Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 17:8

"And they shall not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images." — Isaiah 17:8 (ASV)

And he shall not look to the altars - This refers to the altars of the gods whom the Syrians worshipped, and the altars of the false gods that had been erected in the land of Israel or Samaria by its wicked kings, particularly by Ahaz. Ahaz took a liking to an altar he saw in Damascus when visiting Tiglath-pileser, and ordered Urijah the priest to construct a similar one in Samaria, on which he later offered sacrifice (2 Kings 16:10–13).

It is also well known that the kings of Israel and Judah often erected altars to false gods in the high places and groves of the land (see 2 Kings 21:3–5). The Ephraimites were particularly guilty in this regard (Hosea 8:11): Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.

Which his fingers have made - This perhaps indicates that the idols they worshipped had been constructed with special art and skill .

Either the groves - The altars of idols were usually erected in groves, and idols were worshipped there before temples were built (Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 12:3; Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 14:23; 1 Kings 18:19; 2 Chronicles 33:3).

Or the images - The margin reads, ‘Sun images’ (חמנים chamānı̂ym). This word is used to denote idols in general in Leviticus 26:30 and 2 Chronicles 24:4. However, it is thought to properly denote images erected to the sun, and to be derived from חמה chamāh — meaning “the sun.”

Thus, the word is used in Job 30:28; Isaiah 24:23; Isaiah 30:26; and Song of Solomon 6:10. According to Gesenius, the word is of Persian origin (Commentary in loc.). The sun was undoubtedly worshipped by ancient idolaters, and altars or images would have been erected to it .