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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Hosea 9:1–6. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here, I. The people of Israel are charged with spiritual adultery: O Israel! thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, Hos 9:1. Their covenant with God was a marriage-covenant, by which they were joined to him as their God, renouncing all others. But when they set up idols and worshipped them, when they fled to creatures for succour and put a confidence in them, they went a whoring from God as their God, and honoured the pretenders and rivals with the affection, adoration, and confidence, which were due to God only. Other people were idolaters, but that sin was not, in them, going a whoring from God, as it was in Israel that had been married to him. Note, The sins of those who have made a profession of religion and relation to God are more provoking to him than the sins of others. As a proof of their going a whoring from God, it is charged upon them that they loved a reward upon every corn-floor. 1. They loved to give rewards to their idols, in the offerings and first-fruits they presented to them out of every corn-floor. They took a strange pleasure in serving their idols with that which they would have grudged to consecrate to God and employ in his service. Note, It is common for those that are niggardly in the expenses of their religion to be very prodigal in spending upon their lusts. Or, 2. They loved to receive rewards from their idols; and such they reckoned the fruits of the earth to be: These are my rewards, which my lovers have given me, Hos 2:12. Note, Those are directly disposed to spiritual idolatry that love a reward in the corn-floor better than a reward in the favour of God and eternal life.
II.They are forbidden to rejoice as other people do:
"Rejoice not, O Israel! for joy. Do not expect to rejoice. What peace, what joy, what hast thou to do with either, while thy whoredoms and witchcrafts are so many?" Kg2 9:19-22. Be not disposed to rejoice, for it does not become thee, but rather to be afflicted, and mourn, and weep, Jam 4:9. Judah, that keeps close to the true God, nay, and other people that never knew him nor could ever be charged with revolting from him, may be allowed to rejoice, as not having so much cause to be ashamed as Israel has, that has gone a whoring from him. Some think that they had at this time particular occasions for joy, probably upon the account of some losses recovered, or some advantages gained, or some league made with a potent ally, for which they had public rejoicings, as other people used to have upon such occasions; but God sends to them not to rejoice. Note, Joy is forbidden fruit to wicked people. They must not rejoice, because they have gone a whoring from their God; and therefore,
1.Whatever it was that they rejoiced in, it would be no security nor advantage to them, so long as they were at a distance from God and at war with him. Note, We are likely to have small joy of any of our creature-comforts if we make not God our chief joy.
2.The sense of sin and dread of wrath ought to be a damp upon their joy and a strong alloy to all their comforts. Note, Those who by departing from God have made work for repentance have thereby marred their own mirth, till they return and make their peace with God.
III.They are threatened with destroying judgments for their spiritual whoredoms, according to what was said long before.
Psa 73:27, Thou hast destroyed all those that go a whoring from thee. It is here threatened,
1.That their land shall not yield its wonted increase. Canaan, that fruitful land, shall be turned into barrenness for the wickedness of those that dwell therein. They love the reward in the corn-floor, and are so full of the joy of harvest that they have no disposition at all to mourn for their sins; and therefore God will, for their effectual humiliation, take away from them, not only their delights and dainties, but even their necessary food (Hos 9:2): The floor and the wine-press shall not feed them, much less feast them; they shall either be blasted by the hand of God or plundered by the hand of man. The new wine with which they used to make merry shall fail in her. Note, When we make the world, and the things of it, our idol and portion, above what they were designed for, it is just with God to deny us even support and nourishment from them, according to that which they were designed for, to show us our folly and correct us for it. Let those miss of their food in the corn-floor that look for their reward in the corn-floor. We forfeit the good things of this world if we love them as the best things.
2.That their land shall not only cease to feed them, but cease to lodge them and to be a habitation for them; it shall spue them out, as it had done the Canaanites before them (Hos 9:3): They shall not dwell any longer in the Lord's land. The land of Canaan was in a peculiar manner the Lord's land, the land of the Shechinah (so the Chaldee), the land of the Lord of the world (so the Arabic); he whose all the earth is (Psa 24:1) took that for his demesne. The land is mine, says God, Lev 25:23. They had used it, or abused it rather, as if it had been their own, had not paid the rent, nor done the services, due to God as their landlord, and therefore God justly enters, and takes possession of it, they having forfeited their lease. "It is my land" (says God) "and I will make it appear, for they shall be turned off, as bad tenants, and be made to know that, though they thought themselves freeholders, they were but tenants at will." Note, It is for the honour of God's justice and holiness that those who go a whoring from God should not be suffered to dwell upon his land; and therefore, sooner or later, the wicked shall be chased out of the world. Or it is called the Lord's land because it was the holy land, Immanuel's land, the land that had peculiar tokens of God's favour to it, and presence in it, where God was known and his name was great, where God's prophets and oracles were; it was a kind of copy of the earthly paradise, and a type of the heavenly one. It was a great privilege to have a lot in such a land as this. It was a great sin and folly to rebel against God, and go a whoring from him, in such a land as this, to deal unjustly in a land of uprightness, Isa 26:10. And it was a sad and sore judgment to be driven out from such a land as this; it was like driving our first parents out of the garden of Eden, and almost amounted to an exclusion out of the heavenly Canaan. Note, Those cannot expect to dwell in the Lord's land that will not be subject to the Lord's laws, nor be influenced by his love. Those have forfeited the privileges of the church that conform not to the rules of it.
3.That, when they are turned out from the Lord's land, they shall have no rest nor satisfaction in any other land. When Cain was driven out from the presence of the Lord he was a fugitive and a vagabond ever after, and dwelt in the land of trembling. So Israel here. Some shall return into Egypt, the old house of bondage; thither they shall flee from the Assyrian (Hos 8:13) and they shall lose and ruin themselves where they thought to hide and help themselves. Others shall be carried captives to Assyria and there shall be forced to eat unclean things, either (1.) Such things as were not fit for men to eat, that which is rotten and putrefied, intimating that they shall be reduced to the utmost poverty, as the prodigal that would fain have filled his belly with the husks. Or, (2.) Such things as were not fit for Jews to eat, being prohibited by their law. It is probable that while they were in their own land, however disobedient in other things, they kept up the distinction of meats, and prided themselves in that; but, since they would not keep the law of God in other things, they should not be suffered to keep it in that, and it was a just punishment of their sin in eating things offered to idols. Note, When at any time we suffer in our food, and either through want or for our health are forced to eat or drink that which is unpleasing, we must acknowledge that God is righteous, because we have sinned about our food, and have indulged ourselves too much in that which is pleasing.
4.That in the land of their enemies, to which they shall be driven, they shall have no opportunity either of giving honour to God or obtaining favour with God, by offering any acceptable sacrifice to him; they should not be in a capacity of keeping up any face or show of religion among them; "and so" (as Dr. Pocock expresses it) "should be as it were quite cut off from any expression of relation to him, from all signs of grace, and means of reconciliation with him, which would be to them a token of their being rejected of God, estranged from him, and no more owned by him as his people." (1.) They shall have no sacrifices to offer, nor any altar to offer them on, nor priests to offer them; they shall not so much as offer drink-offerings to the Lord, much less any other sacrifices. (2.) If they should offer them, neither they nor their sacrifices shall be pleasing to him, for they cannot have any legal offerings, nor are their hearts humbled. (3.) Instead of their sacrifices of joy and praise, they shall eat the bread of mourners; they shall live desolate, and disconsolate, mourning for the death of their relations and their own miseries, so that if they had opportunity of sacrificing they should never be themselves in a frame fit for it; for they were forbidden to eat of the holy things in their mourning, Deu 26:14. All that eat of the bread of mourners are polluted, and incapacitated to partake of the altar. (4.) Their bread for their soul, the bread which they must either eat or starve, the bread which they shall have for the support of their lives, shall not come into the house of the Lord; they shall have no house of the Lord to bring it to, or, if they had, it is such as is not fit to be brought, nor are they rightly disposed to bring it. (5.) The return of the days of their sacred and solemn feasts would therefore be very melancholy and uncomfortable to them (Hos 9:5): What will you do in the solemn day, in the sabbath, the solemn day of every week, in the new moons, the solemn days of every month, at the return of the times for keeping the passover, pentecost, and feast of the tabernacles, the solemn days of every year, the days of the feasts of the Lord? Note, The feasts of the Lord are solemn days; and, when we are invited to those feasts, we ought to consider seriously what we shall do. But the question is here put to those who were to be deprived of the benefit and comfort of those solemn feasts, "What will you do then? You will then spend those days in sorrow and lamentation which, if it had not been your own fault, you might have been spending in joy and praise. You will then be made to know the worth of mercies by the want of them and to prize spiritual bread by being made to feel a famine of it." Note, When we enjoy the means of grace we ought to consider what we shall do if ever we should know the want of them, if either they should be taken from us or we be disabled to attend upon them.
5.That they should perish in the land of their dispersion (Hos 9:6): For, lo, they have gone out of the Lord's land, where they might have spent both their sabbath days and other days with comfort, gone because of destruction, gone to Egypt because of the destruction of their own country by the Assyrians, flattering themselves with hopes that they shall return when the storm is over; but those hopes also shall fail them; they shall find there are graves in Egypt, as their murmuring ancestors said (Exo 14:11), graves for them; for Egypt shall gather them up, as dead men are gathered up and carried forth to the grave, and Memphis (one of the chief cities of Egypt) shall bury them. Gathering and burying are put together, Jer 8:2; Job 27:19. Note, Those that think presumptuously to flee from the judgments of God are likely enough tp meet their death where they hoped to save their lives.
6.That their land, which they left behind and to which they hoped to return, should become a desolation: As for their tabernacles, where they formerly dwelt and where they kept their stores, the pleasant places for their silver, they shall be demolished and laid in ruins, to such a degree that they shall be overgrown with nettles; so that if they should survive the trouble, and return to their own land again, they would find it neither fruitful nor habitable; it would afford them neither food nor lodging. Note, Those that make their money their god reckon the places of their silver their pleasant places, as those that make the Lord their God reckon his tabernacles amiable and his ordinances their pleasant things, Isa 64:11. But, while the pleasures of communion with God are out of the reach of chance and change, the pleasant places of men's silver, which were purchased with silver, or in which they deposited their silver, or which were beautified and adorned with silver, are liable to be laid in ruins, in nettles, and therewith all the pleasure men took in them.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
"Do not rejoice, Israel: do not exult as the peoples: for you have committed fornication with your God: you have loved the reward above all the wheat fields. The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the wine shall deceive them." LXX: "Do not rejoice, Israel, and do not be glad like the other peoples: for you have committed fornication against your God; you have loved the wages of fornication above every wheat floor. The threshing floor and winepress shall not feed them, and the wine will deceive them." "Those who have departed from God, when they have come into the depth of sinners and have despaired of their salvation, will despise everything." (Proverbs 18) Finally, Israel departing from the law of God and worshiping idols, says that it is one people from many nations: rejoicing and congratulating that it has departed from knowledge of God and is a mixed people with others, and therefore now it corrects them, saying, "Do not rejoice, do not be glad, and do not think that you are like other nations. For one who does not know God is punished differently than one who departs from God, because a servant who knows the will of his master but does not do it will be beaten severely (Luke 12)." Your reward for prostitution, you thought many threshing floors and wine presses, so that you might enjoy abundance of all things; therefore, the threshing floor and wine press will not make wheat and wine, and the wine press will lie to them, or it will deny its wine, which they thought would make them drunk. We read that there was a severe famine in Samaria during the reign of Ahab, king of Israel, and the prophet Elijah, so much so that mothers ate their own children's corpses (3 Kings 6). At that time, according to the letter, the threshing floor and wine press did not feed them, and the wine was a lie to them, and they languished in want. It is said to the heretics, 'Do not exult and rejoice, and think yourselves similar to the other nations. For those did not believe in God; but these worship idols under the name of God, and fornicate against their God: and they multiply for themselves countless fields and winepresses, and they eat wheat from which mourning bread is made, and they drink the wine of Sodom, which is trodden down with adder's gall. And because they have prepared for themselves many winepresses and fields: therefore they will not feed on the true and one field, and on the wine-press which our Lord Jesus has trodden, nor will they drink; but whatever they have thought to have, it will be corrupted by falsehood.'
It is not fitting for you to rejoice and exult like the rest of the peoples. For they did not receive any teaching which might lead them to piety, but you, after much instruction and knowledge of God, rebelled against the knowledge which had been given to you because of the depravity of your opinion, and turned to the worship of the idols.
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Summary
Hosea 9:1 delivers a stern prophetic rebuke to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, forbidding them from celebrating with the same revelry as pagan nations. This prohibition stems from their egregious spiritual infidelity, characterized as "whoring" from their covenant God. Their misplaced joy was rooted in a love for the material "reward" they believed their idolatrous practices, particularly those associated with agricultural fertility rites on the threshing floors, would bring, rather than in their faithful relationship with the Lord.
Context
Literary Context
Hosea 9:1 marks a distinct shift in the prophet's message, initiating a series of pronouncements of judgment and exile. Following chapters that detail Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and God's lament over their spiritual adultery, this verse directly addresses their false sense of security and joy. It sets the stage for the severe consequences outlined in the remainder of chapter 9 and beyond, where God declares that their harvests will fail, their sacrifices will be rejected, and they will be driven from the land, losing the very blessings they sought through idolatry. The opening "Rejoice not" serves as a stark counterpoint to the expected celebration of harvest festivals, highlighting the perversion of their worship.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophecy of Hosea is set in the turbulent 8th century BC, primarily directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) during a period of political instability and religious decline. Despite intermittent prosperity under kings like Jeroboam II, Israel was increasingly caught between the rising Assyrian empire and internal moral decay. Culturally, their society was agrarian, heavily reliant on the annual harvest. This made them susceptible to the allure of Canaanite Baal worship, which promised fertility and abundant crops. The "cornfloor" (threshing floor) was not merely a place of agricultural activity but also often a site for harvest festivals, celebrations, and even pagan rituals, where Israel sought "rewards" (bountiful yields) from false gods, believing these deities controlled the rain and fertility, rather than acknowledging the Lord as the true provider of all blessings, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 11:13-15.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully encapsulates several core themes prevalent throughout the book of Hosea. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Covenant Infidelity, portraying Israel's relationship with Yahweh as a marriage broken by spiritual adultery. Secondly, it highlights Misplaced Joy and False Security, as Israel's celebrations were rooted in idolatrous practices and material gain rather than in their faithful God. This false joy is contrasted with the true joy found in the Lord, a theme echoed in Psalm 16:11. Thirdly, the verse addresses the Love of Illicit Gain, revealing Israel's motivation for idolatry was the pursuit of perceived "rewards"—material prosperity and agricultural abundance—from pagan deities, demonstrating a deep-seated materialism that superseded their devotion to God. This pursuit of worldly gain at the expense of spiritual integrity is a recurring warning throughout the prophetic literature and wisdom traditions, as seen in Matthew 6:24.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root signifies "to commit fornication" or "to be a harlot." In prophetic literature, particularly in Hosea, it is consistently used as a powerful metaphor for Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry. It vividly portrays their breaking of the exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh, whom they were bound to as a faithful spouse. The term implies a deliberate, wanton act of betrayal, often driven by a desire for perceived gain or pleasure outside the bounds of the divine relationship.
This root means "to have affection for," encompassing both sexual and non-sexual love, liking, or friendship. Here, its use in conjunction with "reward upon every cornfloor" is highly significant. It reveals that Israel's idolatry was not merely a passive deviation but an active, affectionate pursuit of the benefits derived from pagan worship. They genuinely "loved" the perceived material gains more than their covenant fidelity to God, highlighting a deep-seated spiritual misdirection of their affections.
This term refers to a "gift" or "hire," specifically the price of harlotry or idolatry. In this context, it denotes the illicit gains or perceived blessings Israel sought from their idolatrous practices. It underscores the transactional nature of their false worship: they offered devotion to pagan gods in exchange for agricultural fertility and prosperity, viewing the abundant harvest on the "cornfloor" as the "reward" for their spiritual prostitution. This highlights the mercenary aspect of their unfaithfulness, valuing worldly gain above their relationship with God.
Verse Breakdown
"Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people:"
This opening command is a direct prohibition against Israel's celebratory practices. Unlike gentile nations, who did not have a covenant relationship with the one true God and thus celebrated their harvests according to their pagan customs, Israel was forbidden such revelry. Their joy was fundamentally corrupted because it was rooted in blessings they attributed to false gods or obtained through spiritual infidelity, rather than in the Lord, the true source of their prosperity and covenant partner.
"for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God,"
This clause provides the primary reason for the prohibition on rejoicing. The vivid metaphor of "whoring" (spiritual adultery) unequivocally declares Israel's betrayal of their covenant with Yahweh. As God's chosen people, they were meant to be exclusively devoted to Him, much like a wife to her husband. Their worship of other gods, particularly Baal, constituted a profound act of unfaithfulness, breaking the sacred bond and violating the very first commandment.
"thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor."
This final clause explains the motivation behind Israel's spiritual harlotry. The "cornfloor" was the place of agricultural abundance, where grain was threshed and harvests celebrated. Israel had developed an affection for the material prosperity they believed pagan fertility rites would bring. They sought and cherished the "reward"—bountiful harvests and material gain—derived from their idolatrous practices, valuing these perceived benefits more than their fidelity to God. This reveals a deep-seated materialism and a transactional approach to their relationship with the divine.
Literary Devices
Hosea 9:1 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its urgent message. The most prominent is Metaphor, specifically the extended metaphor of Israel as an unfaithful wife or harlot who has "gone a whoring from thy God." This imagery, central to Hosea's prophecy, vividly portrays the profound betrayal of the covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel, likening spiritual idolatry to sexual infidelity. This powerful comparison evokes strong emotional responses, emphasizing the depth of God's hurt and the severity of Israel's sin. Additionally, there is a strong element of Irony in the command "Rejoice not." Israel's celebrations, typically associated with joy and thanksgiving for divine blessings, are here condemned because their joy is misplaced and their blessings are sought through illicit means. The very source of their perceived prosperity (the "cornfloor") becomes a symbol of their spiritual prostitution, creating a stark contrast between outward celebration and inward corruption. The verse also functions as a Prophetic Imperative, a direct command from God through His prophet, underscoring the divine authority and the non-negotiable nature of the judgment being pronounced.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hosea 9:1 profoundly underscores the sanctity of the covenant relationship between God and His people, revealing God's absolute demand for exclusive devotion. Israel's spiritual harlotry demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of God's character as a jealous God who will not share His glory with idols, and a tragic misplacement of their affections. Their pursuit of "reward" from pagan sources highlights the insidious nature of idolatry, which often promises material gain but ultimately leads to spiritual emptiness and divine judgment. This verse serves as a timeless warning against seeking joy, security, or prosperity from anything other than the true God, or through means that compromise one's spiritual integrity. It reminds us that true blessedness flows from faithful obedience and an unadulterated love for the Lord, not from illicit gain or worldly pursuits.
Reflection and Application
Hosea 9:1 serves as a piercing mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to scrutinize the sources of our joy, security, and perceived blessings. In a world saturated with promises of fulfillment through material wealth, social status, or fleeting pleasures, this verse calls us to examine whether our affections have been subtly diverted from God. Are we, like ancient Israel, "loving a reward" from worldly "cornfloors," seeking satisfaction and prosperity through means that compromise our fidelity to Christ? True joy, lasting peace, and genuine abundance are found not in the fleeting gains of spiritual compromise but in an unwavering, exclusive devotion to the Lord. This passage compels us to repent of any "whoring" of our hearts—any idolatry of success, comfort, or self-gratification—and to re-center our lives on the one who is truly worthy of our complete love and allegiance. It reminds us that our greatest treasure is our relationship with God, and any pursuit that diminishes that relationship ultimately leads to spiritual barrenness.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does God use such a strong metaphor as "whoring" to describe Israel's sin?
The metaphor of "whoring" or spiritual adultery (Hebrew: zânâh) is used throughout Hosea and other prophetic books (e.g., Jeremiah 3 and Ezekiel 16) because it powerfully conveys the nature of Israel's sin as a profound betrayal of a covenant relationship. God had entered into a marriage-like covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, promising to be their exclusive God and demanding their exclusive devotion (Exodus 19:5-6). When Israel worshipped other gods, particularly Baal, they were not merely breaking a rule; they were violating the sacred vows of their divine marriage, committing an act of spiritual infidelity. This metaphor emphasizes the depth of God's hurt, His jealousy for His people, and the heinousness of their unfaithfulness, portraying it as a deliberate and wanton act of betrayal.
What is the significance of the "cornfloor" in this verse?
The "cornfloor" (Hebrew: gôren) refers to the threshing floor, an open, flat area used for separating grain from chaff after harvest. In ancient Israel, it was a place of immense economic importance, symbolizing agricultural abundance, prosperity, and the culmination of the year's labor. Harvest festivals were often celebrated on or near these threshing floors. The significance in Hosea 9:1 is that Israel had come to associate their agricultural success and material blessings with the pagan fertility god Baal, whom they believed controlled the rain and harvest. They "loved a reward upon every cornfloor" because they saw the bountiful yield as a direct result of their idolatrous practices, rather than as a gracious gift from Yahweh, their covenant God. Thus, the cornfloor, a symbol of divine provision, became a symbol of their spiritual prostitution and misplaced affections.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hosea 9:1, with its stark portrayal of Israel's spiritual harlotry and their misplaced joy in illicit gain, finds its ultimate fulfillment and resolution in Jesus Christ. Israel's failure to maintain covenant fidelity and their pursuit of "rewards" from false sources highlight humanity's universal propensity to turn away from God and seek satisfaction in idols. This verse foreshadows the desperate need for a perfect Bridegroom who would not only fulfill the covenant perfectly but also redeem an unfaithful people. Jesus Christ is that faithful Bridegroom, the Son of God who perfectly loved and obeyed the Father, never "whoring" from God or seeking "reward" from worldly systems. Through His redemptive work on the cross, Christ takes away the sin of the world, including the spiritual adultery of humanity (John 1:29). He offers a new covenant, not based on human performance, but on His perfect sacrifice and resurrection, enabling a true and lasting union with God (Hebrews 8:6-13). In Christ, believers are cleansed from their spiritual unfaithfulness and are presented as a pure bride to Him (Ephesians 5:25-27). Our joy is no longer to be found in the fleeting "rewards" of this world or in our own efforts, but in the unfailing love and grace of God revealed in Jesus, the source of eternal life and true spiritual abundance (Philippians 4:4).