2 Kings 17:24
And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon,.... Which was at this time under the dominion of the king of Assyria; though in a little time after this it revolted, and had a king of its own, 2 Kings 20:12, this king of Assyria was either Shalmaneser, who carried Israel captive, or it may be rather his son Esarhaddon, see Ezra 4:2,
and from Cuthah; which, according to Josephus {k}, was a city in Persia, where was a river of the same name; but it was rather a place in Erech, in the country of Babylon, See Gill on "Genesis 10:10",
and from Ava; the same with Ivah, Isaiah 37:13, where perhaps a colony of the Avim had settled, Deuteronomy 2:23
and from Hamath; a city of Syria, which lay on the northern borders of the land of Canaan, Numbers 34:8
and from Sepharvaim; thought by some to be the Sippara of Ptolemy, or the Sippareni of Abydenus, in Mesopotamia; though Vitringa takes it to be a city in Syro-Phoenicia, See Gill on "Isaiah 36:19",
and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the children of Israel; not in Samaria, which was now destroyed, according to the prophecy in Micah 1:6 as Abarbinel and other Jewish writers note:
and they possessed Samaria; as an inheritance; sowed it with corn, and planted vineyards there:
and dwelt in the cities thereof; in the several parts of the kingdom.
{k} Antiqu. l. 9. c. 14. sect. 1.