Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, 'The foreign people you moved and settled in the cities of Samaria don't know how to worship the God of this land. Because of this, he has sent lions among them, and the lions are killing them, because they don't know the proper way to worship the God of this land.'
The writer is explaining that foreign settlers in Israel were being attacked by lions because they didn't know how to properly worship the God of that land.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred after the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, when the Assyrians deported the Israelites and brought in foreign peoples to settle the land. The Assyrians practiced a policy of mixing populations to prevent rebellion. These new settlers were unfamiliar with Jewish religious practices and apparently faced dangerous wildlife as a result.
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