Which think to cause my people to forget my name,.... The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "my law". The word and worship of God; from which men are drawn off by false teachers, and are in a fair way to be brought to atheism, and to forget that there is a God; for when once men are turned from the word of God to believe lies, and from the pure worship of God to a false religion, there is no knowing where things will end; and, indeed, it was the design of these false prophets, a scheme and device of theirs, in which they hoped to succeedby their dreams; which, says the Lord,they tell every man to his neighbour; privately from house to house, as well as publicly, to take off the people from all thoughts of God and his worship:as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal: or, by Baal ; by means of Baal's prophets in Samaria before mentioned; who seduced Israel from the pure worship of God, and made them forget him; having the name of Baal more in their minds and mouths than the name of God.
The Syriac version is, "as their fathers forgot my name, and worshipped Baal"; and so the Targum,"as their fathers forsook the worship of my name, and swore by the name of idols.'