Hosea continues his prophecies about the northern kingdom, a kingdom confident in its power.
Hosea 8:1, An eagle appears
"Put the trumpet to your lips!
An eagle is over the house of the LORD
because the people have broken my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
An eagle, a predator, appears over the house of God, ready to strike down the nation because the religious rites ignore God.
Hosea 8:2-3, Ignoring God
Israel cries out to me,
`O our God, we acknowledge you!'
But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.
They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.
With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves
to their own destruction.
Israel says that it acknowledges God -- but in reality it does not. It makes grand decisions without a thought to God; the people use their precious silver and gold to build idols.
Kidner argues that Samaria is confident in its belief that its descent from Jacob/Israel is sufficient for the nation's safety. In the New Testament, Jesus confronts this attitude in John 8:31-47.
Hosea 8:5-6, Calf idol
Throw out your calf-idol, O Samaria!
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?
They are from Israel!
This calf--a craftsman has made it;
it is not God.
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf of Samaria.
A calf idol represented the worship of Samaria. In 1 Kings 12:26-30, at the very beginning of the divided kingdoms, Jeroboam set up calf idols at the northern and southern extremities of Israel. That worshiped then continued throughout the two centuries of the divided kingdoms.
Hosea 8:7-10, Sold, swallowed up
"They sow the wind
and reap the whirlwind.
The stalk has no head;
it will produce no flour.
Were it to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.
Israel is swallowed up;
now she is among the nations like a worthless thing.
For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.
Although they have sold themselves among the nations,
I will now gather them together.
They will begin to waste away
under the oppression of the mighty king.
A sequence of metaphors describes Israel's impotence. They "sow the wind" but instead grow a whirlwind; their stalks cannot produce grain and even if they did, enemies would steal it. Israel is a wild donkey, wandering without purpose. And, as always, the prostitution metaphor arises -- Israel has sold herself to enemy lovers who will set up oppressive kingdoms.
"Sow the wind; reap the whirlwind" has become a proverb, predicting impending destruction. (A Wikipedia site on Reap the whirlwind catalogues some of the uses of this term. See also Galatians 6:7-8 in the New Testament.)
Hosea 8:11-13, Altars for sinning
"Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning.
I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something alien.
They offer sacrifices given to me
and they eat the meat,
but the LORD is not pleased with them.
Now he will remember their wickedness
and punish their sins:
They will return to Egypt.
The religious rituals of Israel are the opposite of God's expectations -- the sin offerings become offering for sinning, they make sacrifices so they can eat the meat, but serve no other purpose. As warned long ago, in the Exodus. they are headed back to Egypt.
Hosea 8:14, Fire on Israel and Judah
Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces;
Judah has fortified many towns.
But I will send fire upon their cities
that will consume their fortresses."
The palaces and fortifications of Israel and Judah will do no good when fire appears. Here even the southern kingdom is mentioned.
A generation later, when Assyria overwhelms Samaria/Israel (2 Kings 17-18), they will destroy many of Judah's fortified towns, eventually stopping outside Jerusalem. A century later, the prophet Jeremiah will warn Judean King Jehoiakim of the futility of building a beautiful palace while oppressing the people (Jeremiah 22:13-17.)
First published June 14, 2025; updated June 14, 2025
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