Book of Hosea Chapter 10 Vs. 5

 ONCE MORE: PUPPET-KINGS AND PUPPET-GODS

The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. Hos. 10:5

Samaria shall fear... Beth-aven is speaking of house of vanity. The calves here are speaking of the calf that Jeroboam set up in the temple to worship. They had slipped into gross idolatry. This calf cannot help them in their time of trouble.

the calves of... Beth-aven—house of naught. (See 4:15; 8:5).

People thereof shall... The people shall mourn at the loss of the calf, and the priests will mourn with them. The people and the priests had accepted this calf to worship as their god. God allows it to be taken.

For the Calf of Beth-Aven the inhabitants of Samaria shall be anxious: yea, mourn for him shall his people, and his priestlings shall writhe for him - for his glory that it is banished from him. In these days of heavy tribute shall the gold of the golden calf be safe.

Some details of the approaching judgment and exile are described in Hos. 10:5-8. The calf-idol (cf. see Hos. 8:5) located in Beth Aven (i.e., Bethel; cf. See Hos. 4:15) would be carried away by the victorious Assyrian army, causing great consternation among its worshipers. Idolatrous priests translate a rare term (k^emārı̂m), used only of priests of Baal (2Kgs. 23:5; Zeph. 1:4).