2 Kings 17:17 describes the practices that led the northern kingdom of Israel into exile: child sacrifice, divination, and magic, which the writer calls evil in the sight of the LORD. The verse is a summary of how Israel had turned away from God, and it explains why God’s anger fell on them. It is spoken by the narrator of the book of Kings, not by God or a prophet, and it is addressed to the readers of the history, who are being shown why the northern kingdom was destroyed.
They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
2 Kings 17:17 (WEB)
What 2 Kings 17:17 Means
The verse lists three things the people did. First, they “caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire,” which refers to child sacrifice, a practice the Old Testament condemns repeatedly. Second, they “used divination and enchantments,” meaning they sought hidden knowledge and control through fortune-telling, omens, and magical rituals rather than through the LORD. Third, they “sold themselves to do that which was evil,” a phrase suggesting they gave themselves over completely to wrongdoing, as if it were a bargain they had made.
The verse explains why the LORD was angry, but it does not describe God’s mood or hint at a way to avoid punishment. It is a diagnosis of what went wrong. It does not promise that any particular action will reverse the outcome, and it should not be read as a statement about every person’s relationship with God. It describes a whole nation’s turning away and the judgment that followed from it.
The Context of 2 Kings 17:17
Second Kings is a historical book, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah or an anonymous compiler working from earlier royal records, and it was written for the people of Judah in exile or shortly after. Chapter 17 closes the story of the northern kingdom of Israel, which fell to Assyria around 722 BC. The verse belongs to a passage that repeatedly charges Israel with refusing to listen to the LORD’s prophets and following the customs of the surrounding nations.
Just before verse 17, the text says the people “hardened their neck” and “followed vanity,” and just after, it says Judah also failed to keep God’s commandments. Read in that setting, the verse is not a random list of sins but a climax in a long account of persistent rebellion. It shows that the exile was the end of a pattern, not a sudden punishment, and it warns the southern readers that Judah was walking the same road.
Key Phrases in 2 Kings 17:17
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. Because of these abominations, the LORD your God drives them out from before you.
(WEB)
This passage forbids child sacrifice, divination, and sorcery in Israel, the same practices named in 2 Kings 17:17. Reading it alongside the verse shows that these were not new sins but breaches of a law Israel had received long before, which makes the later judgment a matter of persistent disobedience.
Jeremiah 7:31
They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I didn’t command, nor did it come into my mind.
(WEB)
Jeremiah describes the high places built in the valley of Ben Hinnom, where people burned their sons and daughters. The verse shows that the practice persisted into the time of Judah’s decline and that the prophets were condemning it as a grievous evil, which helps explain the southern kingdom’s warning in Kings.
A Short Prayer From 2 Kings 17:17
Lord, you have shown us in your word how easily hearts can turn away from you and seek security in things that cannot save. Search me and show me any place where I have trusted fear, superstition, or my own control more than your goodness. Give me a steady love for your ways and a readiness to turn back when I wander. Help me to bring my worries to you alone and to trust your faithful care. Amen.
