Hosea 10:5

‘The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror,

For the calves of Beth-aven,

For the people in it mourn over it,

And its priests who rejoiced over it,

For its glory,

Because it is departed from it.'

The prophet now unveils the ironic situation. They have thrown off the restraint of YHWH and His covenant, the ‘fear of YHWH' (Hosea 10:3), and what have they got in His place? Gods which they are in terror of losing! For soon those calves will be carried off, and the people will mourn over them, and the priests, who had indulged in such ecstasies over them, would also mourn over the lost glory which it once had, which has now deserted it. This is a god who can do nothing to save himself, powerless in the face of the enemy.

The ‘calves of Bethaven (Bethel)' were the calves that had been set up by Jeroboam I as described in 1 Kings 12:28. It is possible that the one in Dan had been brought down to Bethel for safety. On the other hand, as 1 Kings 12:32 makes clear, the plural ‘calves' could be seen as indicating just one (a plural of intensity). And Samaria were frightened of losing what it had and seeing its glory depart from it. (No one had ever suggested being frightened of losing YHWH, for He was above being lost, something which emphasises their folly in trusting in a god who could do nothing to prevent himself being carried off).