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God and the prophet are like guards watching over Ephraim, but there are many traps along his way. And people hate the prophet, even in the house of his God.

The Israelites have gone deep into ruin as in the time of Gibeah. God will remember the Israelites’ sins, and he will punish them.

Israel Is Ruined by Its Worship of Idols

10 “At the time I, the Lord, found Israel, they were like fresh grapes in the desert. They were like the first figs on a fig tree at the beginning of the season. But when they came to Baal Peor,[a] they changed. So I had to cut them off like rotten fruit.[b] They became like the terrible things that they loved.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:10 Baal Peor This happened when Moses was still leading the Israelites in the desert. Read Num. 25:1-5.
  2. Hosea 9:10 they changed … rotten fruit This is a wordplay that can also mean “they dedicated themselves to a shameful idol.”

The prophet, along with my God,
    is the watchman over Ephraim,[a]
yet snares(A) await him on all his paths,
    and hostility in the house of his God.(B)
They have sunk deep into corruption,(C)
    as in the days of Gibeah.(D)
God will remember(E) their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.(F)

10 “When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit(G) on the fig(H) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,(I)
    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol(J)
    and became as vile as the thing they loved.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 9:8 Or The prophet is the watchman over Ephraim, / the people of my God