Hosea 2:5

“For their mother hath played the harlot, etc.] Or committed idolatry; which is the reason why she is to be pleaded with, and why the Lord will not own her as his wife, or be a husband to her; and why she is to be exhorted to put away her whoredoms from her; and was in danger of all the above evils coming upon her, continuing in the same practice; and why her children were children of whoredoms. Though the connection may be with the verse following, “for” or “because their mother hath played the harlot”, etc. “therefore I will hedge up her way”, etc. She that conceived them hath done shamefully; all sin is shameful and scandalous, especially adultery; it brings a reproach and a blot upon a…”

“I will go after--The Hebrew expresses a settled determination. lovers--the idols which Israel fancied to be the givers of all their goods, whereas God gave all these goods (Hos 2:8-13; compare Jer 44:17-19). bread and . . . water--the necessaries of life in food. wool . . . flax--clothing. oil . . . drink--perfumed unguents and palatable drinks: the luxuries of Hebrew life.”

“She that conceived them hath done shamefully, literally, hath made shameful - The silence as to “what” she “made shameful” is more emphatic than any words. She “made shameful” everything which she could “make shameful,” her acts, her children, and herself. I will go after my lovers - (:iterally let me go, I would go). The Hebrew word “Meahabim” denotes intense passionate love; the plural form implies that they were sinful loves. Every word aggravates the shamelessness. Amid God’s chastisements, she encourages herself, “Come, let me go,” as people harden and embolden, and, as it were, lash themselves into further sin, lest they should shrink back, or stop short in it. “Let me go after.” She…”

“That give me - Whereas every mercy she enjoyed was God's gift, a fruit of his covenant, love and faithfulness towards her; yet she denies all his kindness, and ascribes to her idols, the bread she ate, the water she drank, and the clothes she wore. Hosea 2:6”

“2:5 The only evidence needed to prove Israel’s unfaithfulness comes from her own words: I’ll run after other lovers. Israel’s lovers were the Canaanite fertility deities, especially the baals (local representations of Baal). The Israelites worshiped them because they believed that these gods controlled the reproductive forces in nature. The Israelites attributed to them the basic necessities of life, food and water, their clothing of wool and linen, and oil, used for both sacred and secular purposes.”

“their mother: Hos 2:2, Hos 3:1, Hos 4:5, Hos 4:12-15; Isa 1:21, Isa 50:1; Jer 2:20, Jer 2:25, Jer 3:1-9; Eze 16:15, Eze 16:16; Eze 16:28-34, Eze 23:5-11; Rev 2:20-23, Rev 17:1-5 hath done: Hos 9:10; Ezr 9:6, Ezr 9:7; Jer 2:26, Jer 2:27, Jer 11:13; Dan 9:5-8 I will: Hos 2:13, Hos 8:9; Isa 57:7, Isa 57:8; Jer 3:1-3; Eze 23:16, Eze 23:17, Eze 23:40-44 give: Hos 2:8, Hos 2:12; Jdg 16:23; Jer 44:17, Jer 44:18 drink: Heb. drinks Hosea 2:6”

“"For their mother hath committed whoredom; she that bare them hath practised shame: for she said, I will go after my lovers, who give (me) my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink." By kı̄ (for) and the suffixes attached to 'immâm (their mother) and hōrâthâm (that bare them), the first clauses are indeed introduced as though simply explanatory and confirmatory of the last clause of Hos 2:4; but if we look at the train of thought generally, it is obvious that Hos 2:5 is not merely intended to explain the expression sons of whoredom, but to explain and vindicate the main thought, viz., that the children of whoredom, i.e., the idolatrous Israelites, will find no…”