Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Chapter 8
4
Without my approval, they set up kings, and without my blessing, appointed leaders. With their silver and gold, they fashioned idols to their ruin.
5
To me, Samaria, your calf is detestable; and my anger burns against you. How long will you stay polluted?
6
Your calf, Israel, was made by a craftsman; it is not God and will be shattered.
7
Alliances and Fortresses Are Worth-less
As they sow the wind,they will reap the whirlwind. A stalk without a flower will never produce a flower; if it does, foreigners will devour it.
11
Ephraim built many altars, but those altars only increased his guilt.
12
I wrote down many of my laws for him, but they see them as coming from outsiders.
13
They offer sacrifices to me because they eat the meat, but the Lord does not accept their sacrifices, for he is aware of their sin and remembers their wickedness. They will return to Egypt.
Commentaries
Title.
The Lord’s case against Israel. This section provides a progressively detailed explanation of Hosea’s interpretation of the people’s behavior, using his wife’s actions as a reference point.
They Have Broken the Covenant.
The eagle likely represents the invading Assyrian king. In Israel, the king is not appointed by God but is the result of intrigue and murder. The worship of idols leads the people to ruin, which is the opposite of redemption.
Alliances and Fortresses Are Worth-less.
Israel continues in its idolatry and no longer identifies with the God of the Covenant (12). The Assyrian king destroyed the fortified cities of Judah (14), except Jerusalem, and then turned to the kingdom of Israel, which “will return to Egypt,” meaning to slavery (13).