And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,
Aholah played the harlot when she was mine - literally, 'when she was under me,' - i:e., subject to me as her lawful husband.
She doted ... on the Assyrians her neighbours. On the northeast the kingdom of Israel bordered on that of Assyria, because the latter had occupied much of Syria. Their neighbourhood in locality was emblematic of their being near in corruption of morals and worship. The alliances of Israel with Assyria, which are the chief subject of reprobation here, tended to this (for instance, 2 Kings 15:19, Menahem's connection with Pul king of Assyria; 2 Kings 16:7; 2 Kings 16:9, Ahaz's alliance with Tiglath-pileser; 2 Kings 17:3, Hoshea's connection with Shalmaneser; Hosea 8:9).