Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 17:13
Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye 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 my servants the prophets.
13. the Lord testified against [R.V. unto ] Israel and against [R.V. unto ] Judah ] The preposition is that which is usually rendered ‘in’. And God’s witness by His prophets was at first a witness of warning and exhortation, and his anger was long restrained and not at first grievously kindled against them.
by all the prophets, and by all the seers ] R.V. by the hand of every prophet and of every seer. The R.V. has translated the consonants in the word which is rendered by A.V. ‘prophets’ but has divided them differently. As the A.V. has taken them there is no conjunction ‘and’ expressed, but by dividing the consonants in a different way the word becomes = ‘prophet and’. Thus the sense and grammar are complete, which they were not before.
Turn ye from your evil ways ] For the language cf. Jer 7:3; Jer 18:11; Jer 25:5; Jer 26:13; Jer 35:15. But the same message was in substance preached by every one of the prophets from Samuel to Malachi.
by my servants ] R.V. by the hand of my servants. As in the earlier part of this verse and again in verse 23, this Hebraism is preserved by the Revisers. It has become so rooted in the Biblical language of our country that there is no need to avoid a literal rendering of it.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
God raised up a succession of prophets and seers, who repeated and enforced the warnings of the Law, and breathed into the old words a new life. Among this succession were, in Israel, Ahijah the Shilonite 1Ki 14:2, Jehu the son of Hanani 1Ki 16:1, Elijah, Micaiah the son of Imlah 1Ki 22:8, Elisha, Jonah the son of Amittai 2Ki 14:25, Oded 2Ch 28:9, Amos, and Hosea; in Judah, up to this time, Shemaiah 2Ch 11:2; 2Ch 12:5, Iddo 2Ch 12:15; 2Ch 13:22, Azariah the son of Oded 2Ch 15:1, Hanani 2Ch 16:7, Jehu his son 2Ch 19:2, Jahaziel the son of Zechariah 2Ch 20:14, Eliezer the son of Dodavah (2Ch 20:37), Zechariah the son of Jehoiada 2Ch 24:20, another Zechariah 2Ch 26:5, Joel, Micah, and Isaiah, besides several whose names are not known. Some of these persons are called prophets, others seers. Occasionally, the same person has both titles (as Iddo and Jehu the son of Hanani), which seems to show that there was no very important distinction between them.
Probably the conjecture is right that prophet naby’ in strictness designates the official members of the prophetical order only, while seer chozeh is applicable to all, whether members of the order or not, who receive a prophetical revelation.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. Yet the Lord testified against Israel] What rendered their conduct the more inexcusable was, that the Lord had preserved among them a succession of prophets, who testified against their conduct, and preached repentance to them, and the readiness of God to forgive, provided they would return unto him, and give up their idolatries.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Testified against Israel; disowned, and gave testimony against their false worship, which they would fasten upon him, and against all their impieties.
By all the prophets, and by all the seers; to whom he declared his mind by extraordinary revelations and visions, and by whom he published it to you, bearing witness from heaven to their doctrine by eminent and glorious miracles.
According to all the law which I commanded your fathers; whereby he accuseth them of partiality, that they observed only those laws of God which they might safely keep, and lived in the constant breach of others, which their kings forbade them to observe.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers,…. Against their sins, reproving them for them, dehorting them from them, exhorting them to repent and leave them; as in all preceding reigns, by Ahijah the Shilonite, by Elijah and Elisha, by Hosea, Amos, and Micah, and others:
saying, turn ye from your ways; repent of them, and reform from them, worship of the calves particularly:
and keep my commandments, and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers; which was given them and enjoined them at Mount Sinai:
and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets; by whom he put them in mind of them, explained them, and urged obedience to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(13) Yet the Lord testified against Israel.Rather, And Jehovah adjured Israel . . . The verb means here, gave solemn warning, or charge. In 2Ki. 17:15 it is repeated, with a cognate noun as object: His testimonies which he testified against them; or, his charges (i.e., precepts) which he had given them.
By all the prophets, and by all the seers.The Hebrew text is, by the hand of all his prophetsnamely, every seer. One or two MSS. and the Targum have prophet, instead of his prophets. The Syriac has by the hand of all his servants the prophets, and all the seers. The Vulg. and Arabic also have both nouns plural. Seers were such persons as, without belonging to the prophetic order, came forward in times of emergency upon a sudden Divine impulse. Thenius thinks Israel and Judah are mentioned together because the reference is to the time before the partition of the kingdom; more probably, because both apostatised, and prophets were sent to both.
And which I senti.e., the law which I sent. Butas according to later Jewish ideas, the prophets did not bring the Law, but only interpreted itit seems better to understand with the Vulg. (et sicut misi) and according to all that I sent to you (i.e., enjoined upon you) by my servants the prophets.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. By all the prophets, and by all the seers Prophets of every kind had been sent to warn them. Besides many of less note, there were Elisha, Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah, who uttered memorable warnings and admonitions for Israel.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 17:13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye 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 my servants the prophets.
Ver. 13. Yet the Lord testified against Israel. ] He left not himself without witness; but them utterly without excuse.
Turn you from your evil ways.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
all the seers = every one who had a vision.
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton.
and My statutes. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “and My statutes” (the “and” being in the text).
by = by the hand of; and so generally. Compare 2Ki 17:23.
the prophets. Those in ISRAEL were Ahijah, Jehu (son of Hanani), Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Jonah, Oded, Amos, and Hosea. Those in JUDAH were Shemaiah, Iddo, Azariah, Hanani, Jehu, Zechariah (son of Jehoiada), Micah, and Isaiah.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the End of Stiff-necked Disobedience
2Ki 17:13-26
There are three leading counts in this terrible indictment against Judah and Israel: (1) idolatry; (2) the ignoring of the Law; and (3) disregard of the many warnings brought them by prophets and seers. And all were aggravated by the fact that they sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt. How greatly the complexion of our sins is deepened, when we remember the anguish by which we have been redeemed!
Interwoven with the black catalogue of sin are golden threads of tender love, 2Ki 17:13. But note the remarkable expression of 2Ki 17:15, that we resemble the objects we adore, Psa 115:8. Israel, as we have seen, was never restored. Those that returned to Judah with Ezra were for the most part Jews. Yet many Hebrews became believers in Christ, and were added to the Church at Pentecost and afterward, 1Pe 1:1-2. Paul gives us a far horizon in Rom 11:25-27; and who can tell, in these days when the Turkish Empire is trembling to its foundations, whether we are not very near that hour of the restoration of Israel and the restitution of all things!
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
testified: Deu 8:19, Deu 31:21, Neh 9:29, Neh 9:30, Psa 50:7, Psa 81:8, Psa 81:9, Jer 42:19, Act 20:21
and against: 2Ch 36:15, 2Ch 36:16, Jer 3:8-11, Hos 4:15
all: Heb. the hand of all, Deu 4:26, Jos 23:16, Jdg 6:10, Jdg 10:11-14, 1Sa 12:7-15, Isa 1:5-15, Isa 1:21-24, Jer 5:29-31, Zec 1:3-6
seers: 1Sa 9:9, 1Ch 29:29
Turn ye: Isa 1:16-20, Isa 55:6, Isa 55:7, Jer 7:3-7, Jer 18:11, Jer 25:4, Jer 25:5, Jer 35:15, Eze 18:31, Hos 14:1, 2Pe 3:9
keep: Jer 7:22, Jer 7:23, Jer 26:4-6
Reciprocal: 2Ki 17:23 – as he had said 2Ki 18:6 – kept 2Ch 24:19 – Yet he sent 2Ch 33:18 – the seers Neh 9:34 – thou didst Jer 3:7 – Turn thou Jer 26:5 – my Jer 34:14 – but Eze 3:19 – if thou Dan 9:6 – have we Dan 9:10 – which Hos 7:12 – as their Hos 11:2 – they called Hos 11:5 – because Hos 12:10 – have also Amo 2:11 – I raised Amo 3:13 – and testify Zec 7:11 – they refused Mat 21:34 – he sent Mar 12:2 – a servant Luk 20:10 – sent 2Co 5:20 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 17:13. Yet the Lord testified against Israel Against their false worship, and all their impieties. By all the prophets, and by all the seers To whom he declared his mind by extraordinary revelations and visions, and by whom he published it, bearing witness from heaven to their doctrine, by eminent and glorious miracles. Abarbinel, in his commentary on these books, hath noticed one or more prophets in every kings reign, both in Israel and Judah, from the time of Saul to Zedekiah, in whose time Jerusalem was laid desolate. The ten tribes had lately had among them two most singularly eminent for their zeal, courage, fidelity, and the wonders which they wrought, in the name of God, in confirmation of their divine mission and doctrine, namely, Elijah and Elisha: the latter of whom had been instrumental in rescuing them from their enemies sundry times, when all human means had failed, and their case appeared perfectly hopeless, and who had been mercifully continued to them, a faithful witness for God, and a burning and shining light, for about sixty years. And in the days of this very king, when Israel was carried away captive, they had Hoshea, Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. And in the days of the last king of Judah, when that tribe was carried captive, they had Jeremiah and Ezekiel. All these had made it their care to show both the kings and people their sins, and warn them of the fatal consequences of them; and to exhort, beseech, and urge them to turn from them, to the worship and service of the living and true God.