הושע, פרק י״ב, פסוק י״ב

The landscape and history of the nation bear the deep scars of moral corruption and idolatry, as places once defined by holiness transformed into centers of ruin. This tragic shift is starkly evident in the region of Gilead, a place that became characterized by deceit, robbery, and emptiness. The downfall of Gilead is understood as a direct consequence of their actions. Because the people of Gilead were the first to embrace idolatry, the disaster and exile that struck them were not random events but exact divine punishment for their choices [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Their corruption extended beyond idol worship to a violent rejection of spiritual guidance. They murdered the students of the prophets, rendering the prophetic mission directed at them entirely useless [מלבי״ם]. Despite the visions and warnings they received, the residents remained deeply entrenched in falsehood [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The spiritual decay did not stop in Gilead but crossed the Jordan River into Gilgal, where the residents learned from their neighbors to sacrifice bulls to idols and the Baal [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. A bitter irony shadows this location. Gilgal was the very first place the Tabernacle was established after the Israelites entered the Land of Israel, yet the people deliberately chose to turn this historic site of holiness into a bustling center for idolatry [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Another perspective suggests that the sacrifices in Gilgal were actually a twisted attempt by the people to atone for the blood of the prophets they had murdered in Gilead, mistakenly believing these offerings would appease God [מלבי״ם].

The obsession with idol worship soon spilled out of the cities and infected the countryside. The people were not satisfied with central places of worship; they built countless altars across their agricultural fields. These altars became as common and visible as ordinary heaps of stones or dirt piled along the furrows of plowed earth [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Highlighting the severity of this epidemic, ancient sages note that King Ahab placed an idol on every single furrow in the land [אברבנאל]. Ultimately, these scattered altars became a silent, haunting witness to the nation's downfall. Left ruined and abandoned after the exile, the broken stones remain as lasting proof of the massive sins that brought about their punishment [אברבנאל].