“has prostituted herself there.” This phrase is both literal and figurative. It was common to have Asherah poles on the hills and under the trees (1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 17:10; Jer. 17:2), and Asherah was the female consort of the god Baal and was worshiped, among other ways, by “sacred prostitution.” So while the worshipers worshiped the Asherah by literal prostitution, in their hearts they turned away from their covenant with God and thus figuratively played the prostitute against Him by being with other gods.