הושע, פרק ט׳, פסוק ד׳

Bringing animal offerings and pouring wine lose all meaning when they stem from sin, impurity, or spiritual disconnection. Religious rituals are either completely rejected by God or made entirely impossible by the sad reality of exile. The primary approach among commentators is that God turns away the people's worship, from the pouring of wine to the main animal sacrifices [מלבי״ם]. Because the people continue to sin and break the commandments, their offerings are no longer wanted or pleasant before Him [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ]. A different perspective views this as a prophecy about the people in exile, where they will be completely unable to perform these ancient rituals [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

The sacrifices are compared to a corrupted form of bread, understood in two primary ways. One view associates this food with mourning. Offerings brought in this state are like the food of mourners, which is impure and defiles anyone who eats it [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, רש״י]. Providing a sharp metaphor, the [מלבי״ם] explains that the souls of the sinners are considered dead within their living bodies. They are essentially eating a mourning meal for their own deaths, causing the food of their sacrifices to defile them. A second view connects this food to power, oppression, and robbery. Because the offerings are born of sin and theft, they are abominable and defile those who bring them [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ, רש״י]. Connecting this idea to the state of exile, the [אברבנאל] explains that instead of offering holy sacrifices in Jerusalem, the people will only have everyday food that is eaten in impurity.

Because these offerings are fundamentally flawed, they are reduced to nothing more than a means to satisfy personal hunger. They are meant only for the people to fill their own stomachs and have no place in the house of God [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Even if an offering is brought with the intention of achieving atonement, it will not be accepted because the people sin intentionally and refuse to repent [רד״ק]. Following the theme of mourning, the food is considered as though it is meant for a dead soul, making it impure and strictly barred from entering God's house [מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, in the reality of exile, the people's food will serve only for their basic physical survival, never again reaching the elevated status of an offering brought to the house of God [אברבנאל].