הושע, פרק י׳, פסוק ה׳

The collapse of a nation's defining idol transforms a site of joyful worship into a scene of profound grief and national panic. The golden calves originally set up in the city of Bethel become the center of this crisis, with the city mockingly referred to as a house of iniquity [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Whether there were many replica calves [מצודת ציון, אברבנאל] or just one primary figure, their ultimate weakness is exposed as they face captivity [מצודת ציון]. Stripped of their perceived power, they are revealed to be nothing more than lifeless, inanimate objects [רד״ק].

The impending destruction of these idols strikes directly at the residents of Samaria. The primary approach among commentators is that the people of this capital city, the central stronghold of the idol worship [רד״ק], are gripped by severe fear. Because the idol in Bethel was geographically closer to them than the one in Dan [אברבנאל], its fall to Assyria triggers an existential crisis. The people realize that if their supposed god is captured and powerless to defend itself, it certainly cannot protect them [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Presenting a completely different perspective, [מלבי״ם] suggests that the people of Samaria are not overcome by fear, but rather are gathering together. In this view, the citizens assemble to rebel against their own king, who had recently canceled the idol worship and permitted pilgrimages to God's Temple.

A sudden emotional reversal sweeps through the nation. The idolatrous priests, whose faces are blackened from standing long hours in the sun during their rituals [מלבי״ם], join the general population in deep sadness [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Those who once celebrated and rejoiced around the golden calf now sink into heavy mourning [רוב הפרשנים].

This intense grief stems from the loss of the idol's former glory. Its honor vanishes completely as it is dragged away in disgrace [רש״י, מצודת דוד] or violently shattered to pieces right before the eyes of its followers [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. This physical destruction of the idol perfectly mirrors the wider defeat, looting, and ruin suffered by the entire kingdom [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Following his distinct approach, [מלבי״ם] explains that the idol's glory actually departed the moment the king officially revoked its honor and national status.