מלכים ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק ט׳

The spiritual collapse of the Israelites was not simply a sudden rebellion, but the result of a destructive blend of distorted theology and the denial of Divine providence. Driven by these misguided beliefs, the people began to speak shameful falsehoods in secret, sharing ideas that were the complete opposite of the truth [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. The primary approach among commentators suggests that their actions were rooted in a desire to hide and cover up their behavior [מצודת ציון, רלב״ג, רד״ק], while others explain that they were actively fabricating lies and false plots [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

At the core of these hidden conversations was a complete denial of God's knowledge and His active involvement in the world. The people convinced themselves that God had abandoned the earth and could no longer see their actions [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, רד״ק]. Some even believed that their past sins had caused God to forsake them, leading Him to hand over the management of the world to stars and angels [אברבנאל]. In reality, the Israelites did not completely abandon God. Instead, they denied His absolute oneness by partnering Him with other spiritual entities and rejecting the requirement to worship Him in only one designated holy place [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This flawed theology quickly translated into physical action. The people began building altars everywhere, in direct violation of the Torah's instructions [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם]. The scale of this idolatrous expansion was massive, covering everything from the smallest, weakest outposts to the largest, most powerful strongholds [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Altars were erected beside lonely, isolated watchtowers set up in fields to guard crops or serve as high observation posts [רש״י, רד״ק, רלב״ג, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ], and they reached all the way into the massive, protected metropolitan cities. The people were so fiercely devoted to this new way of worship that they did not leave a single plot of land, big or small, without an altar [אברבנאל].

Ultimately, this widespread betrayal brought about a punishment that perfectly mirrored their crimes. Because the Israelites claimed that God did not see them, He responded by hiding His face from them. And because they had polluted every good piece of land with their altars, from the open agricultural fields to the walled cities, they were sentenced to lose everything, ultimately left with no city and no place to call their own [אברבנאל].