For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against
the Lord their God
By committing idolatry, which is the sin enlarged upon in the following discourse, as the cause of their being carried captive:
which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand
of Pharaoh king of Egypt;
which is observed to show their ingratitude, and to aggravate their sin of idolatry:
and had feared other gods;
which could do them neither good nor hurt, wherefore it must be great stupidity to fear them.