked": They added to their rebellion by walking in the active sense, following the statutes of the nations and the statutes enacted by the kings of Israel. This was due to their belief in the power of the heavenly host, as it is stated: "Be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by them, for the statutes of the peoples are vanity." Furthermore, this includes the wicked statutes and customs of the nations regarding matters of forbidden sexual relations and the like, as it is stated at the end of the portion of forbidden sexual relations: "Do not walk in the statutes of the nations... for all these things they did, and I abhorred them."
and the children of Israel did impute things that were not right to Hashem their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;
verse value 3962
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·ascribed" (וַיְחַפְּא֣וּ), "upon·Hashem" (עַל־יְהֹוָ֖ה), "in·all·their·cities" (בְּכׇל־עָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "upon·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "words" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
And they concealed themselves. They fabricated [falsehoods], its explanation according to its context:
From a tower of watchmen. Which is made only to place a watcher to guard, in every high house they placed idol worship:
Until a fortified city. Like from small to great:
Radak
"And the children of Israel ascribed against the Lord their God things that were not so." In the words of our Sages of blessed memory, what did they say? They said: "This pillar does not see and does not hear." This is the meaning of the term vayichfe'u — that they concealed [this] knowledge from the Creator — as the prophet Ezekiel stated, that they used to say, "The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land." And so Isaiah said, "Who sees us, and who knows us?" And the aleph of vayichfe'u stands in place of the heh that is the third root letter, from the root chafah — [as in] "covered with cypress wood" — for they are one matter and one root.
"Which is not so. Which is not good:"
From the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. From the tower in which the watchmen stand. And the Targum [renders it]: from the strong tower to the walled cities.
Ralbag
"And the children of Israel committed hidden things that were not right against the LORD their God." Behold, "vayechap'u" is from the sense of "concealing" and "covering," and the intent is that they set as hidden and covered before the LORD matters that are not so — meaning, that they are not hidden from Him. The analogy is that they thought that the Blessed One did not attend to their deeds, and that He had abandoned the land. For this they served the host of heaven and performed those disgraceful acts, as mentioned regarding their matter, until they had already built high places in all their cities, from the small to the great. Now the small one was a "tower of watchers" (migdal notzrim), meaning a tower of guards: for when a person had many fields and vineyards one after another, he would build a tower among them to guard their produce and store it there. And in that very tower too they built a high place, but this did not suffice them; rather, outside the city they set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every leafy tree. And all this was contrary to the intent of the Torah, which commanded to serve the Blessed One alone, and in one place alone, after the building of the Temple.
Metzudat David
"And they covered." They said in secret against the Lord things that are not fit to say, for they denied His knowledge and providence, as it is said (Ezekiel 8:12): "For they say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.'" And it is said (Isaiah 29:15): "Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord to conceal counsel, etc."
From the watchtower. Even in the tower where the lookouts stand, and they are called "watchmen," for through them the inhabitants of the city are guarded.
"Until a fortified city." This implies: In every place, whether small or large.
Metzudat Zion
And they covered. From the word cover and covering, meaning: they concealed, as a covered thing:
Proper. Fitting and appropriate, so too (Judges 12:6): he could not speak properly:
Malbim
"And they professed false things" — they added the sin of heresy in matters of belief in the Divine, such as the sect of the Meshanim [who hold that God changes], the Magshimim [who ascribe corporeality to God], and those who deny [Divine] knowledge and providence, and those who speak slander concerning the Divine attributes and the like. From this they came to a further decline: they built their high places in all their cities, and filled the high places in every place, from the tower where vineyards and fields are guarded to the fortified cities, meaning, in every place, small and great. Although initially the high places were for the worship of God, they had already denied the unity of the Lord and that His worship must be in a specific, distinct, and sanctified place for His Name, and not in every place.
and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every leafy tree;
verse value 2923
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Asherim" (וַאֲשֵׁרִ֑ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·set·up" (וַיַּצִּ֧בוּ), "pillars" (מַצֵּב֖וֹת), "and·Asherim" (וַאֲשֵׁרִ֑ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "all·tree" (root כל, 66x in II Kings); "to·them" (root הם, 47x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Asherim', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּצִּ֧בוּ [and·set·up] (114) + לָהֶ֛ם [to·them] (75) + מַצֵּב֖וֹת [pillars] (538) + וַאֲשֵׁרִ֑ים [and·Asherim] (557) + עַ֚ל [upon] (100) + כׇּל־גִּבְעָ֣ה [all·hill] (130) + גְבֹהָ֔ה [high] (15) + וְתַ֖חַת [and·under] (814) + כׇּל־עֵ֥ץ [all·tree] (210) + רַעֲנָֽן [leafy] (370) = 2923.
Metzudat David
"Under every green tree" – this refers back to the stele.
Malbim
(10-11) "And they set up" – afterward, they added further rebellion. "They set up pillars and Asherim, and they offered incense there on all the high places" for idolatry – like the nations whom [God] had driven out, who had truly offered incense to idols. And they added even more, for they did evil things to provoke [God] to anger.
and there they offered in all the high places, as did the nations whom Hashem carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke Hashem;
verse value 3635
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·offered·there" (וַיְקַטְּרוּ־שָׁם֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·offered·there" (וַיְקַטְּרוּ־שָׁם֙), "in·all·high-places" (בְּכׇל־בָּמ֔וֹת), "like·the·nations" (כַּגּוֹיִ֕ם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom·He·exiled" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "words" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). First appearance of the root כעס ("to·provoke") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְקַטְּרוּ־שָׁם֙ [and·they·offered·there] (671) + בְּכׇל־בָּמ֔וֹת [in·all·high-places] (500) + כַּגּוֹיִ֕ם [like·the·nations] (79) + אֲשֶׁר־הֶגְלָ֥ה [whom·He·exiled] (544) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם [from·their·face] (225) + וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ [and·they·did] (392) + דְּבָרִ֣ים [words] (256) + רָעִ֔ים [evil] (320) + לְהַכְעִ֖יס [to·provoke] (195) + אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (427) = 3635.
Ralbag
"Like the nations whom the Lord drove out before them." This does not mean that they did not take to heart that these disgraceful deeds did not benefit the nations whom the Lord drove out before them; rather, these deeds were the cause that caused the land to vomit them out.
and they served idols, whereof Hashem had said to them: ‘You shall not do this thing’;
verse value 2495
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·served" (וַיַּֽעַבְד֖וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "idols" (הַגִּלֻּלִ֑ים), "you·shall·do" (תַעֲשׂ֖וּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root גלול ("idols") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'idols', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיַּֽעַבְד֖וּ [and·they·served] (98) + הַגִּלֻּלִ֑ים [idols] (118) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + אָמַ֤ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תַעֲשׂ֖וּ [you·shall·do] (776) + אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר [the·thing] (612) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2495.
Metzudat Zion
The idols. From the word dung and excrement, and they are the idols:
Malbim
"And they served" – and they added even more, for they served idols, namely images of animals and beasts that are detestable. And they did this solely because the Lord had said, "You shall not do this thing"; they did so in order to provoke Him to anger, even though they themselves knew that these were idols and abominations.
yet Hashem forewarned Israel, and Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying: ‘Turn you from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets’;
verse value 7988
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 127 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֡ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַד֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "as·all·the·law" (כְּכׇ֨ל־הַתּוֹרָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 16: in·hand·of, in·hand·of. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·warned" (וַיָּ֣עַד), "every·seer" (כׇל־חֹזֶ֜ה), "from·your·ways" (מִדַּרְכֵיכֶ֤ם). The root נביא appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מצוה ("my·commandments") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 6 words.
Rashi
And the Lord testified. He warned them:
Prophets of every seer. [Meaning] prophets of every vision, for there is a [sense of] חוזה that is an abstract noun, as it is said (Isaiah 28:15): and with Sheol we have made a covenant:
Radak
"And the LORD warned." From the Hif'il conjugation of hollow verbs (with a weak middle root letter, the ayin), its meaning is admonition through witnesses. So too: "the man sternly warned us" [Genesis 43:3], "[I] have warned against you this day" [Deuteronomy 4:26].
"By the hand of every navi His, every seer." It is written with a vav, meaning: by the hand of everyone who was His [true] prophet, not the false prophets. And it is read "nevi'ei" [construct plural], which functions like "nevi'im" [prophets, absolute plural]. Likewise "chalonei shequfim" [splayed window frames, cf. 1 Kings 6:4] functions like "chalonot" [windows]; "anshei mechuqeh" [men portrayed in image, cf. Ezekiel 23:14] functions like "anashim" [men]. Its meaning is that He warned them by the hand of every seer and prophet. And in the midrash: "By the hand of every navi His" — how many prophets did I send to warn them? One in the morning and one in the evening. It is written "navi'o" [with a vav].
Ralbag
"And the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets and by all the seers." This means: by means of all the prophets and all the seers. And it seems that the seer is considered more complete than the prophet, for the prophet is called a prophet even if the word of the Lord comes to him in a dream, as it is stated: "If there is among you a prophet of the Lord, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream." However, the seer is called one to whom the word of the Lord comes in a vision, and this is superior to a dream.
Metzudat David
"And the Lord warned." He warned them. And since the manner of warning is done in the presence of witnesses, the verse employs the term "vaya'ad" (and He warned/testified).
"All prophets." [The term] "all prophets" is stated, and for the sake of additional clarification, it says "all seers," for the title "prophet" is shared even by the prophets of Baal, whereas this is not the case with "seer," for that title is used exclusively for those who prophesy in the name of the Lord alone.
“And that which I sent.” Guard that which I sent, etc.:
Malbim
"And the Lord testified" – After this, He sent many prophets during the days of Elijah and Elisha, and they testified to them regarding the punishments that were destined to come upon them.
notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in Hashem their God;
verse value 3248
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "neck" (אֶת־עׇרְפָּם֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·hardened" (וַיַּקְשׁ֤וּ), "neck" (אֶת־עׇרְפָּם֙), "as·neck·of" (כְּעֹ֣רֶף). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·heard', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֖א [and·not] (37) + שָׁמֵ֑עוּ [they·heard] (416) + וַיַּקְשׁ֤וּ [and·they·hardened] (422) + אֶת־עׇרְפָּם֙ [neck] (791) + כְּעֹ֣רֶף [as·neck·of] (370) + אֲבוֹתָ֔ם [their·fathers] (449) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + הֶאֱמִ֔ינוּ [believed] (112) + בַּֽיהֹוָ֖ה [in·Hashem] (28) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·God] (91) = 3248.
Ralbag
"Like their fathers who did not believe in the Lord their God." He compared them to one of their forefathers who did not believe in the Lord their God and did not agree to believe in Him because of the words of the prophets.
Metzudat David
“And they stiffened their necks.” This is from the language of distance, as if the nape became hardened, so that they could not turn back, to face the prophet:
Like the nape of their fathers. They are the worshippers of the Golden Calf in the wilderness:
Metzudat Zion
Their nape. It is the back of the head:
Malbim
And they did not listen, and they stiffened their necks, and this was due to a deficiency in faith.
and they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies wherewith He testified against them; and they went after things of nought, and became nought, and after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Hashem had charged them that they should not do like them;
verse value 9257
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 114 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·covenant" (וְאֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that, that, that. 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·rejected" (וַיִּמְאֲס֣וּ), "His·statutes" (אֶת־חֻקָּ֗יו), "and·covenant" (וְאֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ֙). The root אשר appears 4 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "to·do" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מאס ("and·they·rejected") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 15 words.
Ralbag
"And they rejected His statutes and His covenant." This entire [passage] is testimony that they did what the Blessed Holy One had stated: that if they were to do so, He would bring upon them these curses that came upon them, and in the end of the matter He would cast them out to another land, as [is the case] to this day. For this reason, it also mentions that they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord, as is mentioned there among those curses.
“And His testimonies, which He testified by them.” Behold, He called “testimonies” those matters in the Torah that are in the manner of testimony, to bear witness to the wonders of God, blessed be He, for Israel, such as Passover and Sukkot, which are testimonies to the Exodus from Egypt; and the sanctity of the firstborn of clean animals, and the redemption of the firstborn of man, and the firstling of a donkey, which are testimonies to the plague of the firstborn. And He also called “testimonies” that which God, blessed be He, testified in the Torah, calling heaven and earth as witnesses, that if they transgress His covenant, these curses will come upon them, until He destroys them. And He also called “testimonies” those narratives that appear in the Torah, which serve as testimony concerning one who transgresses the word of God, blessed be He, in such a way that he will be punished with a wondrous punishment. And behold, there are many narratives in the Torah that testify to this, and for one who fulfills them, He will repay him with good reward. And they abandoned all this, although His perfection and goodness were known to them, and they went after vanity, namely idolatry, and they also performed their actions, which were vanities.
Metzudat David
"asher karat." Regarding the observance of the Torah:
"And His testimonies." They rejected the warnings that He gave them, and they did not heed them.
"And they were deluded." They became men of vanity, and were devoted to the worship of idols.
"And after." This is construed as referring to "and they went," to say that they went after the ways of the nations, etc.
Metzudat Zion
As they. Like them:
Malbim
"And they abhorred" – subsequently, they reached the utmost limit of evil, to the point that they abhorred His statutes out of sheer disgust, as it is stated, "But if you abhor My statutes" (Leviticus 26:15); and His covenant, as it is stated, "to break My covenant" (Leviticus 26:15); and His testimonies, as it is stated in the rebuke, "If you will not listen even to these" (Leviticus 26:18); and they went after vanity, for by their abhorrence of the Torah of the Lord, they chose the faith of vanity and the thought of the spirit, and all the abominations of the nations.
and they forsook all the commandments of Hashem their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal;
verse value 5528
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 88 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·unleavened" (אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 392: and·they·did, and·they·did. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "all·unleavened" (אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺת֙), "molten·image" (מַסֵּכָ֖ה), "calves" (עֲגָלִ֑ים). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "their·God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מצה ("all·unleavened") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'calves', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
The two calves. In Bethel and in Dan:
And the Baal. An idolatry whose name is Baal:
Metzudat David
"And they made for themselves a molten image, etc." They cast the calves for themselves.
Metzudat Zion
A molten image. A matter of metal-casting, so too (Isaiah 40:19): the idol, a craftsman casts [it]:
Malbim
"And they abandoned" — until now, [the text] related what individuals did; but from now on it relates that the abomination and apostasy came from the entire people, who abandoned all the commandments of the Lord and left the religion. And it relates one by one the abominations of the people in general: what they did with the calves in the days of Jeroboam, which was the beginning of the sin of the community; and afterward they made an Asherah for the worship of the moon; and they bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal, which is the worship of the sun; and this was in the days of Ahab.
and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave themselves over to do that which was evil in the sight of Hashem, to provoke Him;
verse value 5019
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·fire" (בָּאֵ֔שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙, 10 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·caused·to·pass" (וַֽ֠יַּעֲבִ֠ירוּ), "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙), "and·they·practiced·divination" (וַיִּקְסְמ֥וּ). The root קסם appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "to·do" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "in·eyes·of" (root עין, 49x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נחש ("and·practiced·enchantment") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·practiced·enchantment', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽ֠יַּעֲבִ֠ירוּ [and·they·caused·to·pass] (304) + אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֤ם [their·sons] (508) + וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ [and·their·daughters] (920) + בָּאֵ֔שׁ [in·the·fire] (303) + וַיִּקְסְמ֥וּ [and·they·practiced·divination] (222) + קְסָמִ֖ים [divinations] (250) + וַיְנַחֵ֑שׁוּ [and·practiced·enchantment] (380) + וַיִּֽתְמַכְּר֗וּ [and·sold·themselves] (682) + לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת [to·do] (806) + הָרַ֛ע [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֥י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ [to·provoke·Him] (201) = 5019.
Rashi
And they sold themselves. They sold themselves for it:
Radak
"And they were sold." We have already explained this in the verse "Because you have sold yourself to me."
Ralbag
“And they practiced sorcery and divination.” This means that they performed certain acts in order to draw down upon themselves the spiritual influences of the stars, according to their calculations. In this disgraceful manner, they attained magical power. Likewise, they practiced divination among the nations, and they relied upon these weak and utterly disgraceful revelations and prophecies, thereby forfeiting the complete revelations that were destined to come to them through a prophet.
Metzudat David
“And they passed them through the fire.” This is the service of Molech.
"And they sold themselves." So persistent were they in doing evil, as if they had sold themselves to it:
Metzudat Zion
And practiced divination and soothsaid. A matter of sorcery and divination:
Malbim
"And they made [their children] pass through [the fire]" – they added to commit the additional abominations enumerated in Scripture: "There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, an astrologer, an augur, a diviner, a sorcerer," etc.
that Hashem was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
verse value 3028
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·was·angry" (וַיִּתְאַנַּ֨ף, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·he·was·angry" (וַיִּתְאַנַּ֨ף), "and·He·removed·them" (וַיְסִרֵ֖ם), "rod" (שֵׁ֥בֶט). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "from·upon" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְאַנַּ֨ף [and·he·was·angry] (547) + יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + מְאֹד֙ [very] (45) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [in·Israel] (543) + וַיְסִרֵ֖ם [and·He·removed·them] (316) + מֵעַ֣ל [from·upon] (140) + פָּנָ֑יו [his·face] (146) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + נִשְׁאַ֔ר [remained] (551) + רַ֛ק [only] (300) + שֵׁ֥בֶט [rod] (311) + יְהוּדָ֖ה [Judah] (30) + לְבַדּֽוֹ [alone] (42) = 3028.
Rashi
And He removed them from His presence. That they were exiled with Hoshea son of Elah:
Radak
Only the tribe of Judah alone. And the tribe of Benjamin is subordinate to it and included with it:
Metzudat David
"And the Lord was angry." And because of all this the Lord was angry:
"From off His face." This means: from His land.
"None remained." In their land:
Metzudat Zion
And He was wrathful. From the word anger and fury, so too (I Kings 8:46): and You were angry with them:
Malbim
"And He was angry" – initially, He was angry with Israel because He removed them from before His face, that is, from His providential oversight; this means that He hid His face from them, as though not looking upon their affairs. Only Judah remained under His providence.
Also Judah kept not the commandments of Hashem their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they practised.
verse value 3704
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "also·Judah" (גַּם־יְהוּדָ֕ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "also·Judah" (גַּם־יְהוּדָ֕ה), "unleavened·bread" (אֶת־מִצְוֺ֖ת). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: גַּם־יְהוּדָ֕ה [also·Judah] (73) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שָׁמַ֔ר [kept] (540) + אֶת־מִצְוֺ֖ת [unleavened·bread] (937) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם [their·God] (91) + וַיֵּ֣לְכ֔וּ [and·walked] (72) + בְּחֻקּ֥וֹת [in·statutes·of] (516) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + עָשֽׂוּ [they·did] (376) = 3704.
Metzudat David
“Even Judah.” This means: Even though Judah also did not observe, etc.
"Which they made." The statutes which Israel made:
Malbim
Similarly, He later saw that Judah too was following the statutes of Israel, and that if He left them on their land, Judah would be corrupted along with them.
And Hashem rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
verse value 3287
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "into·hand·of·spoilers" (בְּיַד־שֹׁסִ֑ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·rejected" (וַיִּמְאַ֨ס), "in·all·seed·of" (בְּכׇל־זֶ֤רַע), "and·afflicted·them" (וַיְעַנֵּ֔ם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·hand·of·spoilers', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּמְאַ֨ס [and·rejected] (117) + יְהֹוָ֜ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּכׇל־זֶ֤רַע [in·all·seed·of] (329) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + וַיְעַנֵּ֔ם [and·afflicted·them] (176) + וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖ם [and·he·gave·them] (506) + בְּיַד־שֹׁסִ֑ים [into·hand·of·spoilers] (426) + עַ֛ד [until] (74) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הִשְׁלִיכָ֖ם [He·cast·them] (405) + מִפָּנָֽיו [from·his·face] (186) = 3287.
Ralbag
"And He afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of spoilers." This verse recalls that the Lord acted in stages, as mentioned in the Torah: first, He afflicted Israel with famine and with things resembling it; then He gave them into the hands of enemies who plundered them; and after that, He cast them out from His presence and exiled them to another land.
Metzudat David
And He rejected. The intent is: Despite all this, He did not reject anyone at this time except Israel.
"From His presence." From His land:
Metzudat Zion
And He afflicted them. From the word affliction:
Plunderers. Robbers, so too (I Samuel 23:1): and they are plunderers:
Malbim
"And He rejected them": Therefore, He saw fit to punish Israel through His providence, so that Judah would see and take a lesson, and not continue following their deeds. And this occurred gradually: first, "He afflicted them with poverty," and afterward, "He gave them into the hands of plunderers," as was the case in the days of Jehoahaz, when the king of Aram destroyed them, until He ultimately cast them out completely from their land and exiled them to another land, far from His providence.
For He rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drew Israel away from following Hashem, and made them sin a great sin.
verse value 4213
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "from·upon" (מֵעַל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·made·king" (וַיַּמְלִ֖יכוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Jeroboam" (אֶת־יָרׇבְעָ֣ם), "and·he·drew·away" (וַיַּדַּ֨ח), "from·after" (מֵאַחֲרֵ֣י). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·made·king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Nebat', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Radak
"Vayada" [ketiv]. Thus is the Ketiv, and the Keri is "vayadach." The Ketiv is explained from [the root of] "hamnadim la-yom ra" (who thrust off the day of evil) and "sonei'khem menadeikhem" (your brethren that hate you, that cast you out). And the meaning is that he distanced Israel from following the LORD. And the Keri is well known.
Ralbag
“And they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.” This teaches that Israel crowned him of their own accord, even though God had already designated him through His prophet. Indeed, this one was chosen by them of their own will, not through a prophet. However, at that very time, Jeroboam’s heart turned to evil; had they consulted the prophet’s opinion, he would not have chosen him. As we find with Saul, that even though he was anointed king, God said to Samuel, “I regret that I have made him king,” how much more so in this case, where he was not anointed.
"And Jeroboam drove Israel away." [The word] וידא is written [ketiv], but וידח is read [qere]. The written form is related to the term "casting a lot" (ידה גורל), and the intent is "and he cast/threw away." Likewise, the intent of the qere reading concurs with this same matter, for "driving away" is very closely related to "casting away."
Metzudat David
"For Israel has torn themselves asunder." This means: And this is because all of Israel began with the transgression, for they themselves tore and separated themselves from the kingdom of the House of David, and they did not seek permission from the mouth of the Lord.
And Jeroboam drove them away. This was the reason why Jeroboam drove them away with the golden calves: for when he saw that they had rebelled against the kingdom of the House of David, he feared lest they also rebel against him when they came to Jerusalem. Therefore, he made the calves, to prevent them from going to Jerusalem, as it is stated in 1 Kings (12:26-28). But if they had inquired of the matter before God, and he had ruled according to His word, he would not have come to this situation.
Malbim
(21-22) "For Israel broke away": The reason why He cast off only the seed of Israel, and not Judah along with them, is because Israel were the ones who initiated the sin, in that they severed themselves from the House of David, and were driven astray by Jeroboam, and this sin persisted among them throughout the entire period of the kings of Israel. This is what is written: "And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them." For even though the worship of Baal ceased in the days of Jehu and his sons, the calves remained until the end of their kingdom, because they had a strong cause for this: since they had severed themselves from the House of David, they could not ascend to Jerusalem, where the kings of the House of David reigned.
And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
verse value 2781
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·sins·of" (בְּכׇל־חַטֹּ֥אות, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "in·all·sins·of" (בְּכׇל־חַטֹּ֥אות). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'did', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ [and·walked] (72) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + בְּכׇל־חַטֹּ֥אות [in·all·sins·of] (476) + יָרׇבְעָ֖ם [Jeroboam] (322) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָשָׂ֑ה [did] (375) + לֹא־סָ֖רוּ [not·they·turned·aside] (297) + מִמֶּֽנָּה [from·her] (135) = 2781.
Metzudat David
They did not deviate from it. Even after Hosea abolished the guards, nevertheless, they did not deviate from it, of their own accord.
until Hashem removed Israel out of His sight, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, to this day.
verse value 4952
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֠ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·removed" (אֲשֶׁר־הֵסִ֨יר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: from·upon, from·upon. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "that·removed" (אֲשֶׁר־הֵסִ֨יר). The root עד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·removed" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "He·spoke" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·prophets', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
And Israel was exiled. This is dotted with hirek, which is the language of 'was exiled' [intransitive], and it is not the language of 'caused to be exiled' [causative]:
Metzudat David
"Until such time." They sinned so greatly that the sin caused the Lord to remove them from before His face.
"Until this day." This means: And they are there until this day, and they did not return in the Second Temple period, unlike Judah. And all of this refers back to the preceding passage, to provide the reason why the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and yet He was still patient toward Judah, even though their way was the same. He said that it is because through all of Israel the initial transgression occurred, and in the end they clung to it of their own accord, without any external compulsion. Therefore, His anger burned against them, and He exiled them, and they did not return in the Second Temple period. But the men of Judah did not cause the transgression to occur through themselves; rather, it occurred through the kings who compelled them. And when the compulsion ceased, they still clung to the way of the Lord. Therefore, their measure of iniquity was not yet filled [and even after they were exiled, they returned in the Second Temple period, for their sin was not comparable to the sin of Israel, for the initial transgression did not originate through them, as it did through Israel].
Malbim
Until he wished to say that they did not deviate from it until the Lord removed Israel from before Him, and therefore He was compelled to exile them, since He saw that there was no other remedy for them. This is not the case with Judah, whose sin was accidental, due to their seeing the deeds of the children of Israel. And at the time that Israel was exiled, Judah would have had no one from whom to learn.
And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
verse value 6923
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "instead·of" (תַּ֖חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֡וּר, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·from·Cuthah" (וּ֠מִכּ֠וּתָה), "and·from·Avva" (וּמֵעַוָּ֤א), "and·from·Hamath" (וּמֵֽחֲמָת֙). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·brought" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings); "son" (root בן, 66x in II Kings). First appearance of the root בבל ("from·Babylon") in II Kings. First appearance of the root ספרוים ("and·Sepharvaim") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
"And they dwelt in the cities of Samaria." It did not say "in Samaria and in its cities." Similarly, it is stated: "And they inherited Samaria and dwelt in its cities." For Samaria was destroyed by the king of Assyria down to its foundations, as Micah the Morasthite prophesied against them: "And I will make Samaria a heap in the field, a place for vine plantings."
Ralbag
“And the king of Assyria came from Babylon.” This means that he brought people from all these places to settle in the cities of Samaria, in place of the Israelites whom he had exiled from there.
Metzudat David
“in the cities of Samaria.” In the cities adjacent to Samaria:
Malbim
And he brought them and settled them in the cities of Samaria, for Samaria itself had been destroyed, as it is stated (Micah 1:6), "And I will make Samaria a heap in the field, a place for planting vineyards," and they inherited Samaria as fields and vineyards, and they dwelt in its cities for the settlement of people.
And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not Hashem; therefore Hashem sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
verse value 4420
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4420 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·lions" (אֶת־הָ֣אֲרָי֔וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: in·them, in·them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "beginning" (בִּתְחִלַּת֙), "killing" (הֹרְגִ֖ים). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + בִּתְחִלַּת֙ [beginning] (840) + שִׁבְתָּ֣ם [their·dwelling] (742) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָרְא֖וּ [they·feared] (217) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (427) + וַיְשַׁלַּ֨ח [and·sent] (354) + יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + בָּהֶם֙ [in·them] (47) + אֶת־הָ֣אֲרָי֔וֹת [the·lions] (1023) + וַיִּֽהְי֥וּ [and·they·were] (37) + הֹרְגִ֖ים [killing] (258) + בָּהֶֽם [in·them] (47) = 4420.
Rashi
They did not fear the Lord. Even though the nations are idol-worshippers they fear before Him, and they called Him God of gods, as it is said (Malachi 1:14): and My name shall be feared among the nations, and these did not fear Me, for they said if they had had fear of Him, He would not have given His people over to exile:
Malbim
"They did not fear the Lord." Although all the nations acknowledged the Lord and called Him "God of gods," since they considered the worship of idols and the stars as intermediaries between the First Cause and human beings, the Cutheans did not fear the Lord at all. For they said, "If He possesses any power, why did He not save His people?" As long as the nations acknowledge the First Cause and worship idols as intermediaries between themselves and God, their sin is not so great, for they are still under the system of the stars and the human form remains upon them. But when the fear of the Lord was completely removed from them, the image of human beings, along with their awe and dread, was removed from the beasts, and the lions devoured them.
Wherefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying: ‘The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.’
verse value 9494
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 121 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·lions" (אֶת־הָאֲרָי֗וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 830: judgment, judgment. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "you·carried·away" (הִגְלִ֙יתָ֙), "and·you·settled" (וַתּ֙וֹשֶׁב֙), "and·He·sent·among·them" (וַיְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֣ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 11 words.
Radak
"Which I exiled." I moved and displaced [them], for sometimes the term of exile is used apart from captivity; and so, "and they carried them to Manahath" (1 Chronicles 8:6).
Metzudat David
And they said. The king's servants:
"Which you exiled." From Babylon and from Cuthah, etc.:
"The law of." The statute of the God who dwells in that land.
"And He sent." This refers to the fact that He sent the lions against them while they were still ignorant of the law, etc. But once they had come to know it, He no longer sent them against them [and even though from that time onward, while they were in their own land, they did not know the law of the Lord, nevertheless He did not hold them accountable for idolatry except when they were in His holy land, and not in the land of the idolaters].
Malbim
The questions: Why is there a duplication in “they did not know the law, and He sent upon them the lions,” and then it repeats, “and they were killing them, as they did not know the law of the God of the land”?
And they said, etc., they did not know, etc. He means that the lions were destroying them for two reasons: 1. On account of God’s providence, in that since they did not know the law of the God of the land, He sent the lions upon them intentionally to inform them that there is a Judge and Master in His world. 2. That now that He has sent the lions upon them, no special providence is required, for now the lions kill them on their own, since they do not know the law of the God of the land, and their shadow and human image have departed from them, and they are regarded as beasts in the lions’ eyes.
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying: ‘Carry thither one of the priests whom you brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.’
verse value 5112
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֤ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 5112 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·of·Assyria" (מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֜וּר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "carry" (הֹלִ֤יכוּ), "you·carried·away" (הִגְלִיתֶ֣ם). The root שם appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "carry" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
One of the priests, who are the teachers of the Torah:
Ralbag
"One of the priests whom you exiled from there." It seems that some of the priests of the Lord were there in their settlements, and he was instructing these nations how to conduct themselves according to the laws of the Torah. And they did so, each nation having its own god in the cities of Samaria, and they left their idols in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had built. And they would fear the Lord, and some of them made priests of the high places, as Jeroboam had done, who had cast off the [Levitical] priests from the priesthood. And it seems that in these high places they would offer sacrifices for the sake of the Blessed Holy One, as was the matter prior to the prohibition of the high places.
Metzudat David
"And they went and dwelt there." This refers back to the idolaters from Babylon and Cuthah, etc., and the verse intends to teach: just as they went to that place, so too they remained dwelling there, and the priest taught them the law of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
And taught. A matter of instruction, so too (Isaiah 28): teaches knowledge:
So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear Hashem.
verse value 3554
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·priests" (מֵהַכֹּהֲנִ֗ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, how?. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "they·exiled" (הִגְלוּ֙), "teaching" (מוֹרֶ֣ה), "how?" (אֵ֖יךְ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Beth-el', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֞א [and·came] (19) + אֶחָ֣ד [one] (13) + מֵהַכֹּהֲנִ֗ים [from·the·priests] (170) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + הִגְלוּ֙ [they·exiled] (44) + מִשֹּׁ֣מְר֔וֹן [from·Samaria] (636) + וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + בְּבֵֽית־אֵ֑ל [in·Beth-el] (445) + וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + מוֹרֶ֣ה [teaching] (251) + אֹתָ֔ם [them] (441) + אֵ֖יךְ [how?] (31) + יִֽירְא֥וּ [fear] (227) + אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (427) = 3554.
Radak
"How shall they serve the Lord?" He instructed them that even though they would each serve their own gods, their hearts would be directed toward God. For Israel, although they had served the calves, did so only to serve as intermediaries between them and God. For such was the opinion of the nations at that time: that in any case an intermediary was required to approach Him and to serve Him. And Israel erred by following the opinions of the nations. If so, what is the difference between Israel and the nations? Some say that when the nations served each their own god, the wise among them knew that the idols would not be of benefit except as intermediaries, and that serving them was what would be pleasing in the eyes of God. But the masses of the people had no understanding and thought only of the object of worship, believing that it was He who did good and evil. But Israel was not so; rather, all of them knew from the inheritance of their fathers that God, blessed be He, is the God of gods. They only erred by following the opinions of the nations because they were separated from all the other nations. And when they saw the success of the nations of the world, they assumed that their intermediary gods were the cause of that success. And they would say, "How do these nations serve their gods, and I will do likewise," as stated regarding Ahaz: "For the gods of the kings of Aram are their helpers; therefore I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me." And even the wicked among them would inquire of the Lord. For Jeroboam said, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God," meaning that He is the One who does good and evil, and he did not say that the withering of his hand was a mere accident. And when his son fell ill, he sent his wife to inquire of the Lord from Ahijah the Shilonite. And Ahab agreed with Elijah regarding the prophets of Baal, and he trembled at the words of the prophet who said to him, "Your life for his life." And from Elijah's prophecy he trembled, tore his garments, fasted, and lay in sackcloth. And Joram said, "The Lord has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab." This fear of the Name was in their hearts, that from God, blessed be He, comes good and evil. Although there were some among them who were deniers, who would say, "The Lord does not do good, nor does He do evil," and they would say, "Who has seen Him? Who knows Him?" These were few, and another opinion was in their hearts, and they would say in secret, as it is stated, "And the children of Israel hid themselves." And those believed that good and evil are not by a deliberate willer, neither in God nor in any of the objects of worship. But those who believed in idolatry and served it were many, and their opinion was directed toward God, blessed be He, only that they served through intermediaries. And this fear of God was not with them, for God commanded them, "You shall not make gods of silver or gods of gold for Me," meaning that you should not consider them as intermediaries between Me and you. And in this they erred and went in the statutes of the nations in many other matters that God, blessed be He, had forbidden them. Therefore, the land vomited them out, as the Lord, blessed be He, said to them, "You shall not walk in the statutes of the nations, lest the land vomit you out." And why were these nations who came to Samaria punished, whereas they were not punished in their own land? Because the Land of Israel is sanctified more than all the lands, and the land cannot tolerate those abominations, as the verse states, "the foreign gods of the land." Therefore it says, "and let him teach them the practices of the God of the land," and it is stated, "As it vomited out the nation that was before you." And this priest who came to instruct these nations in Samaria—if he were to tell them not to serve idolatry at all, they would not believe, for it is a matter in which all the nations have grown from ancient times, and it is for them like a first principle. But he told them that they should serve their gods as they had served, provided that the intention toward God be in their hearts, for these gods do not do evil nor do good except by the will of God, only that they serve them as intermediaries between them and the Creator. And he instructed them also to guard against the great abominations of bodily impurity, such as lying with a male, lying with an animal, and lying with close relatives, as the verse states, "For all these abominations the men of the land did, who were before you, and the land was defiled." And this is "the practices of the God of the land." And this is the fear of the Lord, that they fear Him and attribute power to Him, for He is God over all gods, and they should guard against these impurities because of His fear and His warning that they not do in that land more than in the other lands.
Malbim
The Questions: How could he say that the priest was instructing them how to fear the Lord, and yet they made every nation serve its own god? This is self-contradictory, for if so, he did not instruct them how to fear the Lord. And if you would say that he meant that he was instructing them but they did not heed his voice, how could he say in verse 29, “And they feared the Lord,” which contradicts what was stated earlier and what is stated afterward, “And they made priests of the high places,” and the threefold statement: “They feared the Lord, and they served their gods,” which is self-contradictory? And he returns and says, “Even to this day… they do not fear the Lord,” which contradicts what was stated earlier that they did fear Him. And again, in verse 11, “And the nations feared the Lord”? And why did he elaborate in the middle of the discourse with what the Lord commanded the children of Israel (from the latter part of verse 34 until verse 41), whereas he is now speaking about the Cutheans? And the entire matter is duplicated, and its meaning is obscure.
And one of the priests came, who was a priest for idolatry. It was only that the Israelites who served idolatry believed in the existence of the Lord and that He is the Supreme God; they merely considered the idols and the calves as intermediaries. And although, in the aspect of Israel, they transgressed the decree and broke the bonds, for they were commanded regarding the prohibition of associating partners with God, and not to serve anyone other than the Lord alone, because they are not subject to any ministering angel of fortune or star, but in the aspect of the Cutheans, it was sufficient that they call themselves those who fear the Lord, as it is stated (Malachi 1:11), "For from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name is great among the nations" -- meaning, they call Him the God of gods. And in this matter, he instructed them how to fear the Lord. And he explains: "And every nation made its own god," and they placed them in the house of the high places that were already there from the days of Israel; thus the people of Babylon made [the idol] Succoth-benoth, etc.
However 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.
verse value 4639
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Samaritans" (הַשֹּׁ֣מְרֹנִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·placed" (וַיַּנִּ֣יחוּ), "Samaritans" (הַשֹּׁ֣מְרֹנִ֔ים), "in·their·cities" (בְּעָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם). The root גוי appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "doing" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 13 words.
Rashi
Which the Samaritans did. Israel while they were there:
nation nation their gods. To a nation and a nation the idolatry that they were serving in their land, even so they did here — all the nations of the city whom Sennacherib settled there in the cities of Israel:
Radak
“Which the Samaritans made.” This refers to Israel, who were in Samaria, and in those houses of the high places which they had made, these nations placed their gods. Each nation, in the cities where they dwelt, would make for itself in its city in the Land of Israel according to their custom in their land.
Metzudat David
"Goy, goy, his God." Every nation established for itself its own idolatrous worship, which it practiced in its land, and the priest did not completely remove them from idolatrous worship, for he was among the priests of the high places and engaged in idolatrous worship just like them.
"The Samaritans." [I.e.] the Jews, the people of Samaria, before they were exiled:
"Goy, goy." This refers to any nation that established its idolatrous worship at the high places, in the city where it settled.
And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
verse value 5919
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "Babylon" (בָבֶ֗ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·men·of·Cuth" (וְאַ֨נְשֵׁי־כ֔וּת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 376: they·did, they·did, they·did. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Succoth" (אֶת־סֻכּ֣וֹת), "daughters·of" (בְּנ֔וֹת), "and·men·of·Cuth" (וְאַ֨נְשֵׁי־כ֔וּת). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "and·men·of" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Nergal', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י [and·men·of] (367) + בָבֶ֗ל [Babylon] (34) + עָשׂוּ֙ [they·did] (376) + אֶת־סֻכּ֣וֹת [Succoth] (887) + בְּנ֔וֹת [daughters·of] (458) + וְאַ֨נְשֵׁי־כ֔וּת [and·men·of·Cuth] (793) + עָשׂ֖וּ [they·did] (376) + אֶת־נֵֽרְגַ֑ל [Nergal] (684) + וְאַנְשֵׁ֥י [and·men·of] (367) + חֲמָ֖ת [Hamath] (448) + עָשׂ֥וּ [they·did] (376) + אֶת־אֲשִׁימָֽא [Ashima] (753) = 5919.
Rashi
Succoth-benoth. The image of a hen with her chicks:
Nergal. The image of a rooster:
Ashima. The image of a goat, and so it is called in the language of every nation, and so our Sages explained in Sanhedrin (63b):
Radak
"Sukkoth Benoth." This was the name of an idol that they worshipped in their land. And we have seen that the name of the idol of Babylon was Bel, as the verse states: "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops" (Isaiah 46:1). This was in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, as the verse says: "[Belteshazzar,] after the name of his god[, Bel]" (Daniel 4:5). But in the days of the king of Assyria, their idol was Sukkoth Benoth. And in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, "Sukkoth Benoth" refers to a hen; that is to say, they worshipped an image of a hen, and its name was Sukkoth Benoth. And just as they call a rooster "sekhvi," so they called a hen "sukkot," and "benot" means "with her chicks."
"נרגל" – this refers to the wild hen. In the Jerusalem Talmud it is stated: "The legs of the נרגל are like the legs of Jacob and the legs of Joseph."
"Ashima." [Aramaic] "A bald goat" — that is, the billy-goat, and it is called "Ashima" because it has no wool, [related to] "shomem" (bare, desolate). And in the Yerushalmi: "Ashima" [is] "imra" (lamb), as in the phrase "the ram of the guilt-offering" (Leviticus 19:22).
Metzudat David
"Succoth-benoth." This is Babylonian terminology, referring to a hen with her chicks.
"Nergal." This is a term from the language of Cuth, meaning a male chicken; and similarly, each [term] is called according to the language of that nation.
Ashima. It is a goat:
and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
verse value 5344
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "these" ((אלה)) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "they·did" (עָשׂ֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Sepharvites see Sepharvaim" (וְהַסְפַרְוִ֗ים, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·the·Avvim" (וְהָעַוִּ֛ים), "Nibhaz" (נִבְחַ֖ז), "and·Tartak" (וְאֶת־תַּרְתָּ֑ק). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Tartak', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וְהָעַוִּ֛ים [and·the·Avvim] (137) + עָשׂ֥וּ [they·did] (376) + נִבְחַ֖ז [Nibhaz] (67) + וְאֶת־תַּרְתָּ֑ק [and·Tartak] (1507) + וְהַסְפַרְוִ֗ים [and·Sepharvites see Sepharvaim] (407) + שֹׂרְפִ֤ים [burning] (630) + אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם֙ [their·sons] (508) + בָּאֵ֔שׁ [in·the·fire] (303) + לְאַדְרַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [to·Adrammelech] (325) + וַֽעֲנַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [and·Anammelech] (216) + (אלה) [these] (36) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + (ספרים) [letters] (390) + סְפַרְוָֽיִם [Sepharvaim] (396) = 5344.
Rashi
Nibhaz. The image of a dog:
Tartak. The image of a donkey:
Adrammelech. The image of a mule:
Anammelech. The image of a horse (there):
Radak
נבחז. With a zayin; and there are manuscripts written with a nun, but it is only with a zayin, and it is an error in the manuscripts. And the meaning of נבחז is "dog," and it is a compound word: נובח חז—barking fiercely. נובח from "they could not bark" (לא יוכלו לנבוח); חז is a term denoting appearance, that it shows its teeth.
Tartak. They interpreted it as having the form of a donkey:
"To Adrammelech and Anammelech." Adrammelech is the mule, and is called so because [in Aramaic] it "bears for its master its loads" — that is, it carries all its master's burdens; "adar" is like "darei ta'ana" (bears a load). Anammelech is the horse, because [in Aramaic] it "answers/serves its master in battle." And in the Yerushalmi: Adrammelech and Anammelech are the peacock and the pheasant. The peacock is called in the foreign language "paon," and it is well known. The pheasant is [the same as] the quail. And the Targum [renders] "He asked, and He brought quails" (Psalms 105:40) as "they asked for meat and brought pheasants."
Metzudat David
Nibhaz. It is a dog:
Tartak. It is a donkey:
To Adrammelech and Anamelech. They are the mule and the horse:
So they feared Hashem, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
verse value 3800
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. Verse gematria: 3800 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "from·their·ends" (מִקְצוֹתָם֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַיִּהְי֥וּ [and·they·were] (37) + יְרֵאִ֖ים [fearing] (261) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (427) + וַיַּעֲשׂ֨וּ [and·they·did] (392) + לָהֶ֤ם [to·them] (75) + מִקְצוֹתָם֙ [from·their·ends] (676) + כֹּהֲנֵ֣י [priests·of] (85) + בָמ֔וֹת [high·places] (448) + וַיִּהְי֛וּ [and·they·were] (37) + עֹשִׂ֥ים [doing] (420) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + בְּבֵ֥ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + הַבָּמֽוֹת [the·high·places] (453) = 3800.
Radak
"And they performed for them." The priests performed for them their service and their sacrifices on the high places.
Metzudat David
"From among them." They made some of them priests of the high places, to perform their service in the house of the high places.
Malbim
"And they feared the Lord" — even though they engaged in idolatry, they also feared the Lord. Moreover, it was not only that they themselves acted this way, but they also conducted their general worship, which was performed by their priests, in this manner: certain segments of the people served as priests of the high places, and likewise, the priests performed the service for them in the houses of the high places in this fashion of association. In the matter (verse 33) that "they feared the Lord and served their gods," this is according to the custom of the nations. That is to say, they resembled in this respect the nations that were exiled from the Land of Israel, namely, the Ten Tribes, who also served in this manner, associating the Divine Name with another deity.
They feared Hashem, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
verse value 3233
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "were" (הָי֣וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·gods" (וְאֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 21: were, were. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·their·gods" (וְאֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙), "that·they·carried·away" (אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·they·carried·away" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "were" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fearing', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + הָי֣וּ [were] (21) + יְרֵאִ֑ים [fearing] (261) + וְאֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ [and·their·gods] (498) + הָי֣וּ [were] (21) + עֹֽבְדִ֔ים [slave] (126) + כְּמִשְׁפַּט֙ [as·judgment·of] (449) + הַגּוֹיִ֔ם [the·nations] (64) + אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ [that·they·carried·away] (545) + אֹתָ֖ם [them] (441) + מִשָּֽׁם [from·there] (380) = 3233.
Rashi
Like the law of the nations whom they exiled from there. Those idolatries and constellations that the nations whom Sennacherib and his hosts exiled from there used to worship, these they worshiped here:
Radak
“According to the manner of the nations from which they were exiled.” Just as the manner of Israel was when they were exiled from Samaria, so too did these nations act: they feared the Lord and served other gods, as we have explained. Or its interpretation may be: “According to the manner of the nations, the nations of their lands, from where they came,” and its meaning is that they served their gods; they did not fear the Lord. That is to say, they acted and served their gods just as was their custom in their land.
Ralbag
"According to the practice of the nations that exiled them from there." This means that they, too, were serving the Lord and also serving idolatry. Therefore, Elijah said to them: "How long will you limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; and if Baal, follow him."
Metzudat David
"And their gods." Their idolatrous worship:
"According to the practice, etc.": Each one served the idolatrous worship that was in his land from which he had been exiled.
To this day they do after the former manners: they fear not Hashem, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which Hashem commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel;
verse value 7906
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 109 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·the·ordinances" (כַּמִּשְׁפָּטִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 420: doing, doing. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "as·the·ordinances" (כַּמִּשְׁפָּטִ֖ים), "and·they·are·not" (וְאֵינָ֣ם), "as·their·statutes" (כְּחֻקֹּתָם֙). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "doing" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·former', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 17 words.
Rashi
They do not fear the Lord. A complete fear according to the law of Israel, and even though they were converted out of fear of the lions, their fear of the Lord is not complete fear, as he explains and goes on, that they are not occupied with the Torah and with the commandments which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, and they do not do according to their statutes and their law that they were obligated to do from when they were converted, but rather just as the priest taught them — who was from the Samaritans who were serving idolatry:
Radak
"Even to this day." According to the first explanation, the meaning of "even to this day" is that they are doing [evil] against Israel. That is, the Israelites who were exiled did not return from their evil ways during their exile, and even to this day they are doing in the place where they were exiled just as they did in the earlier practices they performed in Samaria. They do not fear the Lord so as not to serve idols, for even there they serve idols in their exile and do not fear the Lord, for the fear [of God] is to serve the Lord alone, as Joshua said to them, "Now fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt" (Joshua 24:14). And likewise Samuel said to them, "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth" (1 Samuel 12:24). And they do not act according to the statutes and ordinances, but rather according to the statutes of the nations and their ordinances. And they do not act according to the Torah and the commandments which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob. And what it says, "to whom He gave the name Israel," is because then, when Jacob said to his sons, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments" (Genesis 35:2), the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "Israel shall be your name" (Genesis 35:10).
And according to the latter explanation, the meaning is that they do not fear the Lord regarding the nations. Although it is said that they feared the Lord, they did not fear the Lord with a whole heart, but only out of fear of the lions; therefore they called them "converts of the lions." And it says, "they did as in the earlier practices." That is, just as they did in the earlier practices in their land, so they did [in exile]. And they did not act according to their statutes and ordinances and according to the Torah which the Lord commanded, which they were supposed to accept entirely since they had converted, but they did not accept it. And they were supposed to accept the Torah as Torah and as a commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, and all the matter [is so]. And since these nations saw that Israel was exiled from there because they did not act according to the Torah and the commandments which the Lord commanded them, they should have learned and acted according to the Torah and the commandments, but they did not do so. And the first explanation seems correct to me.
Ralbag
Until this day, they act according to the earlier rulings. That is to say, those who remain are Israelites, for not all of them were exiled, as will become apparent from the narrative concerning Hezekiah, who sent [a message] to those who remained there.
Metzudat David
"According to the first practices." According to what the priest taught them when they settled there:
"They do not fear, etc." [Not with] complete fear, but only out of fear of the lions.
"And they do not, etc." — They do not act according to the decree and the judgment that is fitting for them to perform after they have converted.
"And as the Torah..." They do not act as the Torah... and it was fitting for them to do so, since they had converted.
"Whose name is Israel." As if to say: is this name not because [Jacob] "strove with God ... and prevailed" (Genesis 32)? And from this it appears that one should not worship the heavenly princes, for behold, with the help of God he prevailed over the heavenly prince.
Malbim
"Until this day" means to say, these nations, namely the Ten Tribes, are still doing until this very day according to the earlier ordinances. However, there is a difference between the Ten Tribes and the Cutheans (Samaritans), for the Ten Tribes, who served in this manner involving shituf (associating another power with God), do not fear the Lord and do not act according to His statutes, etc. Although among the Cuthean nations this counted for them as fear of God, because they were not commanded regarding shituf and this worship was acceptable for them, since they had no other divine Torah; not so with the children of Jacob, for when they acted thus, they did not fear the Lord, who had warned them against this, and they were commanded not to act thus, yet they did not act according to His statutes and ordinances, nor according to the Torah and the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, on account of the fact that He placed His name Israel upon them, a name that indicates that you have struggled with God and that you are superior to every angel and constellation. And since the Torah and commandments of Israel warn them against worship involving shituf, behold, they did not act according to the Torah of the Lord, nor did they fear the Lord either.
with whom Hashem had made a covenant, and charged them, saying: ‘You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them;
verse value 5457
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·you·shall·bow·down" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·not·you·shall·bow·down" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ), "you·will·work·them" (תַעַבְד֔וּם). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'another', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
And the Lord cut with them a covenant. When He gave them the Torah at Mount Sinai:
Metzudat David
And He made a covenant. At the time when He commanded the children of Jacob the Torah and the commandments, He made a covenant with them and warned them against idolatry. He now returns to the earlier passage to say: "Behold, the idol-worshippers who came to the cities of Samaria—they did not act according to the word of the Lord, which He commanded... and He made a covenant with them... and the entire matter until its conclusion"—as if to say: Did not those idolaters convert? Did they not know of those warnings? And was it not fitting for them to be cautious regarding them from that time onward?
Malbim
"And the Lord made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying" – He warned them against other avodah (idolatrous service) for three reasons: 1. "You shall not fear other gods..."
but Hashem, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him shall you fear, and Him shall you worship, and to Him shall you sacrifice;
verse value 5376
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "but·Hashem" (אִֽם־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 42: and·to·him, and·to·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "in·strength" (בְּכֹ֧חַ), "arm" (וּבִזְר֥וֹעַ), "outstretched" (נְטוּיָ֖ה). The root לו appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "but·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נטה ("outstretched") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·fear·and·to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Metzudat Zion
Outstretched. He compared Him to a strong man who extends his arm in battle:
Malbim
"If only the Lord, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, [is to be feared], for by virtue of your exodus from Egypt, which was a mighty act transcending nature, you are elevated above all the nations upon the face of the earth, and you are no longer subject to any astrological dominion, as it is stated: 'The Lord alone guided him, and there was no strange god with him.' Therefore, it is fitting that you dedicate your service and reverence solely to Him alone, and this is what is written: 'Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow down.'"
and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do for evermore; and you shall not fear other gods;
verse value 6204
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ordinances" (וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֜ים, 10 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·the·statutes" (וְאֶת־הַחֻקִּ֨ים), "and·the·ordinances" (וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֜ים), "and·the·teachings" (וְהַתּוֹרָ֤ה). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·do" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·the·days', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־הַחֻקִּ֨ים [and·the·statutes] (570) + וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֜ים [and·the·ordinances] (891) + וְהַתּוֹרָ֤ה [and·the·teachings] (622) + וְהַמִּצְוָה֙ [and·the·commandment] (152) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + כָּתַ֣ב [he·wrote] (422) + לָכֶ֔ם [to·you] (90) + תִּשְׁמְר֥וּן [you·shall·keep] (996) + לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת [to·do] (806) + כׇּל־הַיָּמִ֑ים [all·the·days] (155) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תִֽירְא֖וּ [you·will·fear] (617) + אֱלֹהִ֥ים [God] (86) + אֲחֵרִֽים [another] (259) = 6204.
Ralbag
"You shall keep to do all the days." This is a sign that the Torah gave, to perform the commandments of the Lord all the days, not that they should be changed to another [interpretation], as some people thought—far be it, far be it!
Malbim
"And [the statutes]..." [2.] On account of the Torah that He gave them, whoever guards its laws and commandments exits from under the jurisdiction of the system's decree, and he is overseen solely by the Lord. This is what is written: "And the statutes and the ordinances…" and through this, "You shall not fear other gods."
and the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods;
verse value 3979
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·I·cut" (אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥תִּי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·the·covenant" (וְהַבְּרִ֛ית), "that·I·cut" (אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥תִּי), "you·will·forget" (תִשְׁכָּ֑חוּ). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·cut" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·forget', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַבְּרִ֛ית [and·the·covenant] (623) + אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥תִּי [that·I·cut] (1131) + אִתְּכֶ֖ם [with·you] (461) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִשְׁכָּ֑חוּ [you·will·forget] (734) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תִֽירְא֖וּ [you·will·fear] (617) + אֱלֹהִ֥ים [God] (86) + אֲחֵרִֽים [another] (259) = 3979.
Malbim
And the covenant: 3. From the aspect of the covenant that the Lord made with them, and included in this is the covenant of Shabbat and circumcision that the Lord made with them, so that they would be under His providence, for He loves them and is their covenantal partner. And this is what is written: “And the covenant that I made with you, do not forget,” and by virtue of this, “you shall not fear other gods.”
but Hashem your God shall you fear; and He will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.’
verse value 2027
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְהוּא֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "but·Hashem" (אִֽם־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "He·will·deliver" (יַצִּ֣יל), "all·enemy" (כׇּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "but·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "your·God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נצל ("He·will·deliver") in II Kings. First appearance of the root איב ("all·enemy") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·fear', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אִֽם־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה [but·Hashem] (468) + אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם [your·God] (106) + תִּירָ֑אוּ [you·shall·fear] (617) + וְהוּא֙ [and·he] (18) + יַצִּ֣יל [He·will·deliver] (140) + אֶתְכֶ֔ם [you] (461) + מִיַּ֖ד [from·hand·of] (54) + כׇּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם [all·enemy] (133) = 2027.
Malbim
"But you shall fear the Lord your God, for you are under His providence and guidance alone, not under that of any other, and He will save you through His wondrous providence."
However they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
verse value 2040
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "but·as·their·manner" (אִֽם־כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֥ם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "but·as·their·manner" (אִֽם־כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֥ם), "the·first" (הָֽרִאשׁ֖וֹן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "doing" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings); "for" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·heard', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְלֹ֖א [and·not] (37) + שָׁמֵ֑עוּ [they·heard] (416) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אִֽם־כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֥ם [but·as·their·manner] (530) + הָֽרִאשׁ֖וֹן [the·first] (562) + הֵ֥ם [abundance] (45) + עֹשִֽׂים [doing] (420) = 2040.
Radak
"but according to their former practice." They did not heed the prophets who rebuked them, and they acted after the rebuke just as they had before the rebuke.
Ralbag
"And they did not heed, but according to their first manner they acted." The meaning is that Israel did not heed [the command] to turn away from [their idolatry], and therefore Josiah found there the priests of the high places.
Metzudat David
And they did not listen. But those idolaters did not pay attention to all these matters, even though they had converted; rather, they continued to act according to their former practice, serving idolatry as they had done from of old.
Malbim
And they did not heed, only that they acted according to their former practice; therefore, He left them in the bitter exile and delivered them into the hands of their enemies.
So these nations feared Hashem, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children’s children, as did their fathers, so do they to this day.
verse value 3901
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·images" (וְאֶת־פְּסִֽילֵיהֶ֖ם, 10 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·their·images" (וְאֶת־פְּסִֽילֵיהֶ֖ם), "also·their·sons" (גַּם־בְּנֵיהֶ֣ם), "their·young·ones" (בְנֵיהֶ֗ם). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "they·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'slave', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 11 words.
Ralbag
"And these nations feared the Lord." It might seem that He said that these nations did not hear the voice of the priest, but rather they combined two faiths. Therefore, it is explained that they did not fear the Lord, for if they had feared the Lord, they would not have served idols. Therefore, they were not considered true proselytes, for true proselytes are like Israelites, [whereas] they did not accept upon themselves to keep the Torah, but rather the worship of their [own] gods. Therefore, they are deprived of the fear of the Lord and of being in the rank of Israel, for an Israelite, even though he sins, his ancestors' merit avails him so that he remains of Israel. But a convert will not remain a convert unless he accepts upon himself all the commandments of the Torah, for this Torah does not admit addition or subtraction, as is mentioned in various places in the Torah.
Metzudat David
“And the nations.” This implies: Just as they acted at the time of their arrival, so did they act throughout all their days; they feared God and served idols, and their children, etc., just as their fathers did, so do they also, even to this day.
Malbim
And indeed, these nations—namely the Cutheans, who were not warned against this matter and who are subject to the cosmic order and the decrees of the heavens—were not commanded regarding shituf [associating another power with God]. Therefore, when they engaged in it, they were considered as those who "feared the Lord" in that they worshipped their idols. Moreover, their children and their children's children continue to do so to this day, just as their ancestors did. And the Lord did not become angry with them nor punish them, for such worship and fear sufficed for them. Hence, although they served other gods, since they did not deny the primary cause [i.e., God], the lions did not devour them. This was so even though Israel was punished for this and exiled from their land, because Israel had gone forth from Egypt, had been given the Torah, and had entered into a covenant with Him.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim