Hosea 7:14

With their heart. The falsity of the people appeared in their works as well as in their words; for if they appealed to God at all for His aid, they did so insincerely. Israel’s cry unto the Lord was not from the heart.

Howled. Heb. yalal, “to howl.” This word imitates the sound of distress, as does the English word “wail.” These howlings were because of the suffering of the people, and not because of real repentance and faith in the Lord (see on Ps. 18:41). True repentance is prompted, not by the dread of sin’s punishment, but from a desire to be free from its exceeding sinfulness (see on Job 42:6).

They assemble. The picture here is of a group of idlers lounging around together, their principal interest being in food and drink. Several suggestions have been made as to the purpose of these gatherings. Some suggest that they were held ostensibly to perform some extra rite of worship to the Lord. Others have suggested that they were feasts in idol temples, held to propitiate the gods through food offerings. Or these gatherings may have been ordinary groups assembled near the city gates merely to exchange the latest rumors and gossip, and perhaps to discuss the sad state of national affairs. In any case, the chief concern of these people was to see that they had a plentiful supply of corn and wine to take care of their bodily wants. The LXX reads, “They cut themselves for oil and wine,” meaning that they cut themselves fanatically in their worship before their graven images. This was a not uncommon pagan practice (see on 1 Kings 18:28).