And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
And they followed the customs and practices of the pagan nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as the traditions that the kings of Israel had created.
This verse explains that the Israelites abandoned God's ways and instead copied the religious practices of the pagan nations God had removed from the land, plus the corrupt traditions their own kings had started.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of the explanation for why the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and exiled by the Assyrians in 722 BC. The Israelites had gradually adopted the idol worship and immoral practices of the Canaanite peoples whom God had driven out when they first entered the Promised Land. Additionally, many of Israel's kings had introduced their own unauthorized religious innovations that led the people further away from true worship of God.
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