Hosea 13 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Hosea 13

The Lord’s Relentless Judgment on Israel

13:1   When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
    he was exalted in Israel,
    but he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
2   And now they sin more and more,
    and make for themselves metal images,
  idols skillfully made of their silver,
    all of them the work of craftsmen.
  It is said of them,
    “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!”
3   Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
    or like the dew that goes early away,
  like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
    or like smoke from a window.
4   But I am the LORD your God
    from the land of Egypt;
  you know no God but me,
    and besides me there is no savior.
5   It was I who knew you in the wilderness,
    in the land of drought;
6   but when they had grazed,¹ they became full,
    they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;
    therefore they forgot me.
7   So I am to them like a lion;
    like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.
8   I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;
    I will tear open their breast,
  and there I will devour them like a lion,
    as a wild beast would rip them open.
9   He destroys² you, O Israel,
    for you are against me, against your helper.
10   Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?
    Where are all your rulers—
  those of whom you said,
    “Give me a king and princes”?
11   I gave you a king in my anger,
    and I took him away in my wrath.
12   The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
    his sin is kept in store.
13   The pangs of childbirth come for him,
    but he is an unwise son,
  for at the right time he does not present himself
    at the opening of the womb.
14   I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;
    I shall redeem them from Death.³
  O Death, where are your plagues?
    O Sheol, where is your sting?
    Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
15   Though he may flourish among his brothers,
    the east wind, the wind of the LORD, shall come,
    rising from the wilderness,
  and his fountain shall dry up;
    his spring shall be parched;
  it shall strip his treasury
    of every precious thing.
16   ⁴ Samaria shall bear her guilt,
    because she has rebelled against her God;
  they shall fall by the sword;
    their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,
    and their pregnant women ripped open.

Footnotes

[1] 13:6 Hebrew according to their pasture
[2] 13:9 Or I will destroy
[3] 13:14 Or Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?
[4] 13:16 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew

Commentary

v1-3: The sin of pride. Scripture everywhere commends humility. But Ephraim (Israel) spoke from a position of pride, exalting himself. No wonder ‘he died.’ Contrast James 1.19, be slow to speak

Again, the folly of idolatry. They are the works of men's hands, made by human design, ingenuity and skill. They will pass away, like nothing.

v4-5: See 12.9-10; although the people departed from God, He remains the Lord their God. Although they are guilty of 'spiritual adultery,' His claim on His people remains.

Bringing them out of Egypt, He commanded, "You shall have no other God but me;" indicating His jealousy, and His demand of loyalty.

v6: Prosperity brought rebellion; when things go well, people forget God. We must beware complacency, Deut 32.15; 2 Chr 26.15-16. When we attribute our 'success' to our own efforts, we are beginning on the route to idolatry and self-glorification.

v7-8: The certainty of judgment; and the severity and unpleasantness of it. Israel is about to suffer deeply.

v9-10: Deliverance is only from the Lord, none other can save. But Israel fails to cast herself upon the Lord.

v11: See 1 Sam 8-12; the children of Israel sought a king to be their deliverer. Many kings later, they have gone from bad to worse, see 9.15. With or without a king, the people rebelled against God.

v12-13: Israel's guilt remains, her sins of each generation.

v14: Ultimately, God has power and victory over death. In Him is eternal salvation; such things remain true of God whatever the rebellion of His people.

v15-16: The people bear their guilt, with all the suffering that that meant.