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
In the 8th century BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting its people and resettling foreigners in Samaria to maintain control. These new inhabitants were unfamiliar with Yahweh, the God worshipped in that land, and began experiencing lion attacks, which they interpreted as divine punishment for not honoring the local deity. This event illustrates the ancient worldview where failing to respect a region's god was believed to invite calamity.
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