Wisdom 14:15

15 For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely bereavement, made an image of his child, who had been suddenly taken from him; he now honored as a god what was once a dead human being, and handed on to his dependents secret rites and initiations.

Wisdom 14:15 In-Context

13 for they did not exist from the beginning, nor will they last forever.

14 For through human vanity they entered the world, and therefore their speedy end has been planned.

15 For a father, consumed with grief at an untimely bereavement, made an image of his child, who had been suddenly taken from him; he now honored as a god what was once a dead human being, and handed on to his dependents secret rites and initiations.

16 Then the ungodly custom, grown strong with time, was kept as a law, and at the command of monarchs carved images were worshiped.

17 When people could not honor monarchs in their presence, since they lived at a distance, they imagined their appearance far away, and made a visible image of the king whom they honored, so that by their zeal they might flatter the absent one as though present.