And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

2 KINGS 17:20KJV
Know the Bible

2 Kings 17:20 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 17:20 mean?

2 Kings 17:20 says that the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and allowed them to be taken by enemies, finally removing them from His presence. This verse explains that God’s rejection and the troubles Israel faced were direct responses to their actions.

The verse comes as part of a summary explaining why the northern kingdom of Israel fell to foreign powers. The writer is describing how, after many warnings, God allowed Israel’s enemies to conquer them because the people had persistently turned away from Him. The focus is on God’s decision to no longer protect Israel, leading to their exile.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 17:20

  • "rejected" (מָאַס, ma'as): This word means to despise, refuse, or cast away. Here, it emphasizes that God’s rejection was a deliberate and final response to Israel’s persistent disobedience.
  • "seed" (זֶרַע, zera‘): This term means offspring or descendants. The verse stresses that the consequences affected all generations of Israel, not just one group.
  • "afflicted" (עָנָה, ‘anah): This word often means to humble or oppress. It highlights that the suffering Israel experienced was not random but a purposeful humbling allowed by God.
  • "spoilers" (שָׁסָה, shasah): This word refers to those who plunder or devastate. The verse points out that God handed Israel over to people who would strip them of their security and possessions.

Why 2 Kings 17:20 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Israel’s exile was not just a political event but was understood as a spiritual consequence of their actions.
  • The language shows the completeness of God’s rejection—He did not just punish a few but allowed the whole nation to face the results of their choices.
  • It connects to the broader story of 2 Kings 17, which details the reasons for Israel’s downfall, making clear that their fate was tied to their relationship with God.

Where else these words appear

“spoilers” Hebrew H8154 · used in 12 verses

  • Judges 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
  • 1 Samuel 23:1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
  • Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

“rejected” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 31:13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
  • Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

“afflicted” Hebrew H6031 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
  • Judges 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
  • Psalms 107:17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

“cast” Hebrew H7993 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 21:15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
  • 2 Kings 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
  • Isaiah 19:8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.