Charles Ellicott Commentary Hosea 13:10

"Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?" — Hosea 13:10 (ASV)

The rendering should be, Where, pray, is your king, that he may save you? etc. The original demand for a king who should be a visible token to Israel of protection against their surrounding enemies was adverse to the true spirit of the kingdom of God on earth, and, though granted, proved to the united kingdom, and afterwards to the kingdom of Israel, an age-long curse. Probably the special reference here is to the latter—the establishment of the Ten Tribes into a separate monarchy.