2 Raja-raja 13:5-6

13:5 The Lord provided a deliverer ¹  for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s power. ²  The Israelites once more lived in security. ³  13:6 But they did not repudiate ⁴  the sinful ways of the family ⁵  of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. ⁶  There was even an Asherah pole ⁷  standing in Samaria.

[13:5]  ¹ sn The identity of this unnamed “deliverer” is debated. For options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 143.

[13:5]  ² tn Heb “and they went from under the hand of Syria.”

[13:5]  ³ tn Heb “and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as before.”

[13:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “they did not turn away from.”

[13:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[13:6]  ⁶ tc Heb “in it he walked.” The singular verb (הָלַךְ, halakh) is probably due to an error of haplography and should be emended to the plural (הָלְכּוּ, halÿku). Note that a vav immediately follows (on the form וְגַם, vÿgam).

[13:6]  ⁷ tn Or “an image of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “the Asherah”; NCV “the Asherah idol.”

[13:6]  sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).