John Calvin Commentary Hosea 9:8

"Ephraim [was] a watchman with my God: as for the prophet, a fowler`s snare is in all his ways, [and] enmity in the house of his God." — Hosea 9:8 (ASV)

Interpreters obscure this verse by their various opinions. Almost all suppose a verb is to be understood, namely that Ephraim “had set” a watchman. But I see no need to make any change in the Prophet's words; I therefore take them simply as they are. Now, some think that there is a comparison here between the old Prophets, who had not turned aside from God’s command, and those flatterers who pretended to use the name of God while they were ministers of Satan to deceive.

They therefore distinguish them this way: The watchman of Ephraim was with my God; that is, formerly there was a time when the watchmen of Ephraim were connected with God and declared no strange doctrine, when they drew from the true fountain all that they taught. There was then a connection between God and the Prophets, for they depended on the mouth of God, and the Prophets delivered to the people, as from hand to hand, whatever God commanded; there was then nothing corrupt, impure, or foreign in their words. But now the Prophet is a snare of a fowler; that is, the tables have turned, a deplorable change has taken place. For now the Prophets lay snares to draw people by their disciples into destruction. And this abomination rules, that is, this monstrous wickedness prevails in the temple of God. These Prophets do not live in caves nor traverse public roads but occupy a place in the temple of God, so that they make the sacred temple of God a brothel for the impostures of Satan. Such is their view.

But I read the verse as connected together: The watchman of Ephraim, who ought to have been with God, even the Prophet, is a snare of a fowler on all his ways. The former view would indeed have met my approval if the words did not appear to be forced, and I do not like strained meanings.

This is the reason that prevents me from subscribing to an exposition which, in itself, I approve, as it embraces a useful doctrine. But this simple view is more correct: that the watchman of Ephraim, a Prophet, is a snare of a fowler; and he adds, with God; for it is the duty of teachers to have nothing unconnected with God.

Hosea then shows what Prophets ought to do, not what they actually do. A Prophet, then, is one who is a watchman of Israel; for this command, we know, is given in common to all Prophets—to be, as it were, on their watchtower and to be vigilant over the people of God.

It is therefore no wonder that the Prophet dignifies with his own title all those who were then teachers among God’s people. But he thus doubles their crime by saying that they were only keen and sharp-sighted to snare the people. Then the watchmen of Israel, the Prophet, who was placed on the watchtower to watch or to exercise vigilance over the safety of the whole people—this Prophet was a snare of a fowler! But he triplicates the crime when he says, With my God: for, as we have already observed, teachers could not faithfully discharge their office unless they were connected with God and were able to truly testify that they brought forth nothing of their own invention, but what the Lord Himself had spoken, and that they were His instruments. So now we apprehend the Prophet’s real meaning; and according to this view, there is nothing strained in the words.

The Prophet also thus confirms what he had said before: that the Prophets were fools, that is, that their prophecies would eventually appear empty and vain. For they could not prevent God from inflicting punishment on the wicked by their fallacious flatteries. He confirms this truth when he says, The watchmen of Ephraim is a snare of a fowler on all his ways: that is, he ought to have guided the people and kept them safe from intrigues.

But now the people could not move a foot without meeting with a snare. And from where did this snare come but from false doctrine and impostures? What then was to be the outcome in the end? Could the snares help to make them cautious? By no means. Instead, Satan thus hunts his prey when he soothes the people by his false teachers and keeps them, as it were, asleep, so that they may not regard the hand of God. There was then no reason for the Israelites to think well of the fowlers by whom they were drawn into ruin.

This indignity is more emphatically expressed when he says that there was a detestable thing in the temple of God. There was not, indeed, a temple of God in Bethel, as we have often said; but as the people were accustomed to pretend to use the name of God, the Prophet, conceding this point, says that these abominations were covered over by this pretense. There is then no need to inquire anxiously here whether it was the temple at Samaria or at Bethel, or the house and sanctuary of God; for a concession does not prove a thing to be so, but it is to speak according to the general opinion. So then, the Prophet does not complain without reason that the place on which the name of God was inscribed was profaned, and that, instead of the teaching of salvation, there was fowling everywhere, which drew the people into apostasy and finally into utter ruin.