Hosea — Chapter 10
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1Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.
2Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars.
3Surely now they will say, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?”
4They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
5The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile.
6Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
7Samaria will be carried off with her king like a twig on the surface of the water.
8The high places of Aven will be destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity?
10I will chasten them when I please; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for their double transgression.
11Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh; but I will place a yoke on her fair neck. I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the hard ground.
12Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
13You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your mighty men,
14the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces along with their children.
15Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness. When the day dawns, the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.
1Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.
2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
3For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us?
4They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.
8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
9O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
10It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
11And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
13Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
14Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
15So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
1Israel is a luxuriant vine, that putteth forth his fruit: according to the abundance of his fruit he hath multiplied his altars; according to the goodness of their land they have made goodly pillars.
2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found guilty: he will smite their altars, he will destroy their pillars.
3Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?
4They speak [vain] words, swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calves of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced over it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6It also shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7[As for] Samaria, her king is cut off, as foam upon the water.
8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
9O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood; the battle against the children of iniquity doth not overtake them in Gibeah.
10When it is my desire, I will chastise them; and the peoples shall be gathered against them, when they are bound to their two transgressions.
11And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out [the grain]; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.
12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
13Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
14Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with her children.
15So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: at daybreak shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.
1Israel was a fertile vine that yielded fruit. As his fruit multiplied, he multiplied altars to Baal. As his land prospered, they adorned the fertility pillars.
2Their hearts are slipping; soon they will be punished for their guilt. The Lord will break their altars; he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.
3Very soon they will say, “We have no king since we did not fear the Lord. But what can a king do for us anyway?”
4They utter empty words, taking false oaths and making empty agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a plowed field.
5The inhabitants of Samaria will lament over the calf idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it; its idolatrous priests will wail over it, because its splendor will be taken from them into exile.
6Even the calf idol will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be put to shame because of its wooden idol.
7Samaria and its king will be carried off like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8The high places of the “House of Wickedness” will be destroyed; it is the place where Israel sins. Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
9“O Israel, you have sinned since the time of Gibeah, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?
10When I please, I will discipline them; I will gather nations together to attack them, to bind them in chains for their two sins.
11“Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain; I myself put a fine yoke on her neck. I will harness Ephraim. Let Judah plow! Let Jacob break up the unplowed ground for himself!
12Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap unfailing love. Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers deliverance on you.
13But you have plowed wickedness; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your chariots; you have relied on your many warriors.
14“The roar of battle will rise against your people; all your fortresses will be devastated, just as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
15So will it happen to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness! When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be destroyed.
1Israel is a luxuriant vine that produces his fruit. According to the abundance of his fruit he has multiplied his altars. As their land has prospered, they have adorned their sacred stones.
2Their heart is divided. Now they will be found guilty. He will demolish their altars. He will destroy their sacred stones.
3Surely now they will say, “We have no king; for we don’t fear Yahweh; and the king, what can he do for us?”
4They make promises, swearing falsely in making covenants. Therefore judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven; for its people will mourn over it, Along with its priests who rejoiced over it, for its glory, because it has departed from it.
6It also will be carried to Assyria for a present to a great king. Ephraim will receive shame, and Israel will be ashamed of his own counsel.
7Samaria and her king float away, like a twig on the water.
8The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle will come up on their altars. They will tell the mountains, “Cover us!” and the hills, “Fall on us!”
9“Israel, you have sinned from the days of Gibeah. There they remained. The battle against the children of iniquity doesn’t overtake them in Gibeah.
10When it is my desire, I will chastise them; and the nations will be gathered against them, when they are bound to their two transgressions.
11Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her beautiful neck. I will set a rider on Ephraim. Judah will plow. Jacob will break his clods.
12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness. Break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Yahweh, until he comes and rains righteousness on you.
13You have plowed wickedness. You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, for you trusted in your way, in the multitude of your mighty men.
14Therefore a battle roar will arise among your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in the day of battle. The mother was dashed in pieces with her children.
15So Bethel will do to you because of your great wickedness. At daybreak the king of Israel will be destroyed.
Summary
Israel is described as a lush vine whose growing prosperity only produced more altars and idols, leaving their hearts false and deserving judgment (vv. 1-2). They will admit they have no king because they do not fear the LORD, breaking covenants and letting injustice spring up like poisonous weeds (vv. 3-4). Their calf-idol at Beth-aven will be carried off to Assyria as tribute, and Samaria's king will vanish like a chip of wood on the water, prompting the people to beg the mountains to fall on them and hide their shame (vv. 5-8). God recalls their sin since the days of Gibeah and vows to discipline them for their double iniquity, comparing them to a trained heifer that must now be yoked to hard labor (vv. 9-11). He calls them to break up their fallow ground, sow righteousness, and seek the LORD, since they have instead plowed iniquity and eaten the fruit of lies (vv. 12-13). The chapter closes with a warning of coming war and destruction, and a declaration that the king of Israel will be utterly cut off (vv. 14-15).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Samaria (v.5, v.7): Central region between Judea and Galilee; mixed Jewish-Gentile population.
- Assyria (v.6): Empire to the northeast that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (722 BC).
- Bethel (v.15): City north of Jerusalem; site of Jacob's dream.
Places on this map
- SamariaSebastia, West BankOmri bought a bare hill and built a capital on it, which gave the northern kingdom a fortress with no prior claim on it, the same calculation David made with Jerusalem. It commands the pass west toward the coastal plain. The name later spread to the whole region between Galilee and Judea. Wikipedia
- Galileenorthern IsraelThe northern hill country above the Jezreel Valley, wetter and greener than Judah and crossed by the trade road to Damascus. That traffic is why Judeans considered it mixed and provincial, and why Jesus grew up hearing more than one language. Wikipedia
- Assyrianorthern IraqThe upper Tigris heartland around Nineveh, Calah and Asshur. Its armies reached Israel by following the Fertile Crescent north-west and then south down the coast, so the threat always arrived from the north even though Assyria lay to the east. Wikipedia
- BethelBeitin, West BankA ridge-road town about 11 miles north of Jerusalem, where Jacob dreamed of the stairway and named the place house of God. Jeroboam later put one of his two golden calves here precisely because pilgrims already came. Wikipedia
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Judeasouthern Israel and the West BankThe southern hill country around Jerusalem, high, stony and dry, with the wilderness on one side and the Philistine plain on the other. Poor farming and hard access are what let it stay independent longest. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Hosea -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Prosperity That Fuels Idolatry (v.1) — Israel's increasing prosperity is matched by an increasing number of altars to false gods rather than growing gratitude. As your own circumstances improve, does your worship of God grow with it, or quietly shrink?
- A Divided Heart Is a False Heart (v.2) — Israel's heart is described as divided, attempting to hold loyalty to God alongside devotion to idols. Where are you trying to maintain loyalty to God while also holding onto something that competes for that same devotion?
- Breaking Up Hardened Ground (v.12) — The call to break up fallow ground pictures a heart that has hardened through neglect and now needs to be worked over again before it can receive anything new. What area of your spiritual life has grown hard through inattention, and what would it take to break it open again?
- The Urgency of Now (v.12) — The command comes with immediacy: it is time to seek the Lord, not at some future point. What are you putting off seeking God about, telling yourself you'll get to it later?
- Reaping What You Plant (v.13) — The chapter warns that planting wickedness yields a harvest of deception, while sowing righteousness yields the fruit of steadfast love. What are you actively planting in your life right now, and what harvest is it heading toward?