But during the summer there is, in some sections of the country, a mist cloud in the mornings that vanishes soon with the rising of the sun.​—Ho 6:4.

Transitoriness, unreliableness. The misty morning clouds that quickly vanish away are used figuratively for the fickle, short-lived loving-kindness of Ephraim and Judah toward God, as well as for the short-livedness Ephraim would experience for turning to false worship.​—Ho 6:4; 13:3.