Hosea 8 Study Notes
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8:11-12 Israel built altars to cleanse them from sin (Lv 4:35), but the altars only increased Israel’s sinning, perhaps by giving them a false sense of security. Their hypocritical sacrifices only added to their sin (Is 1:14; Jr 7:11; Am 5:21; Mk 11:17). Having God’s written instruction likewise did them no good because they disregarded it as something strange and adopted Baal worship as their native religion.
8:13 The first line of this verse is difficult. The literal rendering is something like “as for my sacrifices of havhav, they sacrifice flesh.” The Hebrew word havhav occurs only here and seems to refer to a type of offering, perhaps “roasted” or “choice.” Return to Egypt is probably not literal but indicates the people would have to start over in foreign slavery (9:3). The northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC (2Kg 18:9-12), but Hosea did not neglect Judah, which was to suffer invasion by the Assyrians in 701 BC (2Kg 18:13).
8:14 Israel had traded their eternal God for palaces and citadels that were easily disposed of.