Hosea 9:6

They are gone. The prophet pictures Israel’s exile in the land of captivity as an event that has already taken place. The possession and occupancy of “the Lord’s land” (see on v. 3) was an evidence of the enjoyment of the Lord’s love. Therefore, since the people’s iniquity brought upon them divine disfavor, expulsion from their homeland was only to be expected. Because of destruction. This refers to the desolation and wasting of their own country, from which “they are gone,” that is, from which they have been taken. Egypt. Egypt is evidently still used in a figurative sense, indicating that the land of their punishment will be a second land of bondage (see on ch. 8:13). Far from their native land they shall be gathered together and doomed to be buried. The pleasant places. Since “places” is a supplied word, it might be better to supply a more general word, such as “things” (RSV). Various interpretations of what these “pleasant things” refer to have been suggested, such as silver idols, silver valuables, or houses ornamented and containing silver. The context favors the last interpretation. The ornamented homes of the people of Israel would become utterly desolate and deserted so that nettles and thorns would possess them. Tabernacles. Here used figuratively to denote houses.