Hos 4:15 CSB Israel, if you act promiscuously, don’t let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the LORD lives!
Judah was now warned to avoid the sins of her sister Israel. The threefold warning (Do not go… do not go… do not swear) is a rhetorical device designed to accentuate Israel’s guilt. To associate oneself with Israel’s false, hypocritical worship would be contaminating. Even Bethel, the site of Jacob’s dream, had become “Beth Aven” (‘house of the wicked”) because of the religious practices conducted there. In the midst of this idolatrous, immoral worship the Israelites even had the audacity to employ the Lord’s name in oaths. The Law commanded Israel to swear by the Lord’s name. However, to make a semblance of devotion to the Lord while serving other gods was the grossest hypocrisy.
