Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people - by leagues with idolaters (see remarks on the beginning of this chapter), and the adoption of their idolatrous practices (Hosea 7:9; Hosea 7:11; Psalms 106:35).
Ephraim is a cake not turned - a cake burnt on one side and unbaked on the other, and so inedible: an image of the worthlessness of Ephraim. The Easterns bake their bread on the ground, covering it with embers (1 Kings 19:6), and turning it every ten minutes, to bake it thoroughly without burning it.