Hosea 10:8-15

8 The high places of ¹Aven, ²the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. ³Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, and ⁴they shall say to the mountains, "Cover us," and to the hills, "Fall on us."

9 From ⁵the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust^[a] overtake them in Gibeah?

10 ⁶When I please, ⁷I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for ⁸their double iniquity.

11 Ephraim was a trained calf that ⁹loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck; but I will put ¹⁰Ephraim to the yoke; ¹¹Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself.

12 ¹²Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; ¹³break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and ¹⁴rain righteousness upon you.

13 ¹⁵You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors,

14 therefore ¹⁶the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as ¹⁷Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; ¹⁸mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 Thus it shall be done to you, O ¹⁹Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn ²⁰the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

Hosea 10:8-15 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.

Cross References

• 1. [See ver. 5 above]
• 2. 1 Kings 12:30; Amos 8:14
• 3. [Hosea 9:6]
• 4. Luke 23:30; Revelation 6:16; [Isaiah 2:19]
• 5. Hosea 9:9
• 6. [Exodus 32:34]
• 7. Hosea 7:12
• 8. [1 Kings 12:28]
• 9. [Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18]
• 10. See Hosea 6:4
• 11. See Hosea 6:4
• 12. [Hosea 8:7; Galatians 6:8]
• 13. Jeremiah 4:3
• 14. Isaiah 45:8
• 15. [Hosea 8:7]
• 16. [Hosea 1:5]
• 17. 2 Kings 17:3
• 18. [Hosea 13:16]
• 19. [ver. 5]
• 20. [See ver. 6 above]

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew the children of injustice