Hosea 9:1-2

Hosea 9:1-2

[1] Rejoice  not, O Israel,  for joy,  as other people:  for thou hast gone a whoring  from thy God,  thou hast loved  a reward  upon every cornfloor.  [2] The floor  and the winepress  shall not feed  them, and the new wine  shall fail  in her.

What does Hosea 9:1-2 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord told Israel not to rejoice like other nations at the prospect of an abundant harvest; that would not be her privilege. He promised to remove her grain and wine. These were threatened curses for covenant unfaithfulness (cf. Deuteronomy 28:30; Deuteronomy 28:38-42; Deuteronomy 28:51). Her unfaithfulness to Him had precluded further blessing. She had credited Baal with providing the blessings that she enjoyed rather than Yahweh. The prophet envisioned Israel as a harlot committing adultery on a threshing floor by worshipping idols there. Threshing floors and wine presses were common places where ritual prostitution took place. It was through these rites that the worshippers sought to stimulate the gods to engage in sex and so bestow fruitfulness on them and their land.