The spiritual and political collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel unfolds through the harsh metaphor of a disloyal wife abandoning her husband for foreign lovers. This betrayal begins with a drift toward idolatry and the mixing of Israelite practices with those of the surrounding nations [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Historically, this decline was gradual. As [רד״ק] explains, the golden calves originally built by King Jeroboam were actually intended as a way to worship God. The true turning point, resulting in the complete abandonment of Him, only occurred later when King Ahab introduced the outright worship of the foreign idol Baal.
From this spiritual infidelity grew a deep, intense lust for foreign powers. This desire was not just a passive surrender but an active pursuit. [מלבי״ם] points out that the kingdom took the initiative, seducing and arousing their foreign allies with words of passion before any actual betrayal took place. The nature of this desire was so deeply impure that, as [רד״ק] notes, later poets who used such terms of longing to describe a person's love for God made a grave error in their language.
The object of this intense longing was the Assyrian empire, and the relationship operated on multiple levels. Politically and geographically, Israel turned to their powerful neighbor for military support. Historically, this is seen during the reign of Menachem ben Gadi, who paid a massive tribute to the Assyrian king Pul to secure his own grip on the throne [רש״י, מלבי״ם].
Beyond mere politics, the connection became deeply emotional. The kingdom longed for the Assyrians, treating them as if they were beloved relatives or close family [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This emotional surrender led the Israelite kings to adopt Assyrian religious practices, willingly submitting themselves to the foreign empire as if they were mere slaves and dependent children [רד״ק]. Beneath this political maneuvering lies a profound tragedy of faith. Had the people remained loyal to God and served Him properly, they would never have found themselves desperate for the favors and military protection of the Assyrian kings [רש״י].