2 Kings 17:24

Israel Assyria Avva Babylon Cuthah Hamath Samaria Sepharvaim

²² The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.

²³ Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.

Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.

²⁵ Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

²⁶ So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
KJV: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
WEB: The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.
ASV: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
DARBY: And the king of Assyria brought [people] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and made them dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in its cities.
BLB: And the king of Assyria brought in those from Babylon and Cuthah and Ava and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and he caused [them] to dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.

ÅB: Og kongen i Assyria lot det komme folk fra Babel og Kuta og Avva og Hamat og Sefarva'im og lot dem bo i Samarias byer istedenfor Israels barn; og de tok Samaria i eie og bosatte seg i byene der.
OTB: Da førte kongen av Assyria folk fra Babylon, Kuta, Avva, Hamat og Sefarvaim, og bosatte dem i Samarias byer i stedet for Israels sønner. Så tok de Samaria i eie og bodde i dens byer.
B1930: Og kongen i Assyria lot det komme folk fra Babel og Kuta og Avva og Hamat og Sefarva'im og lot dem bo i Samarias byer istedenfor Israels barn; og de tok Samaria i eie og bosatte sig i byene der.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Kings 18:34
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
Read in context
2 Kings 17:30–31
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
Read in context
Matthew 10:5
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Read in context
2 Kings 19:13
Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
Read in context
2 Kings 18:31
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,
Read in context
2 Chronicles 33:11
So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
Read in context
2 Kings 17:6
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
Read in context
Isaiah 10:9
“Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
Read in context