Hosea 8

Hosea 8:1

SEt the trumpet] To give warning of the enemies coming, Hosea 5:8.

thy mouth] Heb. the roof of thy mouth.

as an cagle] Deuteronomy 28:49. Jeremiah 4:13. & Jeremiah 48:40. & Jeremiah 49:22. Ezekiel 17:3. Habakkuk 1:8. Namely, the King of Assyria shall speedily come.

house of the LORD] To wit, against Israel which was once the people of God, among whom God had his habitation as in his Temple or Palace.

Hosea 8:2

Israel] Or, they shall crie unto me, My God, we know thee, we are Israel.

crie unto me] Out of season, and not be heard. Or out of meere sense of evil, without faith, piety, or conversion, as Job 27:9. Proverbs 1:27-28. Isaiah 1:15. Micah 3:4.

we know thee] Thou hast revealed thy selfe to us by thy Law and Word. And we make profession of being thy people. See Matthew 7:21. 22. Luke 13:26-27.

Hosea 8:3

cast off th thing that is good] They have strayed from all piety and righteousnesse. Or, they are the cause that my grace and blessing is gone away from them.

Hosea 8:4

They have set up kings] The people of their own proper motion, without enquiring after my will, or staying for my command, or permission, have chosen and made Kings of their own heads: first Jeroboam, 1 King. 12. and after him successors: for though God promised ten Tribes to Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:31. yet they had no command by God to make him King; wherefore they sinned separating themselves from the lawfull rule of Davids posteritie, though this happened according to Gods secret providence, Hosea 13:11.

of their silver] Chap 2. 8.

Hosea 8:5

O Samaria] Namely O ye ten Tribes whose chiefe citie is Samaria; your idolatry with your calves at Bethel and Dan, 1 King. 12. 28, 29. is the chiefe cause of your dispersion out of your own countrey. Or your calfe hath been carried a farre of, namely, into Assyria; as the idols of the nations overcome, wre carried away captive in triumph by the conquerors. See Chap. 10 6.

innocencie] That is, upright judgement and godly life.

Hosea 8:6

was it also] That is, the calfe which Israel did adore, was invented by themselves, no lesse then that of their fathers set up in the wildernesse of Sinai: and the worshipping of the calves in which the children of Israel professed they worship the true God, is false and reproved by God, being but a humane invention, as all other idolatries are.

broken in pieces] Being the work of the Goldsmith, and nor of God, the stuffe by the workman shall be laid upon the anvill againe.

Hosea 8:7

they have sown the winde] A proverbiall kind of speech, meaning they have studied vain things, and shall reap nothing thereby, but damage and ruine.

it hath no stalke] Or, standing corn.

if so be it yeeld] If their counsels should bring forth any seeming commoditie or profit, the enemies shall take it away from them.

Hosea 8:8

swallowed up] Is spoyled by the Assyrians, and laid wast. It may be he hath relation to what is written, 2 King. 15. 19 20.

they be among the Gentiles] The nations whose favour they seek after, will disdain and neglect them, as n old broken vessell, sit for none but unclean uses, Jeremiah 22:28. and Jeremiah 48:38.

as a vessel wherein] Jeremiah 22:28. and Jeremiah 48:38.

Hosea 8:9

a wild ass] Job 39:5. 8. Jeremiah 2:24. They never cease but runne to and fro to seek help. Or a salvage people inhumane, and unnaturall, that care for no body. See Job 39. 6, 7, 8. Jeremiah 2:34.

Ephraim hath hired] Isaiah 30:6. Ezekiel 16:33-34.

lovers] Heb. loves.

Hosea 8:10

I gather them] Bring them up in armes against the people of Israel, to destroy them. See Ezekiel 16:37.

they shall sorrow a little for the burden] Or, begin. The least evils which they shall endure shall be so extreame, that the burden of the tribute which they payd to the king of Assyria, wherewith they found themselves so much oppressed, 2 Kings 17:3. shall be esteemed but a very light thing.

of the king of princes] Of the greatest Monarch then of the world, 2 Kings 18:19. Isaiah 10:8. see Daniel 2:37.

Hosea 8:11

Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sinne] Because my people would commit idolatry without any end or measure, I have given them up to do so, that they might heap up their measure of sinne.

Hosea 8:12

the great things] Namely, the admirable and precious revelation and dectrin.

they were counted as a strange thing] They have contemned them, as things which no way concerned them. Thus idolaters count the word of God as strange in respect of their own inventions.

Hosea 8:13

They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings] Or in the sacrifices of mine offerings they, &c. In their sacrifices of thanksgiving (whereof a certain portion was assigned to them that offered, to make their sacred feasts therewith) they never had any regard of devotion towards me, but only regarded their own bellies: so that it is no longer a sacrifice, but profane flesh. See Jeremiah 7:21.

return to Egypt] That is, they shall be led captive into Assyria, where they shall be used as servants, as they had been formerly used in Egypt: according to the threatning, Deuteronomy 28:68. Conferre with this verse, Chap. 9. 3. Or God will punish their sinne in seeking unto Egypt. Or Egypt may be taken literally, as Deuteronomy 28:68.

Hosea 8:14

his maker] That is, God who created them after his image, Genesis 1:26. and afterwards made them his people by covenant of grace, Psalms 100:3. Isaiah 29:23. & Isaiah 51:13. & Isaiah 54:5. Eph. 2. 10.

buildeth temples] To idols, or to the true God, but against Gods commandment, who approved but of one, where he had placed the tokns of his presence.

fire upon his cities] Wherein they put trust, for their deliverance and safetie. Isaiah 22:8-9.

the palaces thereof] Or, her palaces.