Hosea 10:6-15

6 For also it was borne to Assur, a gift to the king venger. Confusion shall take Ephraim, and Israel shall be shamed in his will. (For it shall be carried over to Assyria, as a gift to the great king. And so shame shall overtake Ephraim, yea, Israel shall be ashamed of their own willfulness/Israel shall be shamed by their own willfulness.)
7 Samaria made his king to pass (away) as froth on the face of (the) water. (Samaria and his king were swept away, like froth upon the water.)
8 And the high things of idol, the sin of Israel, shall be lost. A clote and a briar shall ascend on the altars of them (And the high places, that is, the hill shrines, of Aven, or of Bethaven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorns and briars, or nettles, shall grow upon their altars). And they shall say to mountains, Cover ye us, and to little hills, Fall ye down on us.
9 From the days of Gibeah Israel sinned; there they stood. Battle shall not (over)take them in Gibeah, on the sons of wickedness. (From the days of Gibeah Israel hath sinned; and they have stood there in rebellion. So now in Gibeah the battle shall overtake them.)
10 By my desire I shall chastise them; peoples shall be gathered together on them (peoples shall be gathered together against them), when they shall be chastised for their two wickednesses.
11 Ephraim is a cow calf, taught for to love threshing; and I went on the fairness of the neck thereof. I shall go upon Ephraim. Judah shall ear, and Jacob shall break furrows to himself. (Ephraim is a cow calf, taught to love threshing; and I put a yoke upon its comely neck. And I shall go upon, or I shall drive, Ephraim. Yea, Judah shall plow, and Jacob, or Israel, shall break the furrows for themselves.)
12 Sow ye to you rightfulness in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to tilth. Forsooth time is to seek the Lord, when he cometh that shall teach you rightfulness. (And so I said, Sow ye for yourselves righteousness, or justice, in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to fallow. For it is time to seek the Lord, and when he cometh, he shall rain blessings upon you.)
13 Ye have eared unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, ye have eaten the corn of leasing. For thou trustedest in thy ways, and in the multitude of thy strong men. (But instead, ye have plowed unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, and ye have eaten the corn of lies. For thou hast trusted in thy chariots, and in the multitude of thy strong men.)
14 Noise shall rise in thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; as Shalman was destroyed of the house of him, that took vengeance on Betharbel; in the day of battle, when the mother was hurtled down on the sons. (And so now the noise of battle shall rise against thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; like Shalman destroyed Betharbel in the day of battle, when the mother and her sons were hurtled down to the ground.)
15 So Bethel did to you, for the face of malice of your wickednesses. As the morrowtide passeth, the king of Israel shall pass forth. (So Bethel, it shall be done to you, for the great malice of your wickednesses. Like the morning passeth into the day, so the king of Israel shall be swept away.)

Hosea 10:6-15 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.