Hosea 9:3

‘They will not dwell in YHWH's land,

But Ephraim will return to Egypt,

And they will eat unclean food in Assyria.

They would no longer be allowed to live ‘in YHWH's land'. They had overlooked the fact that the land was YHWH's (Leviticus 25:23) and that they were being bad tenants, and could therefore be expelled. But it was something that they should have known, for it had been clearly spelled out in Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64. YHWH had delivered them from bondage in Egypt into His own land, but now they would ‘return to Egypt' (compare Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:6; Hosea 11:5) and eat unclean food in Assyria. ‘Return to Egypt' was probably symbolic of being trodden down and returned to slavery, although almost certainly many refugees would flee to Egypt, and in the final analysis many would return from Egypt (Hosea 11:11). Hosea possibly considered it a rather poignant fact that some would opt to return to bondage in Egypt, seemingly the last thing that any Israelite would want. But the main destination for the captured exiles would be Assyria. They would ‘eat unclean food' there because the food would not have been sanctified by the offering of the firstfruits, and they would probably also in many cases be driven to eat what food was available, which would not necessarily be ‘kosher' (compare Ezekiel 4:13).