To lose commitment to religion, become less devoted, or be less moral.
The main Hebrew word for backsliding means “turning back” or “turning away.” The Israelites often turned away from God and followed the sinful practices and idols of their neighbors. In the Old Testament:
Israel is described as craving wicked things and abandoning God and His commands (Ezra 9:10; Isaiah 1:4; Ezekiel 11:21).
They broke their covenant with God by worshiping idols and acting unfaithfully (Psalm 78:10; Jeremiah 2:11; Hosea 4:10). A covenant is a special promise or agreement between God and his people.
They forgot about God’s great deeds, ignored His advice, and rejected His teachings (Psalms 78:11; 107:11; Isaiah 30:9).
They became stubborn and enjoyed all kinds of immoral behaviors (Jeremiah 3:21).
Religious leaders who should have guided the people were leading them astray (Isaiah 9:16).
The priests were unfaithful (Jeremiah 50:6).
God was deeply saddened by His people’s spiritual failure and said that “faithless Israel had committed adultery” (adultery is used as a metaphor for unfaithfulness to God; Jeremiah 3:8). Through Hosea, the Lord lamented the fact that “Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer” (Hosea 4:16). Jeremiah confessed, “Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against You” (Jeremiah 14:7).