Hosea 11:6

6 [The] sword rages in his cities; it consumes his false prophets and devours because of their plans.

Hosea 11:6 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 11:6

And the sword shall abide on the cities
Or "shall fall" {y}, and continue; meaning the sword of the Assyrians, whereby Ephraim should be brought into subjection to them, and the king of Assyria become king over them; his sword should be drawn, and rest upon them, not only on their chief city Samaria, besieged three years by him, but upon all their other cities, which would fall into his hands, with the inhabitants of them: and shall consume his branches, and devour [them];
that is, the towns and villages adjoining to the cities; which were to them as branches are to a tree, sprung from them, and were supported by them; and, being near them, prospered or suffered as they did: some render it, "his bars" ^F26, as the word is sometimes used, and interpret it of the great men and nobles of the land. So the Targum,

``and it shall slay his mighty men, and destroy his princes;''

with which Jarchi agrees; because of their own counsels;
which they took and pursued, contrary to the counsel of God, the revelation of his mind and will; particularly in setting up idolatrous worship, and continuing in it, notwithstanding all the admonitions, exhortations, counsels, and threatenings of God by his prophets; or else because of their counsels with the Egyptians, and their covenants with them, for help against the Assyrian, whose yoke they were for casting off, and refused to pay tribute to; which provoked him to draw his sword upon them, which made the havoc it did in their cities, and the inhabitants of them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (hlx) "cedet", Calvin; "incidet", Schmidt; "irruet", Zanchius, Drusius, Liveleus.
F26 (wydb) "vectes ejus", Schmidt. So some in Drusius.

Hosea 11:6 In-Context

4 I drew them {with human ties}, with the bands of love. I was to them like one who lifted up a yoke on their jaws, [though] I bent down to them [and] let them eat.

5 He will return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria will be his king, because they refused to return.

6 [The] sword rages in his cities; it consumes his false prophets and devours because of their plans.

7 My people are bent on backsliding from me. To the Most High they call, he does not raise them at all.

8 How can I give you up, [O] Ephraim? [How] can I hand you over, [O] Israel? How can I make you like Admah? [How] can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is disturbed within me; {all} my compassions are aroused.