Hosea 8

God’s judgments are denounced both against Judah and Israel, for their idolatries and other impieties. Ver.l. iSET a trumpet to thy mouth: he shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord.] Give notice of the approaching enemy; (see v. 8.) who is coming with speed t and fierceness, like a bird of prey, (see Deut. xxviii. 49.) against the city and temple of Jerusalem. By the house of the Lord may be meant God’s people in general, whom he formerly took a peculiar care of as his own family. (Compare ix. 15.) This may probably denote Sennacherib’s invasion, 2 Kings xviii. 17. severest judgments he could inflict upon them. (Deut. xxviii. 68. see vii. 16. ix. 3.6. of this prophecy.) Or the expression may denote, that they shall go into a state of captivity and bondage, as bad as that which they suffered in Egypt. Going into Egypt was a proverbial speech for extreme misery. (See the note upon Zech. v. 11.)

Hosea 8:2

Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. Israel is placed in the Hebrew the last word in the verse: so Dr. Wells joins it to the next verse, and understands this verse of Judah; who shall cry unto God as their protector, in tho times of their fears, when the invasion mentioned in the foregoing verse threatened them. (See v. 15.) If we understand the words of Israel, according as ours and most other translators render them, the sense of them is, that the ten tribes still acknowledged the true God to be their God, and pretended that they had not forsaken him, but worshipped him at Dan and Beth-el, though under sensiblo representations: as we see Jehu still pretended a great zeal for the Lord, at the same time that he worshipped the golden calves, 1 Kings x. 16. 29.

Hosea 8:3

Israel has cast off the thing tltat is good, &c. Whereas they have really cast off the true worship of God, and with that every thing that is good: and as a punishment of their impiety, their enemy tho king of Assyria shall pursue them like a wild beast, and they shall become a prey to him. (Compare Psal. cxliii. 3. Lam. iii. 66. v. 5.) Dr. Wells reads the verse according to the division he has made of this and the foregoing verse: As for Israel, Israel liath cast off the thing that is good, &c.

Hosea 8:4

Tliey have set up kings, but not by me, &c. Shallum, and Menahem, and. Pekah, usurped the kingdom by murder and treason; (2 Kings xv. 13, 14. 25.) not by any declaration of my will, as Jeroboam and Jehu had done, or consulting me by any prophet. -. Of their silver and gold have they made themselves idols, &c] They have abused their wealth to idolatry, which will be the occasion of their destruction. (See ii. 8.)

Hosea 8:5

Tliy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off, &c. As the people of Samaria (see ver. 6.) have cast off that which is good, (ver. 3.) so the calf which they worship shall not protect or deliver them from the evils coming upon them, now my anger is kindled against them. How long \vill it be ere they attain to innocency?] I shall no longer shew any patience towards them, since it is in vain to expect any reformation from them..

Hosea 8:6

From Israel was it also. This calf, as well as that made in the wilderness, (Exod. xxxii.) was an invention of the Israelites, not borrowed from any of their neighbouring idolaters. But the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.] And carried for a present to the king of Assyria, x. 5, 6. The sense would run better, if the w r ords were rendered, Tlierefore the calf of Samaria, &c. so the particle ki often signifies. The calf of Samaria denotes the calf cf Beth-el, in the kingdom of Samaria. (Compare x. 5.) Samaria being the chief seat of the kingdom of Israel, is often put for that kingdom. (See 1 Kings xiii. 33. xxi. 1. 2 Kings v. 3. xxiii. 19.)

Hosea 8:7

For they have sowed the wind, and shall reap the whirlwind. A proverbial expression, to signify, that as men’s works are, so must their reward be: that they who sow iniquity shall reap vanity, Pro v. xxii. 8, their labour - shall be fruitless, or shall turn to their hurt and damage. (See Eccles. v. 16. and x. 13. of this prophecy.) All the pains the kings of Israel and their subjects take to enrich themselves, and to strengthen their kingdom, being bailt upon the foundation of apostacy and idolatry, shall turn to no better account than countrymen expect from a blasted crop of corn: and whatever advantage they make, it shall at last be a prey to foreigners, to the kings of Syria and Assyria. (See 2 Kings xiii. 3, 4. xv. 29. xvii. 6.)

Hosea 8:8

Israel is swallowed up. i. c. Shall as certainly be carried captive by the Assyrians, as if he was already gone into captivity. (See the note upon Isa. xxi. 9.) Now shall they be among the gentiles as a vessel wherein there is no pleasure.] They shall be despised as a vessel ot utensil that is broken and become useless. (Compare Jer. xxii. 28. xlviii. 38.)

Hosea 8:9

For they are gone up to Assyria, &c. To engage Pul, king of Assyria, to be their confederate, (2 Kings xv. 19.) A tvild ass alone by himself] As a wild ass, which is altogether untractable, and will go its own way. (See Job xxxix.‘5. Jer. ii. 24.) The particle as is frequently understood. (See the note upon Isa. xxi. 8.) Ephraim has hired lovers.] Procured foreign allies with great expense, and depends upon them for succour and protection, and not upon God. (See ii. 10. v. 13. xii. 1. Jer. xxii. 20. 22.)

Hosea 8:10

Yea, though they have hired [allies. among the nations, now will I gather them.] I will make their own allies turn their enemies, particularly the Assyrians. (See the note upon Ezek. xvi. 37.) And they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.] They shall feel the burdens and.oppressions laid upon them by the king of Assyria, who styles himself king of kings, as having kings and princes his tributaries. (See the note upon Isa. x. 8.) The word menat signifies in a little time here, as it does Hag. ii. 6.

Hosea 8:11

Because Ephraim hath made altars to siyi, altars shall be to him to sin. Or, A punishment for hissiii: he shall fall from one degree of wickedness and idolatry to another; and his sin shall bring its own punishment along with it, (compare x. 8. Deut. iv. 28. Jer. xvi. 13.) and be the occasion of bringing my severest judgments upon him.

Hosea 8:12

I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were accounted as a strange thing. That law which I gave them by Moses, containing rules excellent in themselves, and such as would have made them great in the eyes of their neighbours, (Deut. iv. 6. 8.) they have disregarded, as if it had neither reason nor authority.

Hosea 8:13

They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not. Their sacrifices are not acceptable to God, being not brought with a religious mind. (See cv. 6. ix. 4. Amos iv. 4.) The Chaldee paraphrast renders the expression Zibche Hababai, the sacrifices of mine offerings, as if it meant the sacrifices of extortion, such as were gotten by bribes and rapine, which still adds to the wickedness of the offerers. (Compare Amos ii. 8.) Now will he remember their iniquity.] See ix. 9. Amos viii.7. They shall return into Egypt.] As into a second bondage there, which God threatens the Jews as one of the

Hosea 8:14

Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. To his idols, at Dan and Beth-el. And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities, &c] Judah puts greater confidence in their fortifications than in God’s protection: but God’s judgments shall destroy them as surely as if a fire had been kindled in them. (Compare Amos i. 4, &c.) God’s vengeance* is often compared to fire, (See the note upon Ezek. xxx. 8.)