And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
They completely abandoned all the commands of the LORD their God and made metal idols for themselves—two golden calves. They set up sacred poles for worshiping false gods, bowed down to the stars and planets, and served the god Baal.
The writer is describing how God's people completely turned away from Him and worshiped every kind of false god and idol they could find.
📚 Historical Context
This verse describes the spiritual rebellion of the northern kingdom of Israel before their conquest by Assyria in 722 BC. The 'two calves' refers back to the golden calves that King Jeroboam set up in Bethel and Dan to keep people from worshiping in Jerusalem. Baal was a Canaanite fertility god, and 'host of heaven' refers to star and planet worship that was common among pagan nations.
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