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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
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
"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.'
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Summary
Hosea 9:2 pronounces a severe judgment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) for their pervasive idolatry and spiritual infidelity. The verse specifically foretells a devastating agricultural famine, declaring that the very symbols of their sustenance—the threshing floor (for grain) and the winepress (for wine)—will fail to provide food, and the new wine, a symbol of joy and abundance, will cease. This prophecy underscores God's sovereign control over creation and provision, directly countering Israel's false belief that their pagan deities, particularly Baal, were the source of their agricultural prosperity.
Context
Literary Context
Hosea's prophecy is primarily directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often referred to as Ephraim, detailing their spiritual harlotry, unfaithfulness to Yahweh, and pursuit of foreign gods and alliances. Chapters 4-8 lay out the charges against Israel, highlighting their idolatry, moral corruption, and reliance on human strength rather than God. Chapter 9, where this verse is found, shifts more explicitly to the pronouncement of impending judgment, exile, and the withdrawal of God's blessings as a direct consequence of their sin. The immediate verses preceding Hosea 9:2 speak of Israel's inability to rejoice, their defilement, and their impending return to Egypt or Assyria, setting the stage for the specific agricultural curses.
Historical & Cultural Context
Ancient Israel was an agrarian society, heavily dependent on grain, wine, and oil for sustenance and economic stability. Their calendar and festivals were deeply intertwined with the agricultural cycle. The worship of Baal, a Canaanite fertility god, was particularly alluring to Israel because he was believed to control rain and crop yields. Israel's syncretistic practices involved crediting Baal with their harvests, a direct affront to Yahweh, who was the true giver of all good things. The judgment of agricultural failure, therefore, was not merely an economic hardship but a direct theological refutation of their idolatry, demonstrating Baal's impotence and Yahweh's ultimate sovereignty as the Provider and Sustainer, as outlined in the covenant blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28.
Key Themes
Hosea 9:2 contributes significantly to several key themes within the book of Hosea and the broader prophetic literature. Foremost is the theme of Divine Judgment and Discipline, where God, as a righteous and holy sovereign, brings consequences upon His people for their unfaithfulness. This judgment directly addresses the Futility of Idolatry, powerfully illustrating that the false gods Israel served could not deliver the blessings they promised, exposing their emptiness and impotence. The verse also highlights the Consequences of Disobedience to the Covenant, echoing the warnings of agricultural blight and lack of provision found in the Mosaic Law for apostasy (e.g., Leviticus 26:18-20). Ultimately, the passage underscores God's absolute Sovereignty over Creation and Provision, reminding Israel—and us—that all true blessings flow from Him alone.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to the threshing floor, a hard, level area where harvested grain was threshed to separate the edible kernels from the chaff. It is a potent symbol of the grain harvest, which was the staple food source for ancient Israel. Its failure signifies a complete absence of the primary means of sustenance.
This denotes a wine-vat, typically consisting of an upper basin where grapes were trodden and a lower vat into which the juice drained. It is a symbol of the grape harvest and the production of wine, which was not only a beverage but also a significant part of their diet, economy, and celebrations. Its failure indicates a lack of one of their most valuable agricultural products.
This refers to fresh grape-juice or must, often associated with abundance, joy, and prosperity in biblical contexts. The failure of "new wine" points to a profound loss of not only a commodity but also the associated joy and celebration, leading to sorrow and deprivation.
Verse Breakdown
"The floor and the winepress shall not feed them,"
This clause declares a direct and severe agricultural judgment. The "floor" (threshing floor) represents the grain harvest, and the "winepress" represents the grape harvest. The verb "feed" (Hebrew, râʻâh') implies sustenance and provision. The prophetic declaration is that these foundational elements of Israel's agricultural economy, which they expected to provide for them, will utterly fail to do so. This judgment directly counters their belief that Baal, the god of fertility, would ensure their harvests. Instead, Yahweh, the true God, demonstrates His sovereignty by withholding the very blessings they attributed to false deities.
"and the new wine shall fail in her."
This second clause reinforces and expands upon the judgment. "New wine" (Hebrew, tîyrôwsh') symbolizes not only a vital commodity but also the joy and celebration associated with a bountiful harvest. The verb "fail" (Hebrew, kâchash') means to be untrue, to disappoint, or to be found wanting. The phrase "in her" refers to Israel, personified as a woman. The complete failure of the new wine signifies a comprehensive loss of one of their most cherished products, leading to widespread deprivation, sorrow, and a complete absence of the expected prosperity and joy.
Literary Devices
Hosea 9:2 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of impending judgment. Symbolism is prominent, with "the floor" and "the winepress" serving as potent symbols of Israel's agricultural prosperity, sustenance, and economic well-being. The "new wine" further symbolizes joy, abundance, and the celebratory aspects of life in an agrarian society. The failure of these symbols underscores the totality of the impending famine and the withdrawal of God's blessings. The verse also utilizes Metonymy, where the threshing floor and winepress stand in for the entire grain and grape harvests themselves. The prophetic declaration is a form of Direct Address and Pronouncement of Judgment, leaving no ambiguity about the source and nature of the impending disaster. The language is stark and direct, creating a sense of Foreshadowing of the severe consequences that await Israel due to their persistent idolatry.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hosea 9:2 profoundly illustrates God's absolute sovereignty over creation and His role as the ultimate Provider. It serves as a stark reminder that all sustenance and prosperity flow from His hand, not from human effort, false gods, or material possessions. The judgment of agricultural failure is a direct consequence of Israel's spiritual adultery, demonstrating that breaking covenant with God has tangible, devastating repercussions. This passage underscores the theological truth that true life, joy, and security are found only in a right relationship with the living God, and that chasing after idols ultimately leads to emptiness and disappointment. God's discipline, though painful, is often a means to reveal the futility of sin and draw His people back to Himself.
Reflection and Application
Hosea 9:2 serves as a timeless warning against placing our trust, hope, and worship in anything other than the one true God. In our modern context, while we may not bow to physical idols of Baal, we often find ourselves placing ultimate reliance on wealth, career, relationships, social status, or even our own abilities for security, identity, and satisfaction. This verse challenges us to examine where our deepest trust lies and to recognize that anything we elevate above God will ultimately "fail" us, proving to be an insufficient source of true sustenance or lasting joy. God remains the ultimate Provider, and when we drift from Him, He may, in His loving discipline, allow our perceived sources of security to crumble, not to punish vindictively, but to draw us back to Himself, the only fountain of living waters. Our true joy and fulfillment are found not in material abundance or worldly success, but in a vibrant, obedient relationship with our Creator and Redeemer.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is agricultural failure a common judgment in the Old Testament?
Agricultural failure was a common and particularly devastating form of judgment in the Old Testament because ancient Israel was an agrarian society, directly dependent on the land's produce for survival. God, as the Creator and Sustainer, has ultimate control over natural elements like rain and fertility. Therefore, withholding these blessings was a direct and undeniable demonstration of His displeasure and sovereignty. It also served as a clear refutation of the pagan fertility gods, like Baal, whom Israel often worshipped, proving their impotence and Yahweh's sole power. This form of judgment was also explicitly outlined in the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28, making it a predictable consequence for disobedience.
Does this verse imply God is punitive or merely withdrawing blessings?
This verse implies both a punitive aspect and a withdrawal of blessings, which are often two sides of the same coin in biblical theology. God's actions here are a just consequence for Israel's persistent spiritual infidelity and idolatry. It is a punitive judgment in the sense that it is a direct response to their sin, bringing about suffering. However, it is also a withdrawal of the blessings of provision that God, in His grace, had previously bestowed. This withdrawal is not arbitrary but serves a disciplinary purpose, intended to humble Israel, expose the futility of their false gods, and ultimately call them back to repentance and a right relationship with Him. God's discipline is always rooted in His holiness and His desire for His people's ultimate good, even when it involves hardship, as seen in Hebrews 12:6.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hosea 9:2, with its grim prophecy of failed harvests and absent joy due to Israel's spiritual infidelity, powerfully foreshadows humanity's inherent inability to find true sustenance and lasting satisfaction apart from God. Just as Israel sought provision from lifeless idols and found only emptiness, so too does humanity continually seek life, joy, and security in worldly pursuits that ultimately "fail" to deliver. This brokenness points to the ultimate provision found in Jesus Christ. He is the true "bread of life" (as declared in John 6:35), offering spiritual nourishment that never perishes, unlike the physical grain from the threshing floor. He is the "living water" (as promised in John 4:10-14), providing eternal satisfaction that earthly "new wine" could only temporarily symbolize. While Israel faced a curse of agricultural failure for their unfaithfulness, Christ, the Lamb of God, became a curse for us on the cross (Galatians 3:13), taking upon Himself the judgment due to our idolatry and sin. Through Him, we receive not a failing harvest, but "life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10), experiencing the true "new wine" of the Kingdom of God, a joy that never fails and a provision that is eternal.