Hosea 5:2

2 And ye bowed down sacrifices into (the) depth; and I am the learner of all them. (And ye made the most base, or wretched, sacrifices; and so I shall punish all of you.)

Hosea 5:2 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 5:2

And the revolters are profound to make slaughter
The revolters are the king, priests, and people, who had revolted from the true worship and ways of God unto idolatry. These formed deep laid schemes, and took crafty methods, like hawkers; who lay themselves flat upon the ground to manage their snares and nets, and observe the creatures that fall into them, and take them, and whom they artfully decoy, to which the allusion is; and that either to slay those who would not comply with their false worship; or rather to multiply the sacrifices of slain beasts, and offer them with a great show of devotion and religion, and thereby beguile, entice, and ensnare simple and unwary souls; so the Targum,

``they sacrifice to idols abundantly;''
and which, in the sight of God, was mere slaughter and butchery: though I [have been] a rebuker of them all;
king, priests, and prophets; those idolaters, revolters, or worshippers of Baal, as Aben Ezra calls them: this is to be interpreted either of the prophet, who had freely, faithfully, and openly reproved all orders of men for their departure from God and his worship, and for their idolatrous practices; or of the Lord himself, which comes to the same sense, who had rebuked them by his prophets, and corrected them by his judgments, but to no purpose: and therefore they could not plead ignorance, or excuse themselves upon that account.

Hosea 5:2 In-Context

1 Priests, hear ye this, and the house of Israel, perceive ye, and the house of the king, harken ye; for why doom is to you, for ye be made a snare to looking afar, and as a net spread abroad on Tabor (because now judgement is for you, for ye be made a snare at Mizpah, and like a net spread abroad upon Tabor).
2 And ye bowed down sacrifices into (the) depth; and I am the learner of all them. (And ye made the most base, or wretched, sacrifices; and so I shall punish all of you.)
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me; for now Ephraim did fornication, Israel is defouled. (I know Ephraim, yea, Israel is not hid from me; for now Ephraim hath done adultery, or idolatry, Israel is now defiled.)
4 They shall not give their thoughts that they turn again to their God; for the spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they knew not the Lord. (They shall not turn their thoughts so that they return to their God; for the spirit of adultery, or of idolatry, is in their midst, and they do not know, or acknowledge, the Lord.)
5 And the boast of Israel shall answer into the face thereof, and Israel and Ephraim shall fall in their wickedness; also Judah shall fall with them. (And the boast of Israel crieth out against them, and Israel, yea, Ephraim, shall fall by their own wickedness; and Judah shall fall with them.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.