תהלים, פרק ק״ו, פסוק ל״ז

The descent into idol worship is a tragic spiral, and at a certain stage, the spiritual deterioration of the people reached its absolute lowest and most severe point [רד״ק]. They were no longer merely copying the customs of the surrounding nations. Their actions escalated into an extreme and excessive form of worship, culminating in the unthinkable act of sacrificing their own sons and daughters [אלשיך]. This cruel practice of child sacrifice is actually hinted at earlier in the Torah as offering sacrifices to hairy spirits [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When considering the identity of the entities receiving these sacrifices, the primary approach among commentators is that they were simply the local deities worshipped by the nations of the world at that time [מאירי, מצודת דוד, אלשיך]. However, the biblical text does not validate the existence of these entities. It refers to them as demons solely to reflect the thoughts and beliefs of the idol worshippers themselves, not because these beings possessed any real power. This is similar to how a false prophet is sometimes simply called a prophet in the text, reflecting how his followers perceive him rather than his true status [אבן עזרא].

The very concept of these dark entities reflects their true nature. They are understood as forces rooted in the idea of robbing and ruining, describing entities that rob a person of their sanity and destroy their mind [אבן עזרא].