Hosea 11:6

6 The sword will fall on their cities, And will consume their gate bars, And will put an end to 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 cords of a man, with ties of love; And I was to them like those who lift up the yoke on their necks; And I bent down to him and I fed him.

5 They will not return into the land of Mitzrayim; But the Ashshur will be their king, Because they refused to repent.

6 The sword will fall on their cities, And will consume their gate bars, And will put an end to their plans.

7 My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to Ha`Elyon, He certainly won't exalt them.

8 "How can I give you up, Efrayim? How can I hand you over, Yisra'el? How can I make you like Admah? How can I make you like Tzevoyim? My heart is turned within me, My compassion is aroused.