Hosea 8

Hosea 8:1

J. A Warning to Prepare for Foreign Invasion Because of Idolatry and Foreign Alliances (Chap. 8) 8:1-3 The Assyrian invader is likened to an eagle or a vulture, hovering over Israel. The people had broken the law, and therefore their doom was near. Though they professed to know the Lord, they had spurned Him. 8:4-6 The division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah was without His approval. Their idolatry caused God’s anger to burn. God asks, “How long until they attain to innocence?” or, in modern terms, “When will they ever learn?” 8:7-10 The grain crops would fail, and the nation would be scattered among the Gentiles. Because Ephraim sought help from Assyria and its allies among the nations, God would punish him. This is poetically expressed by “they shall sorrow a little” (or “begin to diminish,” NKJV marg.) 8:11-14 Israel’s idolatry and Judah’s trust in multiplied fortified cities would bring suffering and destruction.