2 Kings 17:29-33
“However, every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared Yahweh, and also made priests of the high places from among themselves, who officiated for them in the houses of the high places. They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.”
This passage describes the situation in Samaria after the Assyrian empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported many of its inhabitants. The Assyrians then settled people from other conquered territories into Samaria, leading to a mixing of cultures and religious practices, as these new inhabitants brought their own gods and traditions with them.
What does this passage reveal about the human tendency to combine different beliefs when facing new circumstances or authorities?