Hosea continues his chastisement of the northern kingdom.
Hosea 7:1-2, Engulfed in sin
"Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,
whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practice deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.
Israel (the northern kingdom, also called Ephraim, with capital Samaria) is pervasive in its deceit and lawlessness. Even when God restores the fortunes of the nation, deceit overwhelms them.
Hosea 7:3-7, Like an oven
"They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.
They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smolders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
The festival of the king (a"royal anniversary", says Kidner) should be a day to rejoice in his righteousness (see Psalm 72, especially verses 1-2) but here the king is focused on debauchery.The king and princes get drunk and together hatch evil schemes. The greedy and power-hungry are like an oven on fire, smoldering, blazing, in their lies and adultery.
Hosea 7:8-10, Arrogance and diplomacy
"Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over.
Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realize it.
His hair is sprinkled with gray,
but he does not notice.
Israel's arrogance testifies against him,
but despite all this he does not return to the LORD his God
or search for him.
"A flat cake not turned over" describes a meal that is burnt on one side and not cooked on the other. Israel believes it is succeeding with its diplomacy and connections with foreign governments, but it is overconfident and arrogant, burnt on one side and cold on the other. This summarizes the attitudes in the northern kingdom (Israel/Ephraim) across the three decades described in 2 Kings 15:8-17:41, in which evil king overthrew evil king, until Assyria finally ended the drama.
Kidner suggests that the burnt cake metaphor might have been stimulated by a memory from Hosea's stormy marriage!
Hosea 7:11-14, Calling to Egypt, then Assyria
"Ephraim is like a dove,
easily deceived and senseless--
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like birds of the air.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
Woe to them, because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me.
They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail upon their beds.
They gather together for grain and new wine
but turn away from me.
A dove is a dumb beast, easily misled. So is Israel. On the east is Assyria, the west, Egypt, and Israel calls to Egypt. As with a mindless dove, God can throw His net over them and catch them.
Hosea 7:15-16, Ridiculed
I trained them and strengthened them,
but they plot evil against me.
They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt.
God has prepared Israel for success but they ignore Him and plot against Him. This will lead to ruin. Their old enemy, Egypt, will laugh at them.
First published June 13, 2025; updated June 13, 2025
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