2 Kings 17:4

Found conspiracy. The contemporary prophet Hosea derided the fickleness of Israel in its foreign policies at this time, its leaning now to Assyria and then to Egypt (Hosea 5:13; 7:8, 11, 16; 8:9; 11:5; 12:1; 14:3).

So king of Egypt. This was during the time of the Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt, a period when the nation was weak and when a number of monarchs were ruling simultaneously in various parts of the land. The Egyptian after “So” may be a certain Sib’u, referred to by Sargon as “the tartan of Egypt.” An Egyptian object (ushebti) in the Berlin Museum contains a royal cartouche with the name sb’u, revealing that there must have been an ephemeral king by that name in Egypt (see p. 52).

Brought no present. Hoshea seems to have sadly misjudged the trend of international politics. Assyria at this time was the great power of the world and was destined to become even stronger. Egypt was little more than a name, and was in the period of its final decline. In stopping his payment of tribute to Assyria, Hoshea provoked the grievous chastisement that was to follow.