Charles Ellicott Commentary Hosea 11:6

"And the sword shall fall upon their cities, and shall consume their bars, and devour [them], because of their own counsels." — Hosea 11:6 (ASV)

The rendering of the English version is incorrect here. It should be rendered: Then shall the sword be brandished amid his cities, and utterly destroy his princes. The word for “princes” is literally bars, the heroes, leaders, or defenders of the state being aptly called barriers, or bulwarks. Analogous metaphors frequently occur in the Old Testament; this is also the interpretation of the Targum.