Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven; look behind you, Benjamin! Ephraim shall become a desolation on the day of punishment; among the tribes of Israel I declare what is sure. The princes of Judah have become like those who remove the landmark; on them I will pour out my wrath like water. Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgement, because he was determined to go after vanity. (Hosea 5: 8-11)

Like Beth-aven, Gibeah and Ramah are border towns between the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. What is happening in Israel should be a warning to Judah and Benjamin.

A day of punishment is coming. In other translations it is a day of rebuke or correction. The Hebrew is towkechah. This is a formal indictment, an argument, a chastisement, or a reproof.

I will pour out my wrath - anger, fury, rage, excess - like water. Whether the pronoun refers to God or Hosea, it is the wrath of God that is foreseen.

Ephraim - the Northern Kingdom - will be violated, see violence, and be over-turned. From history we know this will come soon and the destruction will be total.

It is common to see in this punishment the active intent of a vengeful God. Israel has played the whore, God will exact punishment. Is this how it will play out with Hosea and Gomer?

The oppression is the result of choosing to follow a man's command -vanity, pride, and ambition - rather (it is implied) than the intent of God.

I am left wondering if God punishes or do we experience the consequence of choosing. Does the stove punish the child or does the choice of the child to touch the stove result in a burn?