Don't rejoice, Israel, to jubilation like the nations; For you were unfaithful to your God. You love the wages of a prostitute at every grain threshing floor.
This verse is not a mere prohibition of Israel's rejoicing at a good harvest, the key to understanding what is meant is in, "like the peoples"; and what is in view here is nothing innocent at all.  The immoral orgies of the bull-god celebrations, after the manner of the old Canaanite paganism, are clearly in view, that being the import of, "thou hast played the harlot."  Hindley, and others, have suggested that Hosea might have delivered this prophecy, "at one of the great harvest festivals";[4] but such a mere guess has nothing to sustain it and leads to a misunderstanding of  Hosea 9:8.  "The heathen nations indulged in orgies at their harvest festivals."[5]  The allusion in this place is probably to "the orgies of the heathen festivals."[6]  As Meyers said, "The threshing-floor had become in reality a den of iniquity, and Israel preferred the harlot's hire there to genuine thanksgiving to the Lord."[7]