How great had been the moral decline in Israel since “he was a child”—since the days of Moses, and Joshua, and David! The latter part of verse 1 is in Matthew 2:1515And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. (Matthew 2:15) applied to the Lord in connection with His being brought out of Egypt like the nation of Israel. As we have seen in many of the Psalms, and in Isaiah, notably, He identifies Himself in grace with that nation which has altogether lost its title to be considered the earthly people of God, but will yet be blessed in a marvelous way through. Him whom they despised and put to death.
Verse 2: Though loved by God, and the objects of His favor, they sacrificed to idols.
Verses 3-4: He led them through the desert, cared for them all through that forty-year journey, but they did not know, nor understand what He did for them.
Verses 5-7: Now at the close of Ephraim’s history as a kingdom they had incurred the anger of their master, the ruler of Assyria, and were looking to Egypt for a refuge, but God had determined otherwise; they would not return to Himself, therefore the Assyrian should be their king, and the sword would visit their land.
Verses 8-9: Such is the marvelous grace of God to the utterly unworthy, that He loves His people with an unchanging affection.
“How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?”, He says to this nation which had long since given Him up, choosing rather the worship of idols and the moral corruption of the heathen. Admah and Zeboim were cities near to, and destroyed with. Sodom and Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 29:2323And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: (Deuteronomy 29:23).).
Verses 10-11 await for their fulfillment, —Israel’s day of blessing.