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28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship[a] the Lord.

29 But each of these nations made[b] its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria[c] had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth,[d] the people from Cuth made Nergal,[e] the people from Hamath made Ashima,[f]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 17:28 tn Heb “fear.”
  2. 2 Kings 17:29 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
  3. 2 Kings 17:29 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
  4. 2 Kings 17:30 sn No deity is known by the name Sukkoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
  5. 2 Kings 17:30 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
  6. 2 Kings 17:30 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.