Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for II Kings 17:9

וַיְחַפְּא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל דְּבָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־כֵ֔ן עַל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּבְנ֨וּ לָהֶ֤ם בָּמוֹת֙ בְּכָל־עָ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם מִמִּגְדַּ֥ל נוֹצְרִ֖ים עַד־עִ֥יר מִבְצָֽר׃

and the children of Israel did impute things that were not right unto the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;

Rashi on II Kings

[Bnei Yisroel] fabricated. They concealed;21Alternatively, “Bnei Yisroel said.”—Targum Yonoson Or, “Bnei Yisroel claimed that God did not see them.”—Radak this interpretation is according to its context.
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Rashi on II Kings

From watchtower. Which is made only to station a lookout to watch; they now erected idols in every high house.22They denied God's Providence and adopted a new doctrine. They said that God did not see them because He delegated the heavenly bodies to supervise over the earth. Therefore they erected idols in high places honoring these heavenly bodies.—Ralbag
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Rashi on II Kings

To fortified city. Like “from small to big.”
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