John Trapp on Hosea 9:8

Verſe 8. The watch-man of Ephraim was with my God,] i. e. The falſe prophets above mentioned, pretend themſelves to be with God, and for him; ſpeak, look, and act as if they came out of Gods boſome, or were ſo many Angels newly dropt from heaven: take upon them glorious titles to that purpoſe, as Watch-men, Prophets, ſpiritual-men, &c. Theſe titles proved ſnares to many that enquired not narrowly into them: and eſpecially becauſe they preached placentia, ſoothed men up in their ſinnes, ſowed pillows under their elbowes, dawb'd with untempered morter, &c. Hence ſilly people lent both their ears to them (as birds do to the lure, or whiſtle of the fowler) and were ſoon enſnared.

the prophet is as a ſnare of a fowler, &c.] Seducers have their pithonologie, their art to perſwade before they teach, as the Valentinians had: they are cunning and inſinuate as Zanchy teſtifieth of Laelius Socinus, that, by propounding queſtions, he ſought to enſnare him,Zanch. de trib. Eloh. praefat. ſemper interrogans quaſi cuperet doceri, labouring to drop into him certain dangerous principles of the Samoſatenian hereſie. This ſlie trick they have learned of that old manſlayer the devil, who by theſe Emiſſaries of his catcheth ſimple people, as the fowler doth the bird, by caſting baits: or as the fiſher, by one fiſh catcheth another, that he may feed upon both.

And hatred in the houſe of his God.] Satanicall hatred (as in the former verſe) which theſe wicked watch-men do ſtir up againſt the true Prophets, and faithfull ſervants of God. Diodate carrieth it thus, Theſe wicked watch-men are the chief occaſion of Gods hatred, and of the rejection of his people, who are as it were his family. Luther, Wigandus, and others ſet this ſence upon the whole verſe. (taking the former part to be ſpoken of the good watch-men) Thoſe ancient watch-men of Ephraim were joyned with my God, and wholly for him: but thoſe at this day are a ſnare; &c. and if there be any yet left of the former ſtock, they have left off to do good, and are become hatefull, as Pſal. 36.2, 3. their iniquity is found to be hatefull. There are that render the words by way of exclamation thus, Orem odioſam & abominandam in domo Dei! Oh hideous and hatefull! oh how hath the devil beſtirred him, to ſtir up ſuch Seducers, to do ſo much miſchief among Gods people! There are that interpret theſe two Verſes, not of falſe Prophets, but of the true, who were looked upon as fools and mad men, by the mad world; ever beſide it ſelf in point of ſalvation, &c. It is not for nought that Rivet ſaith, Hi due verſus ſatis ſunt intricati. theſe two verſes are very intricate. And of this eight verſe Luther ſaith, that the brevity thereof hath cauſed obſcurity. Druſius alſo ſaith, Locus iſte difficilior eſt quam vulgus exiſtimat; This text is harder, then moſt men imagine.