Hosea 4:5

5 And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee; in the night I made thy mother to be still (and in the night I shall make thy mother Israel to die).

Hosea 4:5 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 4:5

Therefore shall thou fall in the day
Either, O ye people, everyone of you, being so refractory and incorrigible; or, O thou priest, being as bad as the people; for both, on account of their sins, should fall from their present prosperity and happiness into great evils and calamities; particularly into the hands of their enemies, and be carried captive into another land: and this should be "in the day", or "today" ^F18; immediately, quickly, in a very short time; or in the daytime, openly, publicly, in the sight of all, of all the nations round about, who shall rejoice at it; or in the day of prosperity, while things go well, amidst great plenty of all good things, and when such a fall was least expected: and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night:
or the false prophets that are with you, as the Targum, and so Jarchi; either with you, O people, that dwell with you, teach you, and cause you to err; or with thee, O priest, being of the same family, as the prophets, many of them, were priests; now these should fall likewise into the same calamities, as it was but just they should, being the occasion of them: and this should be in the night; in the night of adversity and affliction, in the common calamity; or in the night of darkness, when they could not see at what they stumbled and fell, and so the more uncomfortable to them; or as the one falls in the day, the other falls in the night; as certainly as the one falls, so shall the other, and that very quickly, immediately, as the night follows the day: and I will destroy thy mother;
either Samaria, the metropolis of the nation; or the whole body of the people, the congregation, as the Targum, and Kimchi, and Ben Melech, being as a mother with respect to individuals; and are threatened with destruction because the corruption was general among prophets, priests, and people, and therefore none could hope to escape.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 (Mwyh) "hodie", Munster, Montanus, Drusius, Tarnovius, Rivet; "hoc tempore", Pagninus. So Kimchi and Ben Melech.

Hosea 4:5 In-Context

3 For this thing the earth shall mourn, and each that dwelleth in that land shall be sick, in the beast of the field, and in the bird of the air; but also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together. (For this thing the land shall mourn, and everyone who liveth in that land shall die, and with them the wild beasts, and the birds of the air; and even the fish of the sea shall be gathered together, and taken away.)

4 Nevertheless each man deem not, and a man be not reproved; for thy people is as they that against-say the priest. (Nevertheless let no one judge the people, and let no one rebuke them; for my quarrel is with you, false priest/s.)

5 And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee; in the night I made thy mother to be still (and in the night I shall make thy mother Israel to die).

6 My people was still, for it had not knowing; for thou hast put away knowing, I shall put thee away, that thou use not priesthood to me; and for thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, also I shall forget thy sons. (My people were destroyed, for they had no knowledge; and for thou hast put away knowledge, I shall put thee away, so that thou be not my priests/My people were destroyed, for they did not acknowledge me; and for thou hast not acknowledged me, I shall put thee away, so that thou be not my priests; and for thou hast forgotten the Law, or the teaching, of thy God, I shall also forget thy sons, who also shall not be my priests.)

7 By the multitude of them, so they sinned against me. I shall change the glory of them into shame.