A frequent misinterpretation portrays this as an acceptable form of religious tolerance or pluralism, implying that fearing the Lord alongside other gods pleases Him, whereas the broader context of 2 Kings 17 condemns such syncretism as provoking God's wrath, identical to the idolatry that caused the northern kingdom's destruction, not a model for faithful worship.
II Kings 17:33
King James Version (1769)
33 They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
This passage describes the syncretistic worship of the foreign peoples resettled in Samaria by Assyria, who superficially feared the Lord while serving their own gods in the manner of their native nations, highlighting the biblical truth that true devotion to God requires exclusive loyalty without compromise or mixture with idolatry, as partial obedience dishonors Him and echoes the sins that led to Israel's exile.