Hosea 10 - G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

The section dealing with pollution and its punishment closes with the prophet's recapitulation and appeal. The whole case is first stated under the figure of the vine. Israel was a luxuriant vine, and of God's planting,

which had turned its fruitfulness to evil account, and it was therefore doomed to His judgment., The result of this judgment would be the lament of the people that they had no king able to save them. The prophet declared that the reason for this was that they had used vain words in swearing falsely, and therefore that judgment would produce terror and mourning, shame and destruction, so that they would cry to the mountains and rocks to cover them and to fall on them. The sin of Israel had been from the days of Gibeah, and therefore Jehovah would chastise them, setting a rider upon Ephraim which would compel the people to the tasks of slavery. The last word here was of earnest and passionate appeal to return to loyalty.