Albert Barnes Commentary Hosea 7:5

"On the day of our king the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with scoffers." — Hosea 7:5 (ASV)

In the day of our king, the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine - (Or, “with heat from wine.”) Their holidays, like those of many people today, were days of excess. “The day of their king” was probably some civil festival, such as his birthday or his coronation day.

The prophet acknowledges the king, in that he calls him “our king.” He does not blame them for observing the day, but for the way in which they observed it. They turned their festival into an irreligious and anti-religious carousal, making themselves like the brutes which perish, and tempting their king first to forget his royal dignity and then to blaspheme the majesty of God.

He stretched out his hand with scorners - as it is said, Wine is a mocker (or “scoffer”). Drunkenness, by removing all power of self-restraint, brings out the evil that is in a person.

The “scorner” or “scoffer” is one who neither fears God nor regards man (Luke 18:4), but makes a jest of all things true and good, whether human or divine. Such were these corrupt princes of the king of Israel.

With these individuals, the king “stretched out his hand” as a sign of his good fellowship with them, showing that he was one with them. He withdrew his hand and his association from good and sober people, and “stretched” it “out,” not to punish these scorners, but to join with them, just as people who are drunk reach out their hands to anyone they meet as a sign of their drunken, would-be friendliness.

With these, the king drank, jested, played the buffoon, praised his idols, scoffed at God. The flattery of the wicked is a person’s worst enemy.