Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
But even so, they didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam's family had started, which led all of Israel into sin. They kept following those same wrong ways, and the sacred pole used for idol worship was still standing in Samaria.
This verse shows that despite some improvements, the people of Israel continued following the same sinful patterns of idol worship that had been established by earlier kings.
📚 Historical Context
This verse refers to the reign of King Jehoahaz of Israel around 814-798 BC. Jeroboam I had established golden calf worship and other pagan practices when the kingdom split, and these sins became deeply embedded in Israel's culture. The 'grove' (Asherah pole) was a wooden symbol used in Canaanite fertility religion that had been set up in Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom.
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