Hosea 8:9 Meaning
For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
Context Explained
7For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
8Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
10Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
11Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
Key Themes
Related Cross References
Ezekiel 23:5
Both verses depict Israel's unfaithfulness through the metaphor of infidelity.
James 4:4
James warns against spiritual adultery, similar to Hosea's message.
Isaiah 31:1
Contrasts reliance on foreign powers with trust in God.
Source: Hosea 8:9