Hosea 5:10

‘The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark,

I will pour out my wrath on them like water.'

Judah also is to face YHWH's chastisement although not to the same degree. There is no mention of desolation, but they will nevertheless experience the pouring out of YHWH's anger on them like water. And this was because their princes had become like those who ‘remove the landmark'. Landmarks where a feature of those days, marking off what land belonged to one person from what belonged to another. The removal of such landmarks was seen as a heinous offence. As Deuteronomy 19:14 declares, “You shall not remove your neighbour's landmark,” something underlined in the group of curses connected with the covenant in Deuteronomy 27, “Cursed be he who removes his neighbour's landmark” (Deuteronomy 27:17).

The reference here is probably to the fact that the princes of Judah have allowed Judah's standards to slip by easing the requirements of the Law and allowing the men of Judah (including themselves) to participate in Israel's syncretistic cult (compare Hosea 4:15). Or even as referring to their collaboration with Assyria which was certainly like removing a landmark, the landmark which kept Judah independent as YHWH's people, for the consequence of it would be the introduction of an Assyrian altar into the house of YHWH. Either way the charge is one of compromising the true worship of YHWH. Alternately some see it as referring to Judah's invasion of Israel in order to take back territory previously purloined. But it is difficult to see how that is the equivalent of removing the landmark, for in that case it was Israel who could be charged with having removed the landmark, although the thought may simply be that Judah should not have taken advantage of Israel's catastrophe for their own ends (compare how Edom would later be punished for doing the same to Judah - Obadiah 1:11).

But the verse parallels the previous one suggesting that both Israel and Judah will suffer in similar ways, even if for different reasons, a thought which is repeated later (Hosea 5:13). This makes Judah appearing in the guise of an invader very unlikely.

And because of Assyria's activity YHWH's wrath would be poured out on them like water (see Psalms 69:24). Compare the vivid description in Isaiah of Assyria's incursion into Judah around this time (Isaiah 8:7) with Judah in trouble up to its neck in flood water. So Israel and Judah are both in trouble, the difference being that Israel have gone too far, while for Judah there is still hope.