And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and instead worshiped sacred groves and idols. Because of this unfaithfulness, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
The people turned away from worshiping God to worship idols, which brought God's judgment on their nation.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes what happened after the death of Jehoiada the priest, who had been a godly influence on King Joash and the people of Judah. Once Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah convinced King Joash to abandon the worship of God and return to the pagan practices that had been common before Jehoiada's reforms. The 'groves' refer to Asherah poles - wooden symbols used in Canaanite fertility religion that God had specifically forbidden His people to worship.
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