Hosea 10:1-6

1 ¹Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, ²the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.

2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD ^[a] will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say: ³"We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD; and a king--what could he do for us?"

4 They utter ⁴mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so ⁵judgment springs up like poisonous weeds ⁶in the furrows of the field.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for ⁷the calf^[b] of ⁸Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests-- those who rejoiced over it and ⁹over its glory-- for it has departed^[c] from them.

6 ¹⁰The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to ¹¹the great king.^[d] Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed ¹²of his idol.^[e]

Hosea 10:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 10

This chapter is of the same argument with the former, and others before that; setting forth the sins of the ten tribes, and threatening them with the judgments of God for them; and exhorting them to repentance, and works of righteousness. They are charged with unfruitfulness and ingratitude; increasing in idolatry, as they increased in temporal good things, Ho 10:1; with a divided heart, and with irreverence of God, and their king; and with false swearing, covenant breaking, and injustice, Ho 10:2-4; and are threatened with a removal of their king, and with the destruction of their idols, and places of idolatry, which should cause fear in the common people, and mourning among the priests, Ho 10:1,5-8. It is observed, that their sin had been of long continuance, though the Lord had been kind and good unto them, in chastising them in love, giving them good laws, sending his prophets to exhort them to repentance and reformation, but all in vain, Ho 10:9-13; wherefore they are threatened with the spoiling of their fortresses, the destruction of the people, and the cutting off of their king, Ho 10:14,15.

Cross References

• 1. See Psalms 80:8-11
• 2. Hosea 8:11
• 3. [ver. 7, 15; 1 Samuel 12:12]
• 4. [Hosea 4:2]
• 5. Amos 5:7; Amos 6:12
• 6. Hosea 12:11
• 7. See 1 Kings 12:28
• 8. See Hosea 4:15
• 9. Hosea 9:11; [1 Samuel 4:21, 22]
• 10. [Isaiah 46:2]
• 11. Hosea 5:13
• 12. Hosea 11:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew He
• [b]. Or calves
• [c]. Or has gone into exile
• [d]. Or to King Jareb
• [e]. Or counsel