2 Kings 17:9
And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
2 Kings 17:9 belongs to the account of Israel's rebellion against God, when the children of Israel secretly did what was not right against Him, turned aside from His ways and commands, and gave themselves to idol worship and the practices of the heathen. Their departure was a national apostasy, a rejection of God for the customs of the surrounding nations. That rebellion continued despite His repeated calls to repentance.
That rejection began Israel's downfall and brought divine judgment in defeat by enemies, the fall of Samaria, the scattering of the ten tribes, and exile and captivity in Assyria. By choosing the practices of the surrounding nations, Israel became prey to those same nations and was brought into subjection to them. Assyria's success in overthrowing Samaria led men to question the power of Israel's God, and afterward Assyrian armies attacked Judah's fortified cities before withdrawing for a time.