John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 12:1
Ephraim feedeth on wind ,.... Which will be no more profitable and beneficial to him than wind is to a man that opens his mouth, and fills himself with it: the phrase is expressive of labour in vain, and of a man's getting nothing by all the pains he takes; the same with sowing the wind, and reaping the whirlwind, Hosea 8:7 ; and so the Targum has it here, "the house of Israel are like to one that sows the wind, and reaps the whirlwind all the day;' and this refers either to the... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 12:1-6
In these verses, I. Ephraim is convicted of folly, in staying himself upon Egypt and Assyria, when he was in straits (Hos. 12:1): Ephraim feeds on wind, that is, feeds himself with vain hopes of assistance from man, when he is at variance with God; and, when he meets with disappointments, he still pursues the same game, and greedily pants and follows after the east wind, which he cannot catch holy of, nor, if he could, would it be nourishing, nay, would be noxious. We say of the wind in the... read more