Hosea 8 Study Notes

8:1-3 God speaks in vv. 1-14. An alarm was to sound because God was sending an army to swoop down on Israel like an eagle on its prey (Dt 28:49; Lm 4:19; Hab 1:8). Israel was treating their covenant with God (we know you) as if it were a blank check for sin. House of the Lord may refer to Israel (9:8) rather than the temple.

8:4-6 Samaria, Israel’s capital, refers here to the entire northern kingdom (Is 10:10-11). Israel had arrogantly sought success and security through idolatry, military might, and political power (“double iniquity” in the summary passage in Hs 10:10 probably refers to the military and politics). All their efforts would produce just the opposite of what they desired.

8:7 Idols were worshiped because they were thought to grant fertility. But the “planting” of idolatry would be like planting wind, and the harvest would be nothing but a whirlwind—a storm representing divine judgment (Pr 1:27; 10:25; Is 17:13; 29:6; 66:15; Nah 1:3). Whatever sprouted would be blown away. Foreigners would take everything the people produced. Israel’s idols, temples, and fortresses would be destroyed, and military alliances would drain them dry, enslave them, and carry them away. For their wickedness and rebellion in trusting in the fertility cult of Baal, the Lord would reject them and make the land barren.

8:8-10 These verses use three images to make the point that Israel’s search for help from the nations has been in vain. Israel has ended up like discarded pottery, like a wandering donkey, and like someone who wasted all his money on prostitutes.

8:11-12 Israel built altars to cleanse them from sin (Lv 4:35), but the altars only increased Israel’s sinning, perhaps by giving them a false sense of security. Their hypocritical sacrifices only added to their sin (Is 1:14; Jr 7:11; Am 5:21; Mk 11:17). Having God’s written instruction likewise did them no good because they disregarded it as something strange and adopted Baal worship as their native religion.

8:13 The first line of this verse is difficult. The literal rendering is something like “as for my sacrifices of havhav, they sacrifice flesh.” The Hebrew word havhav occurs only here and seems to refer to a type of offering, perhaps “roasted” or “choice.” Return to Egypt is probably not literal but indicates the people would have to start over in foreign slavery (9:3). The northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC (2Kg 18:9-12), but Hosea did not neglect Judah, which was to suffer invasion by the Assyrians in 701 BC (2Kg 18:13).

8:14 Israel had traded their eternal God for palaces and citadels that were easily disposed of.