Hosea


The Lord's Ways Are Right


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About Hosea

Hosea is the first of the twelve minor prophets. It was written shortly before the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722-720 BC when the Assyrians besieged Samaria. The book calls for faithfulness and repentance, and it shows God's love and mercy toward an unfaithful people.

The book begins with God instructing Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer. It was shameful for a priest to marry a prostitute (Lev. 21:7, 13). This was certainly also true for a prophet. Some therefore interpret the marriage purely figuratively, but the story seems to give a true account of events, names, and places. Hosea's marriage to a prostitute was scandalous in his day, just as it is today—and that is the point.

Through this marriage, Hosea symbolizes God's relationship with Israel. Gomer is unfaithful to Hosea, reflecting Israel's unfaithfulness to God by worshipping other gods. Despite Gomer's unfaithfulness, Hosea continues to love and redeem her, symbolizing God's faithfulness and willingness to forgive Israel.

In the second part of the book (chapters 4-14), Hosea condemns Israel's sins, including idolatry, corruption, and social injustice, through a series of prophetic messages. He warns that the sins of the people will lead to the downfall of the nation. At the same time, Hos. emphasizes God's love and mercy. He urges the people to repent and return to God. Hos. describes God's struggle between righteous anger and deep love for His people. The book ends with a promise of healing if Israel returns to God (Hos 14:2–10).
Structure:
1. Hos.'s personal life and marriage (Hos. 1–3)
2. Prophecies about Israel (Hos. 4–14)

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Persons (24) BETA

Persons in Hosea


Places (23)

Places in Hosea


Unique Words (35)

Unique Words in Hosea



Covers the period: 760-722 BC.

  Written: 760-720 BC.

Author: Hos.

Quoted:
Hos. 1:6, 9 – 1 Pet. 2:10
Hos. 2:1 – Rom. 9:26–27
Hos. 2:23 – Rom. 9:25; 1 Pet. 2:10
Hos. 6:6 – Matt. 9:13; Matt. 12:7
Hos. 10:8 – Luke 23:30; Rev 6:16
Hos 11:1 – Matt. 2:15
Hos 13:14 – 1 Cor. 15:55

Related books:
Amos
Jonah

Reading time: ca 1,5 hour.

Total Word Count

2381 words in the book (in the original text).

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Hosea

Hosea's family – God's family

Introduction

11The word of the Lord (Yahweh) that came to [the prophet] Hosea (Hebr. Hoshea; meaning: salvation), son of Beeri, in the days of
    Uzziah (Hebr. Uzzijaho) [10th ruler of the Southern Kingdom; reigned 788-736 BC],
    Jotham [11th ruler of the Southern Kingdom; reigned approx. 758-742 BC, first ten years together with his leprous father (2 Chron. 26:21), then alone, and finally three years with his son Ahaz],
    Ahaz [12th ruler of the Southern Kingdom; reigned c. 742-726 BC, the last years together with his son Hezekiah]
    and Hezekiah (Hebr. Jechizqijah) [13th king of the Southern Kingdom; reigned 726-697 BC]
were kings of Judah [the Southern Kingdom]
and the days when
    Jeroboam [the second, reigned 793-753 BC] was king of Israel [the 13th king of the Northern Kingdom]. [Hosea served as a prophet in the northern kingdom for about 40 years (760-722 BC). Only Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom is mentioned here. The last six kings are: Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hosea. They reigned from about 750 to 722 BC, when the capital Samaria was captured by the Assyrian ruler Sargon II and the population of the country was deported to Assyria.]

Hosea's marriage

2The first time the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Hosea, the Lord (Yahweh) said to Hosea: "Go and take [marry] a wife who is a prostitute (Hebr. zanon) and [have] children by a prostitute, for in great prostitution (Hebr. zanah zanah) the land forsakes the Lord (Yahweh)."
3So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Jezreel – God will sow

4And the Lord (Yahweh) said to him,
"Name him Jezreel [meaning: 'God sows', see Zech. 10:9],
for yet a little while
    and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu
    and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease. [Jehu was the one who killed Ahab's family, see 2 Kings 9:16, 25, 33. There is also an allusion here to the fertility god Baal, see Jer. 2:23; Hos 2:13.]
 5And it shall come to pass in that day
    that I will break the bow of Israel
in the valley of Jezreel."
[Jezreel is a symbolic name that sounds similar to the name Israel. Jezreel is the valley in Galilee where Jehu defeated Omri and the current rule of Jeroboam II (the 13th king of the Northern Kingdom) began. See 2 Kings 9–10.]

Lo-Ruchamah – no mercy

6And she [Hosea's wife Gomer] became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And he [the Lord] said to him [Hosea], "Name her Lo-Ruchamah [meaning 'No Mercy'] because I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, so that I will in any way forgive them. 7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will save them in the Lord their God (Yahweh Elohim), but I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen."

Lo-Ammi – not my people

8When she [Gomer] had weaned Lo-Ruchamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9And he [the Lord] said, "Call him Lo-Ammi [which means 'not my people'] because you are not my people, and I will not be yours."

Coming restoration

[The situation is not hopeless; God wants to reunite his people. Verse 11 now mentions that the day of Jezreel will be great. In the next verse (Hos. 2:1), Hosea's youngest son Ammi and his daughter Ruhama are mentioned without the Hebrew negative particle lo before their names!] 10Even though the number of Israel's sons will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted [Gen. 22:17; 32:12], it will happen that instead of what was said to them, "you are not my people," it will be said to them, "you are the sons of the living God (Hebr. El)." 11And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be united (gathered) together, and they shall appoint for themselves a head (a leader). And they shall grow up (literally: "rise up out of") the ground (the land – Hebr. ha-erets), for great shall be the day of Jezreel. [Jizreel means "God plants/sows," alluding to how the land will be reborn, see verses 4-5 and Hos. 2:22–23.]
21Call your brothers Ammi (my people) [Hos. 1:9] and your sisters Ruchamah (you have found favor) [Hos. 1:6-8].

Punishment

2Rebuke your mother [Gomer—refers to the nation of Israel],
    rebuke her, for she is not my wife,
    and I am not her husband,
and let her put away her prostitution from her face
    and her adultery from between her breasts.
 3Otherwise, I will strip her naked
    and set her as on the day she was born
and make her a wilderness
    and make her a dry land
    and strike her with thirst.
 4And I will have no mercy on her sons,
    for they are the sons of a prostitute.

 5For their mother has acted like a prostitute,
    she who gave birth to them has done what is shameful
for she said, "I will go after my lovers who give me my bread
    and my water and my wool and my linen and my oil and my drink."

Punishment

6Therefore, I will hedge up your ways with thorns,
    and I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her path.
 7And she shall run after her lovers
    but not overtake them
and she shall seek them
    but not find them.
Then she shall say, "I will go and return to my first husband [Hos],
    for then I was better off than now."
 8For she does not know that it was I
    who gave her grain and wine and oil
and multiplied her silver and gold
    which they [the people of Israel] used for Baal.
9Therefore, I will take back my grain in its season
    and my wine in its appointed time
and will take away my wool and my flax
    that covered her nakedness.
 10And now I will expose her shame before the eyes of her lovers,
    and no one will rescue her from my hand. 11I will put an end to all her joy (merriment),
    her feasts, her new moons, and her Sabbaths,
    and all her appointed feasts. [The feasts of the Lord (Yahweh), see Lev. 23.]
 12And I will destroy her wine and her fig trees,
    of which she said, "This is my reward that my lovers have given me,"
and I will turn them into a forest
    and the animals of the field will eat them.
 13And I will punish her on the days of the Baals,
    because she sacrificed to them
and adorned herself with her earrings and her jewels
    and went after her lovers and forgot me,
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh).

Redemption

14See, therefore, I will allure her
    and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. [An earlier example was when Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt, see Ex. 12–17.]
 15And I will give her her vineyards from there
    and the Valley of Achor [Josh. 7:1–26] as a door of hope,
and she shall respond there as in the days of her youth
    and as in the days when she came out of the land of Egypt.
16And it shall come to pass in that day,
    declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh),
that you shall call me "my husband"
    and no longer call me "my Baal."
[The Hebrew word baal can mean husband, master, or refer to the Canaanite god Baal. In this play on words, Israel has replaced her husband, the Lord, with another Baal – Lord.] 17And I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth
    and they shall no longer be mentioned by their names. 18And on that day I will make a covenant with them,
    with the animals of the field and with the birds of the sky and with the creatures that crawl on the ground,
and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the land
    and let them lie down in safety.
 19And I will betroth you to me forever,
    I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice
    and in loving kindness (Hebr. chesed) and in everlasting mercy (Hebr. rachamim).
 20And I will betroth you to me in faithfulness (truth)
    and you shall know (be intimately acquainted with) the Lord (Yahweh).
21And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord (Yahweh), that I will answer,
    I will answer the heavens
    and they shall answer the earth,
22and the earth shall answer the grain
    and the wine and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel [God's plant, see Hos 1:4, 11].
 23And I will plant her for myself in the land
    and I will show mercy to her who has not been merciful [Hebr. lo ruchamah, see Hos. 1:6–7].
And I will say to those who were not my people, "You are my people,"
    and they shall say, "My God (Elohim)."

Gomer's vindication

31And the Lord (Yahweh) said to me, "Go again! Love—a woman loved by her friend [Hosea himself] and who commits adultery; as the Lord (Yahweh) loves the sons of Israel even though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes [which were used in Mesopotamian sacrificial rites, see Jer. 44:19]." [The Hebrew text is deliberately ambiguous. Again can refer to "the Lord says again" (a second time, the first being in Hos. 1:2) or to go and "love again." The word "a woman" may refer to Gomer, or a second wife. However, it is most likely that it refers to Gomer, who abandoned him and was sold as a concubine to another man.] 2So I bought her for myself for 15 pieces of silver and a measure and a half of barley, 3and said to her, "You shall remain with me for many days; you shall not be a prostitute, and you shall not be another man's wife, nor shall I be yours."[It is unclear why Hosea had to pay a price for her. We can only speculate, perhaps she had left him and then been sold into slavery. Perhaps she had become a temple prostitute and needed to be bought free?] 4For the sons of Israel shall sit alone for many days, without a king and without a leader, without sacrifices and without obelisks [used for idol worship, see 2 Kings 3:2; 10:26–28; 17:10] and without an ephod [Ex. 28:6–14; Judges 8:27] or household gods [Gen. 31:19]. 5Then the sons of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God (Yahweh Elohim) and David their king, and shall come to the Lord (Yahweh) and tremble, and to his goodness at the end of days (literally after the days, that is, when no new days are counted as eternity takes over after time).

God's message to Israel

1. Lam. – Jezreel

[In chapters 4-7, the number three recurs many times in enumerations. In a book that speaks much about wisdom (Hos 14:9), the choice of the number three is not random. It probably connects to Hosea's three children: Jezreel, Lo-Ruhama, and Lo-Ammi.] 41Hear the word of the Lord (Yahweh), O sons of Israel, for the Lord (Yahweh) has a case (raises a legal dispute) with the inhabitants
of the land,
    for there is no truth (faithfulness – Hebr. emet),
        no mercy (loving care – Hebr. chesed),
    no [close, personal, and intimate] knowledge of God (Elohim)
is found in the land. [Three words are used here: truth, mercy, and knowledge. Mercy is central and framed by truth and knowledge. Here in this chiasm, the main point of the indictment against the people of Israel is emphasized – they lack loving care for one another.] 2Cursing
    and lying
    and murder
    and theft
    and adultery!
They break all boundaries (there is complete anarchy; lawlessness)
    and blood meets blood [one act of bloodshed follows another, see 2 Kings 15:8–16, 25; Mic. 7:2].
[Here, special emphasis is placed on the second part of the Ten Commandments concerning relationships with other people, see Ex. 20:13–16.] 3Therefore, the land mourns (dries up)
    and all who dwell there languish
with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky,
    yes, even (also) the fish of the sea are taken away (disappear).

2. Three guilty groups – Lo-Ammi

Religious leadership

4Let no man trouble himself,
    let no man reproach,
for the people are like those
    who contend with a priest.
 5Therefore, you shall stumble by day,
    and the prophet shall also stumble with you by night,
and I will destroy your mother [an image of Israel, see Hos. 2:2].
[The priests were responsible for teaching the people the word of God, see Lev. 10:11. Compare also Isa. 5:13.] 6My people are destroyed for lack of (intimate) knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge
    I will also reject you so that you will have no priest to serve me.
Because you have forgotten the teaching of your God (Elohim)
    I will also forget your sons. 7The more they multiplied,
    the more they sinned against me.
I will turn their glory
    into shame. 8They feed on the sins of my people
    and set their hearts on their transgressions. 9The people are like the priest,
    and I will punish him for his ways
    and repay him for his deeds. 10They shall eat but not be satisfied,
    they shall commit adultery but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord (Yahweh).
11The wine of the harlot and new wine
    corrupt (literally, take away) the heart.

The people

12[Verses 12-13a form a chiasm framed by wood and "under trees":] My people consult their wood [carved idols made of wood, see Isa. 44:15 or an Asherah pole, see Isa. 17:8] and their staffs tell them [expressions for various divination arts],
for the spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have turned away from submitting to their God (Elohim). 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops and sacrifice on the hills,
under oak trees and poplars and terebinths
because their shade is good.

Women

Therefore, your daughters have become prostitutes
    and your daughters-in-law have committed adultery.
 14I will not punish your daughters
    when they become prostitutes,
nor your daughters-in-law
    when they commit adultery,
for they associate with indecent women
    and they sacrifice with prostitutes,
    and the people who are without knowledge are oppressed.

Lo-Ruhama

Israel's apostasy

15If Israel is a prostitute,
    do not blame Judah
and do not come to Gilgal [meaning "ring of stones," a cultic sacrificial site (Hos. 9:15; 12:11; Amos 4:4; 5:5), probably located just northeast of Jericho, see Josh. 4:19],
    do not go up to Beit Aven [literally: "house of wickedness"; a reference to Bethel meaning "house of God" where a golden calf was worshipped, see Amos 5:5]
    and do not swear "As the Lord (Yahweh) lives."
 16For Israel is stiff-necked
    like a stiff-necked heifer.
Will the Lord (Yahweh) now feed them
    like a lamb in an open field?
 17Ephraim [the leader of the ten northern tribes of the northern kingdom – Israel] is united with idols,
    leave him alone.
 18When their feasting is over,
    they continue with prostitution,
    her leaders are deeply in love with shamefulness. 19The wind has bound her in its wings
    and they shall be ashamed (because of) their sacrifices.

Israel leads Judah into sin

51Hear this, you priests of Israel!
And listen (pay attention), you house of Israel!
And the house of the king, give your ear (listen carefully),
    for judgment belongs to you,
for you have been a snare to Mitspah [meaning "watchtower," there are various locations, but here it is Tel en-nasbeh in Benjamin, 10 km north of Jerusalem]
    and a spread net over Tabor [Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley].
 2In the slaughter (bloodshed) you have gone deep (dug a deep pit) in Shittim [the rebels, see Num. 25:1]
    but I [the Lord] will be a warning (rebuke) to them all. 3I know (am intimately acquainted with) Ephraim [the leading tribe of the ten in the Northern Kingdom]
    and Israel [the actions of the other nine northern tribes] is not hidden from me.
For Ephraim, you have committed adultery,
    Israel is defiled. 4Their deeds do not offer them the opportunity to return to their God (Elohim),
    for the spirit of adultery is in them, and they do not know the Lord (Yahweh).
 5But the pride of Israel will testify against him,
    and Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their sin.
Judah will also stumble with them.
6With their small livestock (sheep and goats) and their cattle herds (cattle)
    they shall go to seek the Lord (Yahweh)
but they shall not find him,
    for he has withdrawn from them. 7They have acted treacherously toward the Lord (Yahweh)
    for they have become like foreign children.
Now the new moon shall devour them with their inheritance.

Israel and Judah will face God's punishment

8Blow the shofar in Gibeah [Saul's hometown in the territory of Benjamin, see 1 Sam. 10:26] and the trumpet in Ramah [the hometown of the prophet Samuel, also in the territory of Benjamin, see 1 Sam. 1:1], sound the alarm (signal) in Beit Aven ["House of Wickedness," see Hos. 4:14]: "Behind you, Benjamin!" 9Ephraim will be destroyed on the day of punishment.
    Among the tribes of Israel, I will make the truth known (let everyone know what will really happen).
 10The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary stones [which was forbidden to do, see Deut. 19:14].
    I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
 11Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in his judgment,
    because he willingly walks after uncleanness.
 12Therefore, I am to Ephraim like Mal
    and like rottenness to the house of Judah.
 13And when Ephraim saw his sickness
    and Judah his wound,
Ephraim went to Assyria and sent for King Jarev [Jarev means "challenger"; the expression can also be interpreted as a title malki rav – "the great king"],
    but he cannot heal you, nor will he cure your injury.
 14I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
    like a young lion to the house of Judah,
I will tear them to pieces and go away,
    I will carry them off and no one will rescue them. 15I will go and return to my place
    until they acknowledge their guilt
and seek my face,
    in their distress they will seek me earnestly.

Future mercy

61[Now follows a threefold plea for repentance.] Come, let us return to the Lord (Yahweh)! [Only the Lord, not the Assyrians to whom they had previously turned, can heal and restore the land, see Hos. 5:13]
He has torn us,
    but he will heal us.
He has struck us,
    but he will bind us up. 2In two days he will revive us,
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    and we shall live in his presence. [Earlier, Hos. spoke of how the people perished for lack of knowledge, see Hos. 4:6.] 3Let us know the Lord,
    let us seek (actively seek) him [more and more, more deeply].
As surely as the sun rises [and becomes stronger and clearer, see Prov 4:18],
    he will rise upon us.
He will come to us like showers,
    like a late rain (spring rain) that waters the earth.
    [The last rains before the harvest, which nourish the fruit.]

Future restoration

4What shall I do (take) with you, Ephraim [the northern kingdom – Israel]?
    What shall I do (take) with you, Judah [the southern kingdom]?

Your mercy (loving care, faithful love) is like the morning mist [which quickly dissipates],
    like dew that quickly disappears [when the sun burns it away, see verse 5c].
 5Therefore, I have hewn them (shaped them, warned and guided them) through the prophets.
    I have struck them with the words of my mouth;
    your judgment goes forth like the light.
    [The prophets and the words of my mouth are parallel expressions.] 6For I desire (take pleasure in; prefer) mercy (loving care, faithful love)
    and not sacrifice [atoning sacrifices],
and [devoted, surrendered; intimate] knowledge of God (Elohim)
    more [rather] than burnt offerings [in the plural – where the smoke rose before God as a praise, see Lev. 1:1–17].
[Jesus quotes from this text twice, once to justify his mercy toward sinners, see Matt. 9:13; and another time to justify mercy toward his disciples when they were hungry, see Matt. 12:7. The mercy here refers to how God desires and loves to show mercy to people, but also how he rejoices when people show mercy to one another. See also Lam. 3:22. The word for knowledge is Hebr. daat, which has the same root as the verb for having a close relationship and knowing someone, see Gen. 4:1; 18:19. There is a contrast in both phrases. Burnt offerings were the most precious supreme sacrifice, in comparison with sacrifices.] 7Like Adam [or "at" the city of Adam along the Jordan River], they have broken the covenant,
    there [in Ephraim and Judah, see verse 4] they have acted treacherously against me. 8Gilead [Ramoth Gilead was a city of refuge, east of the Jordan River] is a city of evildoers (their occupation is to do evil),
    it is full of bloody traces.
 9Like a band of robbers waiting for a man,
    so do the priests,
they murder on the road to Shechem [present-day Nablus in Samaria, see Gen. 12:6],
    yes, they commit abominable crimes.

Abandonment

10In the house of Israel, I have seen terrible things; their prostitution is in Ephraim; Israel is defiled. 11For you too, Judah, a harvest is appointed,
    when I turn the captivity of my people (bring back my people from captivity).

Unforgivable sin of Israel, Ephraim, and Samaria

71When I heal Israel,
    then the sin of Ephraim will be exposed and the wickedness of Samaria,
for they have acted deceitfully
    and thieves break in
    and robbers raid without warning. 2Let them not say in their hearts
    that I remember all their sins,
now it is their own deeds
    that have turned them away from my face.
[Verses 3-7 are difficult to interpret, but the chiastic pattern helps to create a certain structure. The entire passage deals with deception, betrayal, and schism, so the ambiguity of the language reinforces the complexity of the lie. The passage is framed by the wickedness and lies of the kings. The next level deals with "fire" (their sin is hot as an oven, see verses 4 and 7). The third level deals with sin "by day" (verse 5) and is contrasted with "night" in verse 6. Central to the end of verse 5 and the beginning of verse 6 is the description of how the king attracts mockers, who in turn destroy him. There is a parallel between the baker who allows yeast (often a symbol of sin) to spread through the dough, and the king who allows evil and deceit to flourish in society.] 3They make the king happy with their wickedness
and the princes with their lies.
4They are all adulterers,
like an oven heated by the baker
who stops stoking the fire from the time he kneads the dough until it has risen.
5On our king's day, the princes make him sick with the heat of wine,
he draws near (stretches out his hand toward) mockers (those who mock).
6They have prepared their hearts like an oven while lying in wait (in ambush),
all night long their anger is baked (smoldering),
in the morning it burns like a blazing fire.
 7They are all hot as an oven and devour their judges,
all their kings have fallen,
there is no one who calls on me.

Ephraim's folly

8Ephraim has mixed himself with the peoples. Ephraim has become an unleavened cake. [Like a cake that has only been baked on one side.] 9Strangers have devoured his strength
    and his knowledge is gone.
Gray hairs are strewn (here and there) on him
    without him knowing it. 10The pride of Israel testifies against his face,
    but they have not returned to the Lord (Yahweh) their God (Elohim),
    nor sought him in all this. 11And Ephraim has become like a helpless dove
    without understanding,
they call upon Egypt,
    they go to Assyria.
 12When they go, I will spread my net over them,
    I will bring them down like birds of the heavens,
I will hunt them
    when I hear a report about their assembly.
    [When I hear that they are gathering together.]

The Lord's lament

13Woe to them,
    for they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
    for they have sinned against me!
Shall I then save them
    when I see that they speak lies against me?
 14And they have not cried to me from their hearts
    through the veil around their beds,
they gather together (worry) [cut themselves; Baal worshippers had that custom, see 1 Kings 18:28],
    for grain and wine they rebel against me.
 15And I have trained and strengthened their arms,
    yet they devise evil against me.
 16They return, but not upright [to the Most High God, but to the idol Baal],
    they have become like deceitful bows [that do not hit the target],
their princes shall fall by the sword,
    because of their furious tongue [their prayers to the idol Baal].
This shall be their sorrow
    in the land of Egypt.

Proclamations

God's justice

81Put the shofar to your mouth [to warn and prepare the people for battle].
    Like an eagle, he comes against the house of the Lord (Yahweh) [probably Assyria, see also Dan. 7:4],
because they have transgressed my covenant
    and fallen away from my teaching. 2They [Israel] shall cry out to me:
    "My God (Elohim). We, Israel, know (are intimately acquainted with) you." [These may be short prayers that were offered on these sacrificial heights. They were sure that they knew the Lord, which they did not at all, see John 8:39.]
 3Israel has cast off what is good,
    the enemy shall pursue him.
 4They have set up kings
    but not from me (without consulting me),
they have made themselves princes
    and I do not know them.
    [1 Kings 11–12, with a few exceptions such as Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:29–40) and Jehu (2 Kings 9:1–3).]
From their silver and their gold
    they have made them,
    idols that can be cut down.
5Samaria, your calf is cast down. [Ex. 32; 1 Kings 12:26–30]
    My anger is kindled against them.
How long will you be incapable of innocence?
 6For from Israel also this [calf] is [made],
    the craftsman makes it,
    but it is not God.
The calf of Samaria
    shall be broken in pieces.
7For they sow the wind
    and they shall reap the whirlwind,
it has no stalk,
    the ear yields no flour,
if it yields anything
    strangers shall swallow it.
 8Israel is swallowed up,
    now they have become among the heathen peoples
    like useless tools. 9For they have gone to Assyria
    like a lone wild ass for itself,
    Ephraim has bought (paid a prostitute's wages – Hebr. tanah) lovers.
 10Although they buy [prostitute services] from the Gentiles,
    I will gather them [the Gentile nations to fight against Israel],
so that they begin to diminish
    under the burden of kings and princes [with taxes and military service, see 2 Kings 15:19–20].
11Ephraim [the leader of the ten northern tribes of the northern kingdom – Israel] has multiplied altars for sin,
    the altars have become a sin to him. 12Even though I write so much of my teaching to him,
    they are counted as strangers. 13Sacrifices are gifts to me.
    Shall they sacrifice meat and then eat it?
    The Lord (Yahweh) does not give mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah) to them.
Now he remembers their transgression
    and punishes their sin.
    They shall return to Egypt.
 14For Israel has forgotten its Creator
    and built palaces
    and Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
but I will send a fire upon its cities
    and it shall devour its fortresses.

Punishment for alliances with other nations

91Do not rejoice, Israel,
    like the nations in triumph,
for you have strayed from your God (Elohim),
    you have loved a paid prostitute on every threshing floor. 2The threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them,
    and the new wine shall fail her. 3They shall not dwell in the land of the Lord (Yahweh),
    but Ephraim shall return to Egypt
    and they shall eat unclean food [Lev. 11] in Assyria. 4They shall not pour out drink offerings to the Lord (Yahweh)
    nor shall they please him.
Their sacrifices shall be to them like the bread of mourning [Deut. 26:14],
    everything they eat of it shall be defiled [because it has been touched by someone who has touched a dead body, see Num. 19:22],
for their bread shall be for their hunger,
    it shall not enter the house of the Lord (Yahweh).

Punishment

5What shall you do on the feast day (the appointed meeting at a fixed time),
    on the day of the Lord's (Yahweh's) feast (pilgrimage feast) [Lev. 23]?
 6For behold, they have gone forth from destruction,
    Egypt has gathered them,
    Mof [Memphis, along the west bank of the Nile, 20 km south of modern Cairo] shall bury them.
Their precious treasures of silver
    shall be taken by nettles
    and thorns shall be in their tents.

Sins in Bethel

7The days of punishment have come,
    the days of reckoning have come
    – Israel shall know (be familiar with, become intimately acquainted with) it.

The prophets are fools,
    the spirit of man is mad,
for the multitude of your transgressions
    the enmity is great.

8Ephraim is a watchman with my God (Elohim),
    the prophet is a bird catcher's snare on all his [Ephraim's] ways.
    Enmity in the house of his God (Elohim).

Sins in Gibeah

9They have thoroughly deceived themselves
– as in the days of Gibeah [Judges 19–20].

He will remember their transgression.
He will punish their sin.

Sins in Baal-Peor

10I found Israel
    like wine in the wilderness,
I saw your fathers
    as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its first spring,
but as soon as they came to Baal-Peor
    they separated themselves to shameful things
    and became as detestable as the things they love. 11The glory of Ephraim shall fly away like a bird,
    there shall be no birth
    and no one with children and no conception. 12Even if they raise their children,
    I will take them away from them so that not a single person is left.
Woe to them
    when I leave (abandon) them!
 13Ephraim is like Tyre
    which I have seen planted in a pleasant place,
but Ephraim will bear his children
    to a slaughterer. [First as child sacrifices to the idol Baal, then to Assyria, see Hos. 14:1.]
 14Give them, Lord (Yahweh) [The sentence is not finished. It is a so-called aposiopesis. There is an emotionally charged silence as Hosea reflects before continuing to speak God's prophetic words again.] Give them a barren womb
    and dry breasts (that cannot nurse).

Sins in Gilgal

15All their wickedness is in Gilgal,
    for there I hated them.
Because of the wickedness of their deeds,
    I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them,
    all their princes are rebellious.
16Ephraim is beaten,
    their root is dried up,
    they shall bear no fruit,
even if they give birth,
    I [the Lord] will smite their beloved fruit of life.
 17My God (Elohim) will cast them away
    because they do not listen to him,
and they shall become wanderers
    among the heathen nations (countries).
 101Israel is a lush vine
    that bears fruit generously,
as his fruit multiplies
    so do his altars multiply,
the more his land prospers
    the more his obelisks prosper. 2Their hearts are divided,
    now they shall bear their guilt,
he shall break down their altars
    and destroy their obelisks.
3Now they will surely say, "We have no king,
    for we did not fear the Lord (Yahweh),
and the king,
    what can he do for us?"
 4They speak words,
    they swear falsely,
    they make covenants,
so judgment springs up
    like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Sins in Beit-Aven

5The inhabitants of Samaria
    shall fear the calf of Beit-Aven [literally: 'calves of the house of wickedness'; a reference to Bethel, which means "house of God," and the worship of the golden calf there, see Hos. 4:15],
for its people will mourn over it,
    and their priests will tremble,
for its glory has departed from it [taken away into exile].
 6It [the cast idol calf in Bethel] too shall be carried away to Assyria,
    as a gift to King Jarev.
Ephraim shall receive shame
    and Israel shall be ashamed of its own counsel.
7The king of Samaria shall be cut off
    like foam (bubbles, froth) [or a straw floating away] on the water. 8[Beit] The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
    as shall the sin of Israel.
Thorns and thistles shall come up over their altars,
    and they shall say to the mountains, "Cover us,"
    and to the hills, "Fall on us."

Sins in Gibeah

9From the days of Gibeah [when the Benjamites sinned, see Judges 20:20], you have sinned, Israel,
    there they stood,
no battle overtook them at Gibeah,
    no arrogant sons. 10When it is my desire [in my time], I will punish them,
    and the peoples will gather against them
    when they are bound together (tied) to their two sins [eyes, rings, plow furrows—the Hebrew is unclear here]

Sins in Bethel

11And Ephraim is a heifer that loves to thresh
    and I have passed over her neck [put a yoke upon it].
I will make Ephraim a rider,
    Judah shall plow,
    Jacob shall break his clods.
12So eat yourselves in righteousness,
    reap yourselves in mercy (loving care – Hebr. chesed),
break up the fallow ground;
    for it is time to seek the Lord (Yahweh)
until he comes
    to rain righteousness upon you.
 13You have plowed (planned – Hebr. charash) wickedness (injustice),
    you have reaped transgression,
    you have eaten the fruit of lies,
for you have trusted in your own ways
    among the multitudes of mighty men. 14Therefore, turmoil shall break out in your armies
    and all your fortresses shall be destroyed
as Shalman destroyed Beit-Arvel in the days of battle,
    the mother was smashed to pieces with her child. 15So has Bethel done to you
    because of your great wickedness,
when dawn turns to day (is cut off) [and the light breaks forth]
    it is all over with (cut off is then) the king of Israel. [The word cut off is repeated. It becomes a play on words that also reinforces the meaning.]

God's invitation to return

My son Israel has refused to return

111When Israel was a young man, I loved him [as a firstborn son, see Ex. 4:22],
    and out of Egypt (siege, confinement – Hebr. Mitsrajim) I called my son. [Matt. 2:15]
 2But the more I call them,
    the further they go from me.
They sacrifice to the Baal gods
    and light sacrificial fires to idols.
    [Baal was a Canaanite idol, whose religious rites included human sacrifice and sexual rituals.]
 3Yet it was I who guided Ephraim [the northern kingdom—as a father teaches his son to walk],
    and I who took them in my arms,
but they did not acknowledge
    that I had healed them. 4I led them with human bonds,
    with ropes of love [unlike animals that are forced into obedience with bits and ropes].
I lifted the yoke from their necks,
    and bent down and fed them.
5He shall not return to the land of Egypt,
    but Assyria shall be his king
    because they refused to turn back.
 6And the sword shall fall upon (sweep through) their cities
    and shall destroy their gates (empty talk, false prophets)
    and devour them because of their own commandments.
 7For my people are slow to return to me,
    and even though they cry out to the Most High,
    no one exalts him.
8How can I abandon (let go of) you, Ephraim?
    How can I leave you, Israel?
How can I make you like [the city of] Admah?
    How can I make you like [the city of] Zeboiim? [Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela were cities mentioned together with Sodom and Gomorrah, see Gen. 14:2]
My heart turns within me (my feelings surge; I change my decision),
    all my compassion is aroused (literally: 'my mercy is kindled').
 9I will not execute my fierce anger,
    I will not return to destroy Ephraim,
for I am God (El) and not man,
    the Holy One in your midst,
    and I will not come in wrath.
 10They shall walk after the Lord (Yahweh)
    who shall roar like a lion,
for he shall roar
    and the sons shall come trembling from the west (the sea).
 11They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt
    and like a dove from the land of Assyria
and I will let them dwell in their houses,
    declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh).

Israel – a deceitful son

12Ephraim surrounds me with denial (hypocrisy – Hebr. kachash)
    and the house of Israel with deceit (Hebr. mirmah)
and Judah is constantly unfaithful to (wants to break away from; stray from; be homeless from – Hebr. rod) God (El)
    yes, to the Holy One, the faithful one (he who stands firm – Hebr. aman).
 121Ephraim pursues the wind and follows the east wind,
    all day long he multiplies lies and destruction,
and they make a covenant with Assyria
    and oil is carried to Egypt.
 2The Lord (Yahweh) has a case against Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways
    and in accordance with his actions he will repay him.
 3In the womb he took his brother by the heel
    and with his strength he wrestled with a godlike being. [Gen. 25:26; Gen. 32:24–30]
 4He wrestled with an angel and won,
    he wept and begged for undeserved mercy (Hebr. chanan) for him.
In Bethel he found him
    and there he spoke with us. 5But the Lord, God of hosts (Yahweh, Elohim Sebaot),
    the Lord (Yahweh) remembered him. 6Therefore, turn to your God (Elohim),
    keep (guard, protect, preserve) mercy (caring love) and commandments (binding legal decisions)
    and wait for your God (Elohim) unceasingly.
 7Like a merchant with a deceitful scale in his hand,
    he loves to oppress.
8And Ephraim says,
    "I have truly become rich, I have found my prosperity,
    in all my work they shall find no transgression that is sin in me."

The Lord led them out of Egypt

9But I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim)
    [from] the land of Egypt [or "who brought you out of Egypt"],
I will again let you dwell in tents
    as on the feasts (the appointed days).
 10I have spoken to the prophets
    and I have multiplied visions
    and through the hand of the prophets I have used parables. 11If Gilead is given over to iniquity,
    all will be futile,
in Gilgal they sacrifice to oxen,
    their altars will become piles of stones in the furrows of the fields.
12And Jacob fled to the fields of Aram
    and Israel served for a wife
    and for a wife he guarded (protected, preserved – Hebr. shamar) sheep. [Gen. 29:18] 13And through a prophet the Lord (Yahweh) brought Israel up out of Egypt,
    and through a prophet he was preserved (guarded, protected – Hebr. shamar).
 14Ephraim has truly provoked (angered),
    therefore his blood shall be poured out upon him,
    his reward shall his Lord (Adon) give back to him.

Israel is guilty

[Verses 1-3 are the central part of the last section of Hosea, chapters 11-14.] 131When Ephraim spoke, people trembled,
he exalted himself in Israel
    but was found guilty through Baal and he died.
 2Now they sin more and more (they continue in sin; add to, increase their sin)
    and have made cast images of their silver according to their own understanding,
idols, all made by craftsmen.
    About them they say:
    "He who sacrifices—man—kisses calves [the cast idols of calves, see 1 Kings 19:18; Job 31:27]." [The last part of the verse is difficult to translate. It may refer to human sacrifice, but it is more likely that the word is related to the last words, giving it the meaning "people kiss idols of calves." The entire passage refers to the exodus from Egypt, see also Ex. 32:8.] 3Therefore, they shall become like the morning cloud [which disappears quickly]
    and like the dew that evaporates (disappears),
like chaff that is blown away by the wind from the threshing floor
    and like smoke that goes out through the chimney.

The Lord led them out of Egypt

4Nevertheless, I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim)
    [from] the land of Egypt [or "who brought you out of Egypt"]
and you know (are intimately acquainted with) no God (Elohim) except me,
    and there is no savior (rescuer) besides (except) me.
 5I knew (was intimately acquainted with) you in the wilderness,
    in the land of great drought. 6When they ate, they were satisfied,
    they were content and their hearts were glad,
    therefore they have forgotten me. 7Therefore, I have become like a lion to them,
    like a leopard I will watch over their path.
 8I will meet them like a bear that has lost her cubs,
    and I will tear open their hearts,
and there I will devour them like a lioness,
    the wild beast will tear them apart.

Israel—an unwise son

9It is your destruction, Israel,
    that you are against me, against your helper (Hebr. ezer).
 10Where is your king now, who could save you in all your cities?
    And your judges, about whom you said, "Give me a king and a leader!"
 11I gave you a king in my anger
    and took him away in my anger. [King Saul, see 1 Sam. 15:22, 23; 16:1]
 12The iniquity of Ephraim is gathered up,
    his sins are stored up.
 13The pains of a woman in labor will come upon him,
    he is an unwise son,
it is time for him to no longer linger [the word describes being stuck as if in tar]
    in the place where sons are born. 14From the hand of Sheol (the underworld, the grave) I will redeem them,
    from death I will redeem them!
Death, where are your plagues (plagues)?
    Realm of death (Sheol), where is your sting (destruction)? [1 Cor. 15:55]

Repentance (sorrow-comforting – Hebr. nocham) is hidden from my eyes.
     15For you have been fruitful among the reeds [flourished, see Gen. 41:2, 18],
    an east wind shall come,
    the wind of the Lord (Yahweh) shall come up from the wilderness
and his springs shall be dried up
    and his wells shall be parched,
he shall cast away
    all his precious treasures. 16Samaria shall bear her guilt
    for she has rebelled against her God (Elohim),
they shall fall by the sword,
    their infants shall be dashed in pieces
    and their pregnant women shall be ripped open.

The Lord's invitation to return

141Return, Israel, to the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim),
    for you have stumbled (tripped) in your misdeeds. 2Take words [plural] with you
    and return to the Lord (Yahweh),
say to him: "Forgive all transgressions and accept what is good,
    and we will replace (make amends for) bulls with our lips [give the sacrifice of praise instead of sacrificed bulls]. [Heb. 13:15–16]
 3Assyria shall not save us,
    we shall not ride on horses
and we shall no longer call the works of our hands gods,
    for in you the fatherless find mercy (eternal mercy – Hebr. rachamim)."

 [Now comes God's answer to the prayer for salvation in verses 3-4:]
4"I will heal their unfaithfulness (apostasy, their hearts that have deliberately strayed from me).
    I will love them without limit (of my own free will, pouring out my love upon them, as a voluntary offering),
    for my anger has turned away from them [Israel].
 5I will be like dew to Israel,
    he shall blossom like a lily [be as beautiful and pure],
    he shall put down roots like [and be deeply rooted like the great cedars of] Lebanon.
 6His new shoots shall grow and spread out,
    his splendor shall be like that of the olive tree [which bears rich fruit],
    and his fragrance like that of Lebanon [cedar trees].
 7Those who dwell (stay, sit) in (under) his shadow shall return [from their captivity],
    they shall sow and reap grain in abundance (literally: live/grow like grain).
    They shall flourish (green) like a vine.
    His [Israel's] reputation (mention; memory, fragrance of him) shall be like the wine of Lebanon. [Ps. 91:1]
 8Ephraim shall say,
    'I will no longer have anything to do with idols'.
I will answer him and
    watch over him.
I am like a verdant cypress tree,
    your fruit is in me. [It is I who give life.]"

Conclusion

[The book ends with a proverb-like expression. Compare with Ps. 107:43; Jer. 9:21; Prov 10:29] 9Who is wise?
    Let him understand these [expressions in this book].
Who is discerning?
    Let him become familiar with them.
The ways of the Lord (Yahweh) are right,
    and the righteous walk in them,
but the sinners stumble.




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