Hosea 4:17

‘Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.'

Indeed all are to recognise that Ephraim (Israel) is conjoined with idols (like mistresses to their lovers, or men bound by a covenant) and is therefore to be avoided. It is to be left alone. Alternately the word ‘conjoined' can have a magical significance and may signify ‘bound by enchantment'. The command to ‘let him alone' comes as something of a shock. The prophets would be expected to call for the uniting of Israel and Judah. But now Israel are seen as having gone so far along the downward path, that they are to be avoided at all costs.

This is his first use of the term ‘Ephraim' which will from now on become a regular feature of the prophecy. It is not always easy to distinguish between Hosea's use of ‘Israel' (always used up to this point) and his use of ‘Ephraim' (the largest and most influential tribe in northern Israel). There are a number of places where the names appear simply to signify the same thing (e.g. Hosea 5:3; Hosea 5:9 and often), but at other times the impression given is that Ephraim represents a distinction in Israel (e.g. Hosea 5:5), possibly what is most sinful in Israel. It may further be that we are to see that once the Assyrians had decimated Israel (2 Kings 15:29), the mountains of Ephraim were almost all that was left to Israel, clustered around Samaria, with the result that what remained of Israel became known as Ephraim (the largest of the tribes of ancient Israel along with Judah) and sank into ever worse behaviour (Hosea 5:11; Hosea 6:4; Hosea 6:10; Hosea 7:1; Hosea 7:8; Hosea 7:11; etc). Compare Isaiah 7:2; etc. But the usage is regularly wider than that. Thus the significance of the term must always be decided in context, and in many cases either interpretation will be possible.