מלכים ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק כ״ט

When foreign populations were exiled to the Land of Israel, they created a deeply mixed religious landscape. Rather than adopting a unified local practice, each group fiercely protected its original pagan identity. The exiles from various nations clung to their specific forms of idol worship, continuing to craft and serve the exact same gods they had known in their native lands. As they settled in their new homes, each nation established its own unique rituals within the cities where Sennacherib had placed them.

To house these familiar idols, the newly arrived nations took advantage of the existing religious infrastructure. They set up their gods in the very same high places that had been built previously by the Israelites. The primary approach among commentators notes that the historical reference to the builders of these shrines points directly to the Israelites who lived in Samaria and its surrounding areas prior to their exile, rather than a distinct Samaritan people. Furthermore, [מצודת דוד] explains that the local Israelite priest did nothing to stop these foreign groups from continuing their idolatrous practices. This lack of intervention occurred because the priest himself was accustomed to serving at these high places and worshipped idols just as they did.

By repurposing the abandoned Israelite shrines for their own gods, the various foreign nations successfully preserved their national and religious distinctiveness. They managed to continue the traditions of their homelands while living entirely within the borders of the Land of Israel.