The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle will come up on their altars. They will tell the mountains, "Cover us!" and the hills, "Fall on us!"
"The high places of Aven ..."  The omission of Bethel, sometimes used with this word shows that the stress is upon the "vanity" of the places where the idol-worship was indulged.  Not merely some of such places, but all of them were to be destroyed, robbed of their treasures, stripped of everything useful, and left for the thorns and brambles to overrun them. This extended to all of the local places of idol-worship throughout Israel; and, as Myers said, "They were the scene, not only of illegitimate worship but of actual licentiousness and debauchery."[17]