Hosea 9:6-16

6 For lo! they be gone out from destroying. Egypt shall gather them together, Memphis shall bury them. A nettle shall inherit the desirable silver of them, a clote shall be in the tabernacles of them (Nettles shall inherit their treasures of silver, thorns shall grow in their tents).

7 Days of visitation be come, days of yielding be come. Know ye, that Israel is a fool, a mad prophet, a spiritual man, for the multitude of thy wickedness is also the multitude of madness. (Days of punishment have come, days of yielding vengeance have come, and Israel shall know it. And now the prophet shall be made a fool, and the spiritual man a madman, for the multitude of thy wickedness and thy hatred.)

8 The beholder of Ephraim with my God is a prophet; a snare of falling is made now on all the ways of him, strong vengeance is in the house of his God. (The watchman for Ephraim was sent from his God; but the prophet is made a snare of falling in all their ways, and strong vengeance is in the House of his God/but a snare of falling is made on all the ways of the prophet, and strong vengeance is in the House of his God.)

9 They sinned deeply, as in the days of Gibeah. The Lord shall have mind on the wickedness of them, and shall visit the sins of them. (They sinned deeply, like in the days of Gibeah. The Lord shall remember their wickedness, and shall punish them for their sins.)

10 I found Israel as grapes in desert, I saw the fathers of them as the first apples of a fig tree, in the top thereof; but they entered to Baalpeor, and were aliened [away] in[to] confusion, and they were made abominable as those things which they loved. (I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, I saw their forefathers like the first fruits of a fig tree, high on the top of it; but they turned to Baalpeor, and went their way in confusion, and they were made as abominable as those things which they loved.)

11 Ephraim as a bird flew away; the glory of them is of child-bearing, and of the womb, and of conceiving. (The glory of Ephraim shall fly away like a bird; yea, away from child-bearing, and away from the womb, and even away from conceiving.)

12 (So) That if they nurse their sons, I shall make them without children among men (And even if they do nourish their children, I shall soon make them to be without any children). But also woe to them, when I shall go away from them.

13 I saw that Ephraim was as Tyre, founded in fairness; and Ephraim shall lead out his sons to the slayer. (I saw that Ephraim was like Tyre, founded in beauty; but Ephraim shall lead out their sons to the killer.)

14 Lord, give thou to them; what shalt thou give to them? give thou to them a womb without children, and dry teats. (Lord, give thou them; but what shalt thou give them? give thou them childless wombs, and dry breasts!)

15 All the wickednesses of them be in Gilgal, for there I had them hateful; for the malice of their findings. I shall cast them out of mine house; I shall not lay to, that I love them. All the princes of them go away (from me). (All their wickednesses be in Gilgal, and it was there that I began to hate them. For the malice of their deeds, I shall throw them out of my House; and no more shall I love them. All their leaders have rebelled against me.)

16 Ephraim is smitten, the root of them is dried up; they shall not make fruit. That though they engender, I shall slay the most loved things of their womb. (Ephraim is struck down, their roots be dried up; they shall not make fruit. And if they do beget, or give birth, then I shall kill the most beloved things of their wombs.)

Hosea 9:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 9

This chapter is an address to Israel or the ten tribes, and contains either a new sermon, or is a very considerable part of the former upon the same subject, the sins and punishment of that people. It begins with an instruction to them, not to rejoice in their prosperity, as others did; since it would soon be at an end, because of their idolatry, which was everywhere committed, and for which they expected a reward of temporal good things, Ho 9:1; but, on the contrary, they are threatened with famine, with want both of corn and wine, Ho 9:2; and with an ejection out of their land into foreign countries; where they should be obliged to eat things unclean by their law, Ho 9:3; and where their sacrifices and solemnities should be no more attended to, Ho 9:4,5; yea, where their carcasses should fall and be buried, while their own country and houses lay waste and desolate, Ho 9:6; for, whatsoever their foolish and mad prophets said to the contrary, who pretended to be with God, and know his will, and were a snare to them that gave heed unto them, and brought hatred on them, the time of their punishment would certainly come, Ho 9:7,8; and their iniquities would be remembered and visited; seeing their corruptions were deep, like those that appeared in Gibeah, in the days of old, Ho 9:9; they acting the same ungrateful part their fathers had done, of whom they were a degenerate offspring, Ho 9:10; wherefore for these, and other offences mentioned, they are threatened with being bereaved of their children, and drove out of their land, to wander among the nations, Ho 9:11-17.