2 Kings 17:30

Contextual Overview

²⁴Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in place of the Israelites in the cities of Samaria. The settlers took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁴ The king of Ashshur brought men from Bavel, and from Kutah, and from Avva, and from Hamat and Sefarvayim, and placed them in the cities of Shomron instead of the children of Yisra'el; and they possessed Shomron, and lived in the cities of it. ²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from 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. ²⁴ And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁴ The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and put them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites. These people took over Samaria and lived in the cities. ²⁴ The king of Assyria brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁴The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons (people) of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁴ Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁴ 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 lived in the cities of it. ²⁴ And the King of Asshur brought folke from Babel, and from Cuthah, and from Aua, and from Hamath, and from Sepharuaim, & placed them in the cities of Samaria in steade of the children of Israel: so they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Babylon: 2 Kings 17:24

Succoth benoth: Succoth benoth, literally "the tents of the daughters."

Cuth: Cuth is probably the Cush watered by the Gihon, or Araxes, now Aras - Genesis 2:13, the ancient country of the Scythians, where we meet with the Quitians, Coethians, or Coete, and Cytheans, and the cities of Cotatis, Cetemane, Cythanum, Cyta, Cethena, etc.

Nergal: Supposed to denote the solar orb; the emblem of which, according to the Rabbins, was a cock.

Ashima: Jarchi says this idol was of the form of a goat.

Reciprocal: Genesis 10:18 - Hamathite Deuteronomy 13:6 - which thou 2 Kings 18:34 - have they delivered Ezra 4:9 - the Dinaites Isaiah 37:9 - Ethiopia Isaiah 37:13 - Ivah Jeremiah 2:28 - to the number Jeremiah 39:3 - Nergalsharezer Amos 6:2 - Hamath

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth,.... That is, those that came from Babylon made and served an idol of this name, which, according to the Jewish writers u, were the figures of an hen and chickens; but others suppose them to be the Pleiades, or seven stars, the stars being had in great veneration by the Babylonians; though others rather think those Succothbenoth, "tabernacles", or "booths of the daughters", as the words may be rendered, have respect to the apartments in the temple of Venus, or Mylitta with the Babylonians and Assyrians, in which women once in their lives prostituted themselves to whomsoever asked them, in honour of Venus; of which filthy practice of theirs Herodotus w makes mention; and Valerius Maximus speaks x of a temple of Sicca Venus, which is near in sound to this, where the like impurities were committed:

and the men of Cuth made Nergal; which, according to the Jews, was in the likeness of a cock; but others, because the first part of the word signifies a lamp, suppose fire is meant, worshipped by the Persians, from whom it is thought these men came; but rather the word signifies, as Hillerus y observes, the fountain of light, and denotes the sun, worshipped by the Babylonians, Cuth being a province of theirs; from hence one of the princes of Babylon had part of his name, Jeremiah 39:3

and the men of Hamath made Ashima; which, the Jews say, was in the form of a goat, without any wool on it, or an ape z; but according to Hillerus a, with the Arabs, Ashima is the name of a lion, a symbol of the sun, under which form it might be worshipped; unless Ashima is the same with Shamaim, the heavens, worshipped by the Heathens; we read of the Ashemath of Samaria, by which they swore, Amos 8:14, though that was before these men came thither.

u T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 63. 2. w Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 199. x L. 2. c. 6. sect. 15. y Onomastic. Sacr. p. 601. z David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 17. 2. a Onomast. Sacr. p. 609.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Succoth-benoth probably represents a Babylonian goddess called Zir-banit, the wife of Merodach. She and her husband were, next to Bel and Beltis, the favorite divinities of the Babylonians.

Nergal, etymologically “the great man,” or “the great hero,” was the Babylonian god of war and hunting. His name forms an element in the Babylonian royal appellation, Nergal-shar-ezar or Neriglissar. The Assyrian inscriptions connect Nergal in a very special way with Cutha, of which he was evidently the tutelary deity.

Ashima is ingeniously conjectured to be the same as Esmun, the AEsculapius of the Cabiri or “great gods” of the Phoenicians.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 30. The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth — This, literally, signifies the tabernacles of the daughters or young women, and most evidently refers to those public prostitutions of young virgins at the temple of Melitta or Venus among the Babylonians. See at the end of the chapter. 2 Kings 17:31. From benoth it is probable that the word Venus came, the B being changed into V, as is frequently the case, and the th into s, benoth, Venos. The rabbins say that her emblem was a hen with her chickens; see Jarchi on the place.

The men of Cuth made Nergal — This is supposed to have been the solar orb or light. According to the rabbins, his emblem was a cock. See at the end of the chapter. 2 Kings 17:31.

The men of Hamath made Ashima — Perhaps the fire; from asham, to make atonement or to purify. Jarchi says this was in the form of a goat. See below. 2 Kings 17:41.