16:3 He followed in the footsteps of3 the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire,4 a horrible sin practiced by the nations5 whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites.
sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266–67.
5
tnHeb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”