Hosea — Chapter 13
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1When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
2And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
3Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
4Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
5I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
6According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.
7Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
8I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
9O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
10I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?
11I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
12The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.
13The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
14I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
15Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.
16Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
1When Ephraim spake, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
2And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
3Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that passeth early away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
4Yet I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour.
5I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
6According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted: therefore have they forgotten me.
7Therefore am I unto them as a lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way;
8I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart; and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them.
9It is thy destruction, O Israel, that [thou art] against me, against thy help.
10Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?
11I have given thee a king in mine anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.
12The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid up in store.
13The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for it is time he should not tarry in the place of the breaking forth of children.
14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
15Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the breath of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness; and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall make spoil of the treasure of all goodly vessels.
16Samaria shall bear her guilt; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword; their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
1When Ephraim spoke, there was terror; he was exalted in Israel, but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.
2Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen. There is a saying about them: “Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!”
3Therefore they will disappear like the morning mist, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff that is blown away from a threshing floor, like smoke that disappears through an open window.
4But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Therefore, you must not acknowledge any God but me. Except for me there is no Savior.
5I cared for you in the wilderness, in the dry desert where no water was.
6When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; as a result, they forgot me!
7So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs— I will rip open their chests. I will devour them there like a lion— like a wild animal would tear them apart.
9I will destroy you, O Israel! Who is there to help you?
10Where then is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are your rulers for whom you asked, saying, “Give me a king and princes”?
11I granted you a king in my anger, and I will take him away in my wrath!
12The punishment of Ephraim has been decreed; his punishment is being stored up for the future.
13The labor pains of a woman will overtake him, but the baby will lack wisdom; when the time arrives, he will not come out of the womb!
14Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion!
15Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse.
16(14:1) Samaria will be held guilty because she rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their infants will be dashed to the ground— their pregnant women will be ripped open.
1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, but when he became guilty in Baal, he died.
2Now they sin more and more, and have made themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, ‘They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves.’
3Therefore they will be like the morning mist, and like the dew that passes away early, like the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing floor, and like the smoke out of the chimney.
4“Yet I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt; and you shall acknowledge no god but me, and besides me there is no savior.
5I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
6According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted. Therefore they have forgotten me.
7Therefore I am like a lion to them. Like a leopard, I will lurk by the path.
8I will meet them like a bear that is bereaved of her cubs, and will tear the covering of their heart. There I will devour them like a lioness. The wild animal will tear them.
9You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your help.
10Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes?’
11I have given you a king in my anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.
12The guilt of Ephraim is stored up. His sin is stored up.
13The sorrows of a travailing woman will come on him. He is an unwise son; for when it is time, he doesn’t come to the opening of the womb.
14I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death! Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? “Compassion will be hidden from my eyes.
15Though he is fruitful among his brothers, an east wind will come, the breath of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness; and his spring will become dry, and his fountain will be dried up. He will plunder the storehouse of treasure.
16Samaria will bear her guilt; for she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women will be ripped open.”
Summary
God declares that Israel's idolatry has sealed their doom — He who was their help will now be like a lion and leopard to them, yet even here asks: "O death, where are your plagues? O grave, where is your destruction?"
Authorship & Background
- Ephraim's Death Through Baal (vv.1-3)
- God's Exclusive Claim: No Saviour Beside Me (vv.4-6)
- God as Predator: Lion, Leopard, Bear (vv.7-8)
- Self-Destruction and Divine Help (vv.9-11)
- Sin Stored Up; Birth Pangs Coming (vv.12-13)
- Death Defeated! (v.14)
- The East Wind of Judgment on Samaria (vv.15-16)
Map & Geography
Videos
The Bible Project — Hosea Overview (Video)
Animated overview of the book of Hosea showing the literary structure, key themes, and how this book fits into the larger biblical narrative. Excellent visual introduction.
Reflection
- 1. "Thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help" (v.9). Own your destruction — stop blaming others. But don't stop there: TURN to the help that is in God. Responsibility for sin is yours; power for deliverance is God's. Both truths held together.
- 2. The prosperity trap (v.6): fed → filled → proud → forgot God. This sequence is repeating in your life RIGHT NOW if you're not vigilant. The more comfortable you become, the more intentional you must be about remembering God. Blessing without gratitude is a death spiral.
- 3. "O death, I will be thy plagues" (v.14). Death itself will DIE. This is the ultimate hope. Whatever you face — physical death, spiritual deadness, relational death, dream-death — God has declared war on death and HE WINS. Christ's resurrection is proof that v.14 is fulfilled.
- 4. "No saviour beside me" (v.4). Stop looking for salvation in politics, relationships, career, substances, therapy, or self- improvement. These may help in their place, but SALVATION — the ultimate rescue of your soul — comes from God ALONE. There is literally no alternative.
- 5. The east wind comes (v.15). Even prosperity has an expiration date when it exists apart from God. The hot wind will dry the springs, empty the storehouses. Build on the Rock, not on temporal abundance.