Hosea 7:5

5 The day of our king, the princes began to be wild of wine; he stretched forth his hand with scorners. (On the day of our king's celebration, the princes began to be wild with wine; yea, he stretched forth his hand with mockers.)

Hosea 7:5 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 7:5

In the day of our king
Either his birthday, or his coronation day, when he was inaugurated into his kingly office, as the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi; or the day on which Jeroboam set up the calves, which might be kept as an anniversary: or, "it is the day of our king" ^F15; and may be the words of the priests and false prophets, exciting the people to adultery; and may show by what means they drew them into it, saying this is the king's birthday, or coronation day, or a holy day of his appointing, let us meet together, and drink his health; and so by indulging to intemperance, through the heat of wine, led them on to adultery, corporeal or spiritual, or both: the princes have made [him] sick with bottles of wine:
that is, the courtiers who attended at court on such a day to compliment the king upon the occasion, and to drink his health, drank to him in large cups, perhaps a bottle of wine at once; which he pledging them in the same manner, made him sick or drunk: to make any man drunk is criminal, and especially a king; as it was also a weakness and sin in him to drink to excess, which is not for kings, of all men, to do: or it may be rendered, "the princes became sick through the heat of wine" ^F16, so Jarchi; they were made sick by others, or they made themselves so by drinking too much wine, which inflamed their bodies, gorged their stomachs, made their heads dizzy, and them so "weak", as the word ^F17 also signifies, that they could not stand upon their legs; which are commonly the effects of excessive drinking, especially in those who are not used to it, as the king and the princes might not be, only on such occasions: he stretched out his hand with scorners;
meaning the king, who, in his cups, forgetting his royal dignity, used too much familiarity with persons of low life, and of an ill behaviour, irreligious ones; who, especially when drunk, made a jest of all religion; scoffed at good men, and everything that was serious; and even set their mouths against the heavens; denied there was a God, or spoke very indecently and irreverently of him; these the king made his drinking companions, took the cup, and drank to them in turn, and shook them by the hand; or admitted them to kiss his hand, and were all together, hail fellows well met. Joseph Kimchi thinks these are the same with the princes, called so before they were drunk, but afterwards "scorners".

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (wnklm Mwy) "dies regis nostri", V. L. Calvin, Tigurine version, Tarnovius, Cocceius, Schmidt.
F16 (Nyym tmx Myrv wlxh) "argotarunt principes a calore vini", Liveleus; "morbo afficiunt se calore ex vino", Tarnovius.
F17 "Quem infirmant principes aestu a vino", Cocceius; "infirmum facerunt", Munster; "infirmant", Schmidt.

Hosea 7:5 In-Context

3 In their malice they gladded the king, and in their leasings the princes. (They gladdened the king with their malice, and the princes with their lies.)

4 All that do adultery, be as an oven made hot of a baker. The city rested a little from the meddling of sourdough, till all was made sour. (All of them who do adultery, or idolatry, be made hot like a baker's oven. Then the city rested a little from the mixing of the sourdough, until all was made sour.)

5 The day of our king, the princes began to be wild of wine; he stretched forth his hand with scorners. (On the day of our king's celebration, the princes began to be wild with wine; yea, he stretched forth his hand with mockers.)

6 For they applied their heart as an oven, when he setted treason to them. All the night he slept (while) baking them; in the morrowtide he was made hot, as the fire of flame. (For they heated up their hearts like an oven, while they plotted their treasons. They slept through the night while baking them; and in the morning their anger was made as hot as a flame of fire.)

7 All were made hot as an oven, and they devoured their judges. All the kings of them fell down, and none is among them that crieth to me. (All of them were made as hot as an oven, and they destroyed their rulers, or their leaders. All their kings fell down, and no one is among them who crieth to me.)