Hosea 4:8

“They eat up the sin of my people, etc.] That is, the priests did so, as the Targum, the priests of Jeroboam; they ate up the sacrifices which the people brought for their sins: and their fault was, either that they ate that which belonged to the true priests of the Lord, so Jarchi; or they did that, and had no concern to instruct the people in the right way; all that they regarded were good eating and drinking, and living voluptuously; and were altogether careless about instructing the people in the nature of sacrifices, and in the way of their duty: or this may regard the Bacchanalian feasts, as some think, which the people made in the temples of idols, and so sinned; and of which the…”

“eat . . . sin of my people--that is, the sin offerings (Lev 6:26; Lev 10:17). The priests greedily devoured them. set their heart on their iniquity--literally "lift up the animal soul to lust after," or strongly desire. Compare Deu 24:15, Margin; Psa 24:4; Jer 22:27. The priests set their own hearts on the iniquity of the people, instead of trying to suppress it. For the more the people sinned, the more sacrificial victims in atonement for sin the priests gained.”

“They eat up the sin of My people - The priests made a gain of the sins of the people, lived upon them and by them, conniving at or upholding the idolatries of the people, partaking in their idol-sacrifices and idolatrous rites, which, as involving the desertion of God, were “the sin of the people,” and the root of all their other sins. This the priests did knowingly. True or false, apostate or irregularly appointed, they knew that there was no truth in the golden calves; but they withheld the truth, they held it down in unrighteousness, and preached Jeroboam’s false-hood, “these be thy gods, O Israel.” The reputation, station, maintenance of the false priests depended upon it. Not being of…”

“They - The priests who minister to the idols. The sin - Probably by sin is meant sin - offering, in which the priest had his share. And they - Covetous, luxurious, idolatrous priests. Hosea 4:10”

“eat: Lev 6:26, Lev 7:6, Lev 7:7 set their heart on their iniquity: Heb. lift up their soul to their iniquity, Sa1 2:29; Psa 24:4, Psa 25:1; Isa 56:11; Eze 14:3, Eze 14:7; Mic 3:11; Mal 1:10; Rom 16:18; Tit 1:11; Pe2 2:3 Hosea 4:9”

“"The sin of my people they eat, and after their transgression do they lift up their soul." The reproof advances from the sin of the whole nation to the sin of the priesthood. For it is evident that this is intended, not only from the contents of the present verse, but still more from the commencement of the next. Chatta'th ‛ammı̄ (the sin of my people) is the sin-offering of the people, the flesh of which the priests were commanded to eat, to wipe away the sin of the people (see Lev 6:26, and the remarks upon this law at Lev 10:17). The fulfilment of this command, however, became a sin on the part of the priests, from the fact that they directed their soul, i.e., their longing desire, to the…”