מלכים ב, פרק ט״ו, פסוק כ״ח

The spiritual decline of the Kingdom of Israel was a steady, downward path, driven by leaders who held tightly to sins that had taken deep root in the nation over many years. The evil actions committed by these kings, including Pekah son of Remaliah, were not mistakes made out of ignorance. Instead, they were acts of calculated rebellion. These leaders knew God perfectly well, yet they made a deliberate choice to turn their backs and rebel against Him [אברבנאל].

This intentional defiance placed the kingdom on a track of constant ruin, moving steadily from bad to worse. Because of the king's sins, a terrible disaster struck the land when Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, invaded. This invasion resulted in the second exile of the nation, forcing out the tribes living east of the Jordan River as well as the people in the region of Naphtali. The heavy tragedy that the king brought upon his own people through his guilt sparked a fierce hatred toward him among the masses. Ultimately, this deep public anger led Hoshea son of Elah to form a conspiracy against the king and put him to death [אברבנאל].