“You have committed fornication with the Egyptians, your neighbours, great of flesh, and have multiplied your whoredom to provoke me to anger.”
It began when Solomon took Pharaoh's daughter as his wife to magnify himself and to cement a political alliance with Egypt (1Ki 3:1; 1 Kings 9:16; 1 Kings 9:24; 1 Kings 11:1-4). Egypt was the major nation to the south of Canaan and a natural ally against any enemies from the north, but friendship with Egypt meant involvement with their gods, which included Pharaoh, manifestation on earth of Osiris, and thus fraternisation with Egypt was forbidden by the prophets (Ezekiel 17:15; Ezekiel 20:7; Ezekiel 23:3; 2 Kings 17:4; 2Ki 18:21; 2 Kings 18:24; 2 Kings 25:26; Isaiah 30:1-5; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 36:6; Jeremiah 24:8; Jeremiah 37:5; Jeremiah 41:17; Jeremiah 42:4; Jeremiah 42:14-19; Jeremiah 43:7; Jeremiah 44 all; Lamentations 5:6).
‘Great of flesh.' Egypt from a fleshly point of view appeared to be a formidable ally. But Israel should have known that Yahweh was greater and should not have looked to Egypt (Isaiah 30:2).
‘And have multiplied your whoredom to provoke me to anger.' This is an indication of Israel's fascination with the gods of Egypt which resulted in their worshipping them and serving them (Jeremiah 44:8; Jeremiah 44:15; Jeremiah 44:17; Jeremiah 44:25).