2 Kings 2:24

2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. ¹  Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

2 Kings 17:7

A Summary of Israel’s Sinful History

17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of ²  Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped ³  other gods;

2 Kings 17:29

17:29 But each of these nations made ⁴  its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria ⁵  had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived.

2 Kings 17:35

17:35 The Lord made an agreement ⁶  with them ⁷  and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them.

2 Kings 22:17

22:17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices ⁸  to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. ⁹  My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’”

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¹ tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the Lord.” A curse was a formal appeal to a higher authority (here the Lord) to vindicate one’s cause through judgment. As in chapter one, this account makes it clear that disrespect for the Lord’s designated spokesmen can be deadly, for it is ultimately rejection of the Lord’s authority.

² tn Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “feared.”

⁴ sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.

⁵ tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.

⁶ tn Or “covenant.”

⁷ sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).

⁸ tn Or “burned incense.”

⁹ tn Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The translation assumes that this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods,” as well as 19:18). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”