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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.
"What will you do on the solemn day, on the day of the Lord's festival? For behold, they have gone forth from desolation: Egypt shall gather them, Memphis shall bury them: the desirable silver of them, the nettle shall inherit, the burdock shall be in their tabernacles." LXX: "What will you do on the day of the assembly and on the day of the solemnity of the Lord? Therefore, behold they shall go from the misery of Egypt, and Memphis shall receive them, and Machmas shall bury them; their silver shall possess destruction, thorns shall be in their tabernacles." When the day of captivity will come, he says, and the most cruel enemy will attack, what is my solemnity? How pleasing a sacrifice do I have? For it avenges me against my enemies and puts a limit on their wrongdoing, and it flogs the impious sons. What then will you do on the day of the Lord's festival? Respond. With them being silent, he responds to himself, indeed he figures out with divine eyes what they will do: Behold, I say, in misery and ruin, they fled to Egypt, where those who want to capture the Assyrians and Chaldeans are bound. There Memphis will bury those, which at that time was the metropolis of Egypt, before Alexandria, which was formerly called No, received both the greatness of the city and its name. But what is said in the Septuagint, "Machmas will bury them," is not found in Hebrew; but Mamad, which means "beloved." From which it is clear that they are false, because of the similarity of the letters Daleth and Chaph; and instead of "Mamad," which everyone translated as "beloved," they thought "Machmas" to be an Egyptian city. We can consider that which is said: "For, behold, they are gone because of destruction, Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them," and take from the tribe of Judah: when, after the murder of Gedaliah by Ishmael, whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed over the land, the remnant of the people with the prophet Jeremiah fled to Egypt, and there later were either captured or buried by the Chaldeans who pursued them. However, their desirable silver that nettles possess, we will understand to be the villages and all the ornaments of the villages, which are bought with the price of silver. "And what follows, 'a burr in their tabernacles,' signifies a long desolation; so that where once their houses were, there burrs and nettles and thorns may grow. And is said also to heretics: When the solemn day shall come, what will ye do? Aquila interprets 'solemn day' as 'time.' From this it is manifest that it does not mean a festive day, but a time of retribution; for immediately it follows: 'The days of vengeance are come, the days of thy visitation.' Behold, ye are devastated by many enemies: the Assyrians and the Chaldeans have slaughtered you, ye have fled into the world, and ye are likened to other nations: there ye shall be buried in 'Memphis,' which means 'from the mouth,' and the sense is: According to your blasphemies ye shall receive, and what ye have spoken ye shall feel in punishments; your desirable things, that is, the doctrines which ye have artificially composed with language, which is interpreted silver, shall be possessed by the nettle, which shall consume you with eternal fire: and there shall be the burr or thorn in your tabernacles; for thorns shall grow on the hands of those who have been made drunk with the Babylonish cup." (Jer. 51) And in the Gospel we read that shameful thoughts and worries of this world, and clinging vices, are called thorns, which rising up in the herbs choke the grain. (Matthew 15).
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Summary
Hosea 9:5 is a poignant rhetorical question posed to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), highlighting the profound despair and helplessness they would experience in exile. It underscores the severe consequences of their spiritual unfaithfulness and idolatry, prophesying a future where they would be unable to observe the sacred festivals and solemn assemblies that were central to their covenant relationship with the LORD, thereby losing a fundamental expression of their identity and connection to God.
Context
Literary Context
Hosea 9 is situated within a broader prophetic indictment against Israel for their spiritual adultery, specifically their worship of Baal and reliance on foreign alliances instead of the LORD. The preceding verses in chapter 9 detail the impending judgment: Israel will not remain in the LORD's land, they will return to Egypt and Assyria, and their sacrifices will not be pleasing to God. The immediate context (Hosea 9:1-4) speaks of their inability to rejoice, their defiled sacrifices, and their forced migration from the land, which was intrinsically linked to their ability to worship God. Verse 5 then acts as a climactic rhetorical question, emphasizing the ultimate consequence of this exile: the cessation of their most cherished religious practices. It sets the stage for further descriptions of their desolation and punishment in the subsequent verses.
Historical & Cultural Context
During Hosea's ministry (8th century BCE), the Northern Kingdom of Israel was in a state of severe spiritual and moral decline. They had embraced syncretistic worship, blending the worship of Yahweh with Canaanite Baal worship, and had engaged in unstable political alliances, particularly with Assyria and Egypt, rather than trusting in God. The "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" refer to the divinely ordained festivals (e.g., Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles) commanded in the Mosaic Law, which required pilgrimage to Jerusalem and communal worship. These feasts were not merely religious rituals but were deeply interwoven with Israel's national identity, agricultural cycles, and covenant relationship with God. Being removed from the Promised Land, where these feasts were to be celebrated, meant a complete disruption of their religious life and a profound sense of alienation from God's presence and promises, as the temple and its rituals were tied to the land.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Hosea and the broader prophetic literature. It highlights the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, demonstrating that persistent rebellion against God inevitably leads to a loss of spiritual privileges and the ability to properly worship Him. The rhetorical question also underscores the theme of God's sovereign judgment, as the LORD, who instituted these feasts (see Leviticus 23), is also sovereign over their cessation as a form of punishment. Furthermore, it touches upon the emptiness of ritualism without true devotion, implying that even if Israel had continued to observe these feasts, their hearts were far from God, making their worship hollow (a theme echoed in Isaiah 1:11-15 and Amos 5:21-24). Finally, the verse evokes a deep sense of despair and helplessness, as Israel's future would be devoid of the joy and communion that these festivals were meant to bring, leaving them without recourse or comfort in their time of suffering.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root (H6213) is broad in meaning, encompassing actions like "to do or make," "accomplish," "perform," or "observe." In the context of "What will ye do," it implies a state of helplessness or inability to perform the required actions of worship. It highlights the futility of their efforts to maintain their religious identity once God's judgment of exile has come upon them.
This word (H4150) refers to an "appointed time or season," specifically a "festival" or "assembly" convened for a definite purpose, often religious. It signifies the divinely ordained gatherings and sacred appointments that marked Israel's calendar and were central to their communal worship and remembrance of God's acts. The loss of these "appointed times" means the dismantling of their entire religious framework.
Derived from a root meaning "to turn around" or "to dance," this word (H2282) specifically denotes a "festival" or "pilgrimage feast." These were the three major annual festivals (Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles) where all Israelite males were commanded to appear before the LORD in Jerusalem. The "feast of the LORD" emphasizes the divine institution and sacred nature of these celebrations, underscoring the severity of their impending inability to observe them.
This is the sacred, covenantal name of God (H3068), "Jehovah" or "Yahweh," signifying "the self-Existent or Eternal One." Its inclusion here emphasizes that these feasts were not merely human traditions but were established by the sovereign, covenant-keeping God of Israel. Their inability to celebrate the "feast of the LORD" signifies a broken relationship with the very God who established their covenant and identity.
Verse Breakdown
"What will ye do"
This is a rhetorical question, not seeking information but emphasizing the utter helplessness and lack of options for the Israelites. It conveys a sense of despair and futility, highlighting that in their impending exile, they will be stripped of the means and context for their traditional worship. There will be no alternative solution or recourse for them.
"in the solemn day"
This refers to the specific, divinely appointed times for sacred assemblies and festivals. These were fixed dates on the Israelite calendar, occasions for communal gathering, sacrifice, and remembrance of God's covenant faithfulness. The question implies that when these appointed times arrive, Israel will be in a foreign land, without a temple, without a priesthood, and without the communal context to properly observe them.
"and in the day of the feast of the LORD?"
This phrase further specifies the nature of the "solemn day," pointing to the major pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles) that required all Israelite males to appear before the LORD in Jerusalem. The addition of "of the LORD" underscores that these were not merely cultural celebrations but divine ordinances, central to their identity as God's covenant people. The rhetorical question thus highlights the profound spiritual and cultural void that exile would create, severing their connection to their God-given heritage and worship.
Literary Devices
Hosea 9:5 primarily employs a Rhetorical Question, which serves not to elicit an answer but to make a forceful statement about the inevitable and dire consequences of Israel's actions. The question "What will ye do...?" emphasizes the utter helplessness and lack of recourse Israel would face in exile, highlighting the futility of their attempts to maintain their religious practices outside the land of promise and the presence of the temple. There is also a strong element of Irony at play; the very celebrations meant to bring joy, communion, and remembrance of God's faithfulness would become a source of anguish and a stark reminder of their broken covenant. Furthermore, the verse uses Metonymy, where "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" stand in for the entire system of covenant worship and the spiritual relationship it represented. The loss of these specific observances symbolizes the complete rupture of their sacred life.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hosea 9:5 profoundly illustrates the principle that true worship is inextricably linked to a right relationship with God, and that persistent disobedience leads to a forfeiture of spiritual privileges. The inability to observe the "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" signifies a spiritual desolation far greater than mere physical displacement; it represents a severance from the very means of grace and communion God had established with His people. This verse serves as a stark warning that outward religious observance, when divorced from inward fidelity and obedience, is ultimately meaningless and unsustainable in the face of divine judgment. It underscores God's holiness and His demand for genuine devotion, not just ritualistic performance.
Reflection and Application
Hosea 9:5 speaks powerfully to believers today, serving as a solemn reminder that our spiritual freedoms and opportunities for worship are precious gifts not to be taken for granted. It challenges us to examine the sincerity of our own worship, ensuring that our participation in church services, sacraments, or personal devotions is not merely an outward performance but flows from a heart genuinely devoted to God. The verse warns against spiritual complacency and the danger of allowing sin or worldly affections to erode our intimate relationship with the Lord, which can lead to a sense of spiritual barrenness or a loss of joy in God's presence. We are called to cherish the privilege of gathering with fellow believers, engaging with God's Word, and participating in the means of grace, recognizing that these are vital for our spiritual health and can be diminished or lost if we drift from our covenant commitments.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" in this verse?
The "solemn day" (Hebrew, môwʻêd) refers to an appointed time or assembly, often specifically for religious festivals or convocations. The "feast of the LORD" (Hebrew, chag Yᵉhôvâh) denotes the major pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles) where all Israelite males were commanded to appear before the LORD in Jerusalem. These were not just cultural events but divinely ordained celebrations central to Israel's covenant identity, their remembrance of God's saving acts, and their communal worship. Their cessation, as prophesied in Hosea 9:5, signifies a profound spiritual and national catastrophe, a complete disruption of their religious life and their relationship with God.
Why would Israel be unable to observe these feasts in exile?
The ability to observe these feasts was intrinsically tied to the land of Israel and the temple in Jerusalem. Many feasts required specific agricultural offerings from the land, and the pilgrimage festivals mandated physical presence in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the temple. In exile, away from their land, their temple, and the established Levitical priesthood, it would be practically impossible for them to fulfill the requirements of these divine commands. More profoundly, their exile itself was a sign of God's judgment and a broken covenant, meaning the very context for joyful celebration and communion with God through these feasts would be absent. The question highlights their utter helplessness and the spiritual desolation that would accompany their physical displacement.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hosea 9:5, with its lament over Israel's inability to observe the "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" in exile, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament feasts, though temporarily suspended for Israel in exile, were always shadows pointing to the reality found in Christ (as seen in Colossians 2:16-17). Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of all the feasts: He is our Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice delivers us from sin and death (1 Corinthians 5:7); He is the firstfruits of the resurrection, foreshadowed by the Feast of Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20); and the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, fulfilling the Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:1-4). Moreover, the New Covenant, established through Christ's blood, transcends geographical limitations and temple rituals, enabling true worship "in spirit and truth" anywhere (John 4:23-24). Believers now participate in an ongoing spiritual feast, celebrating Christ's finished work through the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16), looking forward to the ultimate marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). Thus, what was lost to Israel in judgment is eternally restored and perfected in Christ, who is the true "solemn day" and "feast of the LORD" for all who believe.