And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

2 KINGS 17:11KJV
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2 Kings 17:11 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 17:11 mean?

2 Kings 17:11 describes how the people of Israel burned incense at all the high places, copying the practices of the nations that the LORD had removed before them, and did evil things that provoked the LORD to anger. The verse highlights Israel’s adoption of foreign religious customs and their deliberate actions that angered God.

This verse is part of a historical account explaining why Israel was exiled. The writer is describing the behavior of the Israelites after they settled in the land, noting that they followed the same idolatrous practices as the nations God had previously driven out. The focus is on their worship at “high places” and their participation in rituals that went against what God had commanded.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 17:11

  • incense (קָטַר, qāṭar): This word means to burn incense, often as part of worship. In this context, it points to ritual acts that were common in pagan religions, not just a pleasant smell but a religious ceremony.
  • places (בָּמָה, bāmāh): This refers to “high places,” which were elevated sites used for worship. These sites were often associated with non-Israelite religious practices.
  • heathen (גּוֹי, goy): This word means “nations” or “peoples,” and here it refers to the non-Israelite groups that previously lived in the land.
  • wrought (עָשָׂה, ʿāśāh) wicked (רַע, raʿ) things (דָּבָר, dābār): Together, these words mean “did evil things.” The phrase emphasizes deliberate wrongdoing, not just mistakes.
  • anger (כָּעַס, kāʿas): This word means to provoke to anger, showing that their actions were not just wrong but actively offensive to God.

Why 2 Kings 17:11 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Israel’s exile was not random but directly connected to their choices to adopt forbidden religious practices.
  • The mention of “high places” and burning incense shows that the problem was not just idol worship but the use of specific rituals and locations that God had warned against.
  • By comparing Israel’s actions to those of the previous nations, the verse underlines the seriousness of their disobedience and sets up the explanation for the coming judgment in the wider passage.

Where else these words appear

“anger” Hebrew H3707 · used in 53 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
  • 1 Kings 22:53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

“places” Hebrew H1116 · used in 92 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 2 Kings 15:35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
  • 2 Chronicles 33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

“incense” Hebrew H6999 · used in 112 verses

  • Exodus 29:13 And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
  • Leviticus 9:20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:
  • 2 Chronicles 28:4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.