Reading for October 5th

Read 2 Kings 17.19-28 In verses 19-20: These verses are also an addition, perhaps part of the addition in vv. 7-18. They make it clear that Judah was guilty of the same offenses as Israel. They were apparently written in the Exile (after 586 BCE.) as indicated in v. 20, where all the descendants of Israel would include both Israel and Judah. In verses 21-23: these verses conclude the theme of the sin(s) of Jeroboam, which refers to the shrines at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12.25-33) and which every king of Israel is accused of perpetuating. In verse 24: In addition to deporting the people of Israel, the Assyrians settled captives from other countries in the former land of Israel. They also renamed the area the Assyrian province of Samaria (Samerina). In verses 25-28: A widely accepted idea in the ancient Near East was that each country had its own god and each god its own country. It was therefore considered important by the Assyrians that the people whom they had imported into Israel learn the law of the god of land (v. 26), and the attacks by lions were blamed on the failure to do this. Comments or Questions..