Hosea 10 Study Notes

10:1-4 Hosea speaks in vv. 1-8. Although once a lush vine (cp. Is 5; Jn 15), Israel only yielded fruit for itself. They had turned the Lord’s blessings into gifts for the calf idols of Baal. The word rendered “lush” more often means “ravaging” (Nah 2:2), which it may mean here. Rather than producing fruit for harvest, they were devious and acted like poisonous weeds (cp. Dt 32:32; 2Kg 4:39; Jr 2:21). They recognized no external authority (no king), but pretended to worship the Lord with false oaths. Lawsuits can also be rendered “justice,” the fruit God was looking for.

10:5 Will have anxiety indicates that the residents of Samaria feared the calf of Beth-aven. This refers to the calf god worshiped at Bethel (see note at 4:15). The mourning (possibly over the mythological “death” of the god in the dry season) and rejoicing (possibly over his rising again) were likely part of the fertility worship. Go into exile is explained by v. 6.

10:6 For an account of Israel’s troubles with Assyria, see 2Kg 15:19-20,29; 17:3-6.

10:7 The life of sin is a transitory life.

10:8 When the high places were destroyed, the people would cry out to be buried by the very places of their idolatry (Dt 12:2; Lk 23:30).

10:9 God speaks in vv. 9-15. Allusions to Gibeah in 9:9 and 10:9 (see also 5:8) recall the civil war occasioned by a Levite’s concubine being raped, murdered, and cut into pieces (Jdg 19-21). Like Samaria, Gibeah was a hill with a fortress; it served as Saul’s capital during his kingship but was later deserted. So it represents both depravity and militarism and may have figuratively referred to Samaria.

10:10 On the double iniquity, see note at 8:4-6.

10:11 Calves were sometimes allowed to walk atop fresh grain stalks that had been laid out on the ground in order to separate the husks from the kernels (Mc 4:13). Little effort was involved, and the calves could eat some of the grain (Dt 25:4; 1Co 9:9; 1Tm 5:18). Israel would cease to be like the calf and would have to plow with the yoke of discipline.

10:12-13 The exhortations to sow . . . reap, and seek are essentially identical in meaning. Israel was to seek righteousness . . . faithful love, and the Lord. This recalls the threefold charge against Israel in 4:1 and is the summary of a life that pleases God (2:19; Ps 33:5; 36:10; 89:14; 103:17; Pr 21:21; Jr 9:24). But Israel had sought wickedness . . . injustice, and the fruit of lies. The latter is probably the “false fruit” of idolatry and military power, which looks good (Gn 3:6) but is unsatisfying and poisonous (Hs 10:4). Sends . . . like the rain renders the Hebrew verb yarah (“to rain, irrigate”) also found in 6:3 and related to the noun for the “early rains” that fell in Palestine in the fall.

10:14-15 The identities of Shalman and Beth-arbel are uncertain, but Shalman may refer to the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. Hosea’s hearers were apparently familiar with the incident. This battle, like the one prophesied, started at dawn.