Hosea 7:5-7

Hosea 7:5-7. In the day of our king Probably the anniversary of his birth, or coronation; the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine Or, when the princes began to be hot with wine, (so Newcome,) he stretched out his hand with scorners Deriders of God and man. Some recent and notorious act of contempt to God, or to his prophets, or to public justice, is here alluded to. “Those,” says Bishop Horsley, “who in their cups made a jest of the true religion, and derided the denunciations of God’s prophets, the king distinguished with the most familiar marks of his royal favour; in this way carrying on the plot of delusion.” They Those luxurious and drunken princes; have made ready their heart like an oven Hot with concupiscence, ambition, revenge, and covetousness. While they lie in wait Against the life or estate of some of their subjects. Their baker sleepeth, &c. As a baker, having kindled a fire in his oven, goes to bed and sleeps all night, and in the morning finds his oven well heated, and ready for his purpose; so these, when they have laid some wicked plot, though they may seem to sleep for a while, yet the fire is glowing within, and flames out as soon as ever there is opportunity for it. They are all hot as an oven The whole people are inflamed with bad passions, and have followed the ill example of their princes and great men. Or, the flame of civil discord is spread among the people in general; and, as fire devours, so has this destroyed their judges and rulers by conspiracies and assassinations. All their kings are fallen An anarchy continued for eleven years after the death of Jeroboam II., and the six following kings, the last who reigned in Israel, fell by conspirators, namely, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea. There is none among them that calleth unto me And yet these plain signs of my indignation have not brought either kings or people to a due humiliation and sorrow for their sins.