ישעיהו, פרק נ״ז, פסוק ז׳

Idolatry is often framed not merely as a religious error, but as a profound spiritual betrayal. It is likened to infidelity, painting a picture of a deeply personal and public breach of loyalty. The imagery of preparing a bed for illicit relations serves as a powerful metaphor for the construction of altars dedicated to foreign gods. The primary approach among commentators is that the act of offering sacrifices mentioned later perfectly clarifies this metaphor, showing that the intimate betrayal is, in fact, idol worship.

The location chosen for these altars reveals the brazenness of the act. By establishing them on towering mountain peaks, the people committed their spiritual treason completely in the open. They acted like someone who no longer bothers to hide their unfaithfulness, flaunting their actions for everyone to see [אבן עזרא]. This choice of location was also driven by the specific pagan beliefs of the era. The idolaters believed that different gods controlled different domains, with certain deities residing specifically on mountain summits [מלבי״ם].

Furthermore, the physical act of ascending these heights highlights the immense effort the people were willing to invest in their sin. They were not deterred by the grueling physical exertion required to reach the tops of the mountains. Their intense devotion to idolatry and their burning desire to offer sacrifices masked the difficulty of the journey, making the steep and exhausting climb feel effortless [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].