Hosea — Chapter 12
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1Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah. He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God.
4Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there—
5the LORD God of Hosts, the LORD is His name of renown.
6But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and always wait on your God.
7A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
8And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”
9But I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt. I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast.
10I spoke through the prophets and multiplied their visions; I gave parables through the prophets.
11Is there iniquity in Gilead? They will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the field.
12Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep.
13But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved.
14Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.
1Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
5Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.
6Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
7He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
8And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
9And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
11Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
12And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
13And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
14Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
1Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he continually multiplieth lies and desolation; and they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2Jehovah hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he had power with God:
4yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him at Beth-el, and there he spake with us,
5even Jehovah, the God of hosts; Jehovah is his memorial [name].
6Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep kindness and justice, and wait for thy God continually.
7[He is] a trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
8And Ephraim said, Surely I am become rich, I have found me wealth: in all my labors they shall find in me no iniquity that were sin.
9But I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; I will yet again make thee to dwell in tents, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10I have also spoken unto the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets have I used similitudes.
11Is Gilead iniquity? they are altogether false; in Gilgal they sacrifice bullocks; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the field.
12And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheep].
13And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
14Ephraim hath provoked to anger most bitterly: therefore shall his blood be left upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
1Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria and send olive oil as tribute to Egypt.
2The Lord also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
3In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God.
4He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!
5As for the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is the name by which he is remembered!
6But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice and by waiting for your God to return to you.
7The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales.
8Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful.”
9“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again as in the days of old.
10I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.”
11Is there idolatry in Gilead? Certainly its inhabitants will come to nothing! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Surely their altars will be like stones heaped up on a plowed field!
12Jacob fled to the country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her.
13The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet Israel was preserved alive.
14But Ephraim bitterly provoked him to anger; so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed; his Lord will repay him for the contempt he has shown.
1Ephraim feeds on wind, and chases the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and desolation. They make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2Yahweh also has a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds he will repay him.
3In the womb he took his brother by the heel; and in his manhood he contended with God.
4Indeed, he struggled with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us,
5even Yahweh, the God of Armies; Yahweh is his name of renown!
6Therefore turn to your God. Keep kindness and justice, and wait continually for your God.
7A merchant has dishonest scales in his hand. He loves to defraud.
8Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich, I have found myself wealth. In all my wealth they won’t find in me any iniquity that is sin.”
9“But I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt. I will yet again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10I have also spoken to the prophets, and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the prophets I have used parables.
11If Gilead is wicked, surely they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls. Indeed, their altars are like heaps in the furrows of the field.
12Jacob fled into the country of Aram, and Israel served to get a wife, and for a wife he tended flocks and herds.
13By a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved.
14Ephraim has bitterly provoked anger. Therefore his blood will be left on him, and his Lord will repay his contempt.
Summary
Ephraim is pictured chasing after the wind, multiplying lies and violence, and making alliances with Assyria and Egypt instead of trusting God, while the LORD also brings a charge against Judah (vv. 1-2). God contrasts Israel's present deceit with their ancestor Jacob, who wrestled with his brother in the womb and later strove with God himself, weeping and seeking his favor until he prevailed (vv. 3-4). This becomes the basis for the call to Israel: return to your God, hold on to love and justice, and wait continually for him (vv. 5-6). Yet Ephraim uses dishonest scales and boasts of wealth gained through oppression, insisting no one can find sin in him, even though God has repeatedly warned them through the prophets (vv. 7-10). Their worship at Gilgal and Gilead is denounced as worthless, and the chapter closes recalling how a prophet once brought Israel out of Egypt and guarded them, while now Ephraim's bitter provocations will bring his own guilt back on him (vv. 11-14).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt (v.1, v.9, v.13): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.
- Bethel (v.4): City north of Jerusalem; site of Jacob's dream.
- Gilead (v.11): Mountainous region east of the Jordan River.
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. 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
- Gileadnorthern JordanThe wooded highlands east of the Jordan between the Yarmuk and the Arnon, good grazing country and a source of the resin traded as balm. Being across the river left its tribes perpetually worried about being written out of Israel. Wikipedia
- Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. 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
- Chasing What Doesn't Sustain (v.1) — Ephraim is described as feeding on wind, chasing empty alliances that offer no real nourishment. What are you pursuing right now that consumes your time and energy but ultimately leaves you spiritually empty?
- Jacob as Warning and Example (vv.3-4) — Jacob is remembered both as a schemer who deceived and as the one who wrestled with God and wouldn't let go until blessed. Which version of Jacob does your own life more closely resemble right now?
- Continual Waiting on God (v.6) — The call to return to God includes a command to wait on Him continually, not just occasionally or when convenient. Is waiting on God something you practice consistently, or only when you have no other option?
- Wealth Mistaken for Righteousness (v.8) — Ephraim justifies himself by pointing to his riches, assuming prosperity proves innocence. Do you ever equate your own success or comfort with being in good standing with God, even when your heart tells a different story?
- God's Many Ways of Speaking (v.10) — God recalls speaking to His people through prophets, visions, and parables, using multiple means to communicate. If you feel like God is silent, have you considered the various ways — Scripture, counsel, circumstances — He might already be speaking?