Hosea 9:8

The watchman. If we consider the prophet and the spiritual man (see on v. 7) to be true prophets at whom the people sneered and scoffed as being fools and fanatics, Hosea is here declaring that his God is the God of these watchmen. And regardless of how they were treated, as God’s watchmen (see Eze. 3:16-21; 33:7-9), the Lord would protect them. With my God. The word “with” here is meaningful. If the false prophet was with the people to curry their favor and condone their sinful ways, the true prophet was at all times with the Lord, to receive His help and direction, with Him in communion, with Him to carry out the divine will in the face of all opposition. In a word, it was his high privilege to be a member of that select group who are “workers together with him” (2 Cor. 6:1). By the change of one vowel of the traditional spelling (see Vol. I, pp. 25, 26), this phrase might be translated: “the people of my God.” Snare of a fowler. A figure referring to the work of the false prophet, who traps the people into destruction by his deception (see Isa. 30:8-13). This seems to indicate that the “prophet” (see on v. 7) mentioned previously may be a false prophet rather than a true one. Hatred. Evidently the hatred against God and His people, which idolatry fostered. It is pictured as centered in the idol temple, and actively represented by the false prophet. House of his God. The false prophet would be connected with an idol temple, perhaps the one at Bethel (see on ch. 8:1). Note the contrast between “his God” and “my God,” mentioned by Hosea earlier in the verse.