It shall also be carried unto Assyria [for] a present to
King
Jareb
Or, "he himself" F26; not the people of Samaria, or of
Bethaven, or of the calf, but the calf itself; which, being all
of gold, was sent a present to the king of Assyria, here called
Jareb; either Assyria, or the king of it; (See Gill on
Hosea
5:13); this was done either by the people of Israel
themselves, to appease the king of Assyria; or rather by the
Assyrian army, who reserved the plunder of this as a proper
present to their king and conqueror, to whom not only nations,
but the gods of nations, were subject: Ephraim shall
receive shame;
for worshipping such an idol, when they shall see it broke to
pieces, and the gold of it made a present to the Assyrian king,
and that it could not save them, nor itself: and Israel
shall be ashamed of his own counsel;
of giving in to such idolatry, contrary to the counsel, mind, and
will of God; or of the counsel which they and Jeroboam took to
set up the calves at Dan and Bethel, and thereby to keep the
people from going up to Jerusalem, ( 1 Kings
12:28 ) ; as well as of their counsel and covenant with the
king of Egypt against the king of Assyria, ( 2 Kings 17:4
) .