The children
of Jerusalem have forsaken the Lord. They have sworn by those who are no gods.
They replaced the Lord as the guarantor of their oaths with false gods who are no gods at all. They were not simply acting in ignorance of the Lord’s will, but in defiance of it.1
In the face of the Lord’s goodness to them as he fed them to the full,
the Lord’s people have committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
This is not merely metaphorical language describing Judah’s idolatry, but rather makes it very clear that her idolatry included the literal immorality of sleeping with temple prostitutes.2 The nation has sunk into moral decadence because the people credit the gods for the Lord’s goodness to them.
7 “How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.