Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah

Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah

Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. Hos. 5:1

Hear ye this,... The 7th prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 5:1-15, fulfilled). Next, Hos. 6:1.

Fourteen Predictions—Fulfilled:

1. Israel and Ephraim will fall for their iniquity (Hos. 5:5).

2. Judah also will fall with them.

3. They will go with their flocks to seek the Lord, but will not find Him (Hos. 5:6).

4. A month will devour them with their portions; that is, this will happen in a month (Hos. 5:7).

5. Ephraim will be desolate in the day of rebuke (Hos. 5:9).

6. I will pour out My wrath upon them like water (Hos. 5:10).

7. I will be unto Ephraim as a moth (Hos. 5:12).

8. I will be to the house of Judah as rottenness.

9. I will be unto Ephraim as a lion (Hos. 5:14).

10. I will be like a young lion to Judah.

11. I will tear them and go away.

12. None will rescue them.

13. I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek My face (Hos. 5:15).

14. In their affliction they will seek Me early.

ye house of... Both the nation and the king are mentioned here as committing the same sins (Hos. 5:1-2). The book of Hosea could be called the Record of the Sins of Israel.

spread upon Tabor... Tabor was not in Ephraim. The name means mound, and the idolatrous altar on this mound may have been called Mizpah, the place which became a snare to Israel.

Hosea addressed the priests, the people and the royal family; the 3 imperatives demand attention. The religious and civil leaders had entrapped the people (compare 6:9; 7:7).

“Mizpah” and “Tabor” were prominent sites of Baal worship. There was a Mizpah of Benjamin in the south and a Mizpah of Gilead, east of the Jordan. Tabor was located in the north. Depending on which Mizpah is in view, the land is depicted as sin-ridden from south to north, or from east to west, in other words, sin was everywhere.
This is speaking of this judgment being not just on the people, but the king, as well. The sin in the land was so great; it had even reached the priests. Places that had been a great advantage to them, like Mizpah and Tabor, had now been converted into places to worship false gods.

And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. Hos. 5:2

And the revolters... The revolters are all those that have cast off the law of God, both in matters of religion and civil government.

are profound... Dig deep to hide their counsels, or have taken deep root since their apostasy from God, and revolt from the house of David. They have deeply designed a slaughter, and I will chastise them all.
to make slaughter... All their religion is but a butchering of cattle, no sacrifice to God; or, which is worse, a murdering of men.
though I have... Hosea, “have been a rebuker": A preacher, who ill the name and word of God have sharply inveighed against their brutish religion and their bloody slaughters.
of them all... None that have been guilty have escaped the reproof; I have declaimed against idolatrous priests and bloody usurpers, such as were in those times, Shallum, Menahem, and Pekah.
It appears, there was much opposition to going up to Jerusalem to worship. There were people, who had revolted against God, lying in wait to kill them, as they passed by Tabor and Mizpah.

I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. Hos. 5:3

I know Ephraim... Ephraim was the largest tribe, and the name became that of the northern kingdom, just as Judah became the name of the southern kingdom because of it being the ruling tribe (Hos. 5:3, 5:5, 5:9-15). Ephraim, the tribe so called, as distinguished from "Israel" here and the other nine tribes. It was always foremost of the tribes of the northern kingdom. For four hundred years in early history, it, with Manasseh and Benjamin, its two dependent tribes, held the pre-eminence in the whole nation. Ephraim is here addressed as foremost in idolatry.

not hid from... Not withstanding their supposed profound cunning (Hosea 5:2; Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19).
for now, O... Though I have been a rebuker of all them (Hosea 5:2), who commit such spiritual whoredoms, thou art now continuing in them.
Ephraim was the most prominent of the tribes of Israel. Just as many times, Judah was spoken of as both the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, and other times was separated out, so is Ephraim. It appears, Ephraim was even more idolatrous than the other tribes. They had received the right hand blessing, so perhaps they were also, more responsible.

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD. Hos. 5:4

They will not... Turning from a direct address to Ephraim, he uses the third person plural to characterize the people in general. The Hebrew is against the Margin, their doings will not suffer them" the omission of "them" in the Hebrew after the verb being unusual. The sense is, they are incurable, for they will not permit (as the Hebrew literally means), their doings to be framed so as to turn unto God.

for the spirit...Implying that they resist the Spirit of God, not suffering Him to renew them; and give themselves up to "the spirit of whoredoms", in antithesis to "the Spirit of God" implied in "suffer" or "permit" (Hosea 4:12; Isa. 63:10; Ezek. 16:43; Acts 7:51).
they have not... We see in this verse, not only were they practicing idolatry, but they had the spirit of idolatry, as well. They have turned their will over to evil, instead of to God. Plain and simple, they have fallen in love with false gods and left the One True God.

This wording is probably drawn from Num. 5:20, 5:27-28 where the same verb (ṭāmā) describes the effects of adultery on the unfaithful party (cf. Lev. 18:20, 18:24). Sinful Israel had become so overpowered by a spirit of prostitution (Hos. 5:4; cf. 4:12) that any possibility of repentance and recognition of the Lord’s authority was precluded for the time being.

And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. Hos. 5:5

pride of Israel... Israel’s pride in idolatry provided self-incrimination (compare 7:10).

The words “Ephraim” and Israel” are interchangeable here.
God had blessed Israel and Judah above other nations. Instead of this humbling them, they had become very proud, and thought themselves better than others.
fall in their... They had become so proud, they believed they could do anything, and God would still bless them. They had brazenly worshipped false gods. They thought they were above sin.

The nation’s own arrogance served as a legal witness (testifies; cf. the same expression in 1Sa. 12:3; 2Sa. 1:16) to its guilt and, in accordance with the famous proverb (Pro. 16:18), had led to its fall (cf. stumble in Hos. 4:5). Judah had followed Israel’s example and had come to mortal ruin as well.

They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. Hos. 5:6

They shall go... And seek to make their peace with God and to induce him to be favorable to them by a multitude of sacrifices; but they shall not find their expectations answered. This is spoken of the people of Judah, mentioned in the latter part of the foregoing verse. Who, though they attended the temple worship, yet did it without any true sense of religion, for which the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah particularly reprove them.

to seek the... The prophecy seems to look forward to the times of Hezekiah and Josiah, declaring that the attempts of those God fearing kings to reclaim the people from idolatry, and to restore the true worship of God, would fail of any durable effect, and would not avail to reverse the doom pronounced upon the guilty people.
but they shall... Whilst he might have been found they would not seek him, now as a punishment, and to leave them remediless, God will not be found of them; he will not either accept a sacrifice, or pardon their sin, or return to save them.
He hath withdrawn... All of the sacrifices they would make now would be totally unacceptable to God. God warned them of the danger of worshipping false gods, and they had not taken heed. Now, it is too late.

The Lord’s punishment of His people would be expressed in two ways: withdrawal of aid and blessing (Hos. 5:6-7, 5:15), and active warfare (Hos. 5:8-14). In the days ahead Israel in desperation would seek the Lord through sacrifices of flocks and herds. However, this hypocritical ritualism, devoid of genuine covenant loyalty, would be ineffective (cf. Hos. 6:6; 8:11-13; Isa. 1:10-17).

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions. Hos. 5:7

they have dealt... God’s people had been unfaithful. The Hebrew verb (bāg̱aḏ) often refers to a failure to carry out the responsibilities of a natural (cf. Jer. 12:6) or contractual (cf. Jdg. 9:6, 9:23; Mal. 2:14-16) relationship.

for they have... Here marital infidelity provides the background (cf. Jer. 3:20). As in the preceding chapters, Hosea pictured Israel as the Lord’s adulterous wife. Carrying on the figure, she had even given birth to illegitimate children, an inevitable result of her promiscuous activities. The reality behind the figure was perhaps those Israelite children whose birth was attributed to cultic sexual acts (cf. Hos. 4:13-15).

and shall a... If the statement “the New Moon shall devour them” is the correct translation, it probably means that these festivals, which had become tainted by Israel’s disobedience, would be additional cause for God’s judgment (see Isa. 1:13-14). Another option is to translate it “[God] the New Moon [festival].

God had forbidden His people to marry the heathen people around them. This is possibly, where they picked up their practice of worshipping false gods. This could also be speaking of their unfaithfulness to God, and then their children being unfaithful to God. The fact that a month is mentioned here, could be telling them that it would be just a short time until the enemy would come and overcome them. Note that God has to allow this to happen. They could not attack God's people without God's permission.

Such rituals only heightened the people’s guilt. Participation in religious festivals (here represented by the New Moon celebrations; cf. Hos. 2:11) would actually hasten their destruction, not avert it. Rather than experiencing population growth, the people would ultimately be devoured by their own sins (cf. Lev. 26:21-22; Deut. 28:62-63). The fields, for which they sought fertility through Baal worship, would be destroyed by drought, blight, and insects, and would be overrun by invading armies (cf. Lev. 26:16, 26:19-20; Deut. 28:17, 28:22-24, 28:33, 28:38-42, 28:51).

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin. Hos. 5:8

Gibeah … Ramah”: Located on Judah’s northern border with Israel.
These places mentioned are the line of attack. It shows the progression of the battle. The cornet was an instrument that could be heard from great distance, and the silver trumpet was blown to call the people to battle. Beth-haven was a place near, and the trumpet could be heard by Benjamin.

Blow ye the... The sound of battle trumpets was about to be heard in Israel. An invading force would sweep to the borders of the Southern Kingdom. Gibeah and Ramah were located a few miles north of Jerusalem in Benjamite territory in the Southern Kingdom (cf. Jos. 18:25, 18:28). The enemy was already upon them and thus her watchmen were to sound the alarm (Num. 10:9).

cry aloud at... Beth Aven (probably Bethel; cf. Hos. 4:15), though originally a Benjamite town (Jos. 18:22), was then just inside Israel’s southern border. Beth-aven, (Bethel). situated in southern Israel (4:15). All three were strategic defense cities.

After thee, O... The significance of the last clause in Hos. 5:8, lead on, O Benjamin (lit., “behind you, O Benjamin”) is not clear. The same expression appears in Deborah’s song in reference to mustering Israel’s troops (Jdg. 5:14). At that time Benjamin went ahead of Ephraim into battle against the northern Canaanite forces (NASB). Perhaps this ancient song was given a sarcastic twist by Hosea.

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. Hos. 5:9

shall be desolate... In the upcoming invasion Ephraim would be devastated. Rather than leading Ephraim into battle, Benjamin would be pursued by the same invader. The line might be paraphrased, “behind you, O Benjamin, Ephraim’s conqueror advances.” It shall not be lightly rebuked, nor even more grievously chastened; it shall not simply be wasted by famine, pestilence, and the sword; it shall be not simply desolate, but a desolation, one waste, in the day of rebuke, when God brings home to it its sin and punishment. Ephraim was not taken away for a time; it was never restored.

shall surely be... The desolation of Ephraim was certain to take place because it had been announced by the Lord, whose word is inviolable (I proclaim what is certain). This coming judgment would fulfill the covenant curse in Lev. 26:32-35.

Doubt not that this which I say shall come upon thee, for it is a sure saying which I have made known;" literally, one well-grounded, as it was, in the mind, the justice, the holiness, the truth of God. All God's threatenings or promises are grounded in past experience.

So it may also be, as though God said, "Whatever I have hitherto promised or threatened to Israel has come to pass. In all I have proved Myself true. Let no one then flatter himself, as though this were uncertain, for in this, as in the rest, I shall be found to be God, faithful and true."

This just speaks of the surety of the coming battle and their captivity. God has given them ample warning, and they have not taken heed.

The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Hos. 5:10

the princes of... Judah had followed in the sinful footsteps of Israel. Hosea compared Judah’s greedy princes to those who move boundary stones in order to steal land from others. The Law condemned this practice (Deut. 19:14; 27:17).

remove the bound... Boundaries, marked by stones, could be easily moved at night. Moving them was tantamount to stealing land from a neighbor (Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 22:28; 23:10). Worse, Israel’s leaders were moving spiritual lines established by God (compare verse 11).
pour out my... This is speaking of a time when God's fury has come up in His face, and He has poured His wrath on His unfaithful. It appears, they had moved the landmarks, that God had strictly forbidden them move. This automatically brings judgment from God.

Even Judah would not be spared ultimately (cf., however, Hos. 1:7). Its leaders were also guilty of breach of covenant. They were like those who move boundary stones for they showed no respect for God’s commands. Moving boundary stones was clearly forbidden in the Law (Deut. 19:14) and carried a curse (Deut. 27:17). The act was tantamount to theft as it obscured the legal boundary between properties and was a way of taking some land that belonged to another. Perhaps this particular crime was cited in order to allude to the acts of social injustice being carried out by the Judean upper class (cf. Isa. 5:8; Mic. 2:1-2). On Judah’s sinful leaders the Lord would pour out His anger like a flood of water (lit., “like water”), possibly meaning like rainwater (cf. Amos 5:8; 9:6).

Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment. Hos. 5:11

Ephraim is oppressed... He is delivered over to oppressors by God’s just judgment. Such were Pul and Tiglath-pileser, kings of Assyria. Archbishop Newcome distinguishes between these phrases thus.

He willingly walked... It was not forced upon them, they did it willingly. Though there was a law commanding, yet there was in the people a forwardness and too great a readiness, to comply and obey that law which made idolatry the establishment in the ten tribes.
after the commandment... To forbear going to the temple, and to worship the calves at Dan and Beth-el, as Jeroboam son of Nebat required.
God allowed Ephraim to be oppressed and broken by his neighbors, as judgment from God for his unfaithfulness to God.

According to Hos. 5:11-14, judgment had already begun. Ephraim was oppressed and trampled. Again Hosea alluded to a covenant curse (cf. Deut. 28:33 2, NASB). This judgment may refer to the Assyrian invasion of 733 B.C (cf. 2Ki. 15:29). However, Israel’s troubles were ultimately attributable to her own sin, not to Assyrian imperialism. The word idols is a conjecture (cf. NIV marg.), for the Hebrew word ṣāw is obscure. “Man’s command” (NASB) is a highly unlikely translation. The word is possibly a corruption of “vanity” (šāw’, RSV, following the LXX) or “filth” (ṣāw’, i.e., “excrement”. The reference is probably to false gods (hence NIV’s “idols”). The Hebrew literally reads, “for he persistently walked after vanity/filth (?).” The idiom “walk after,” translated “follow(ed)(ing),” appears elsewhere with false gods as an object (cf. Deut. 4:3; 6:14; 8:19; 28:14; Jer. 2:5; etc.).

Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. Hos. 5:12

as a moth... Ten Things God Compared To:

1. A moth (Hos. 5:12)

2. Rottenness, or a worm (Hos. 5:12)

3. An old lion (Hos. 5:14; 11:10)

4. A young lion (Hos. 5:14)

5. The rain (Hos. 6:3)

6. The latter and former rain (Hos. 6:3)

7. A plowman (Hos. 11:4)

8. A leopard (Hos. 13:7)

9. A bear bereaved of her whelps (Hos. 13:8)

10. The dew (Hos. 14:5)

as rottenness... Moths rot a garment, and termites produce rottenness in wood. Both prey upon the substance in which they lie hidden; and they slowly but effectively do a work of destruction. This pictures God bringing judgment upon both Ephraim and Judah. The decay caused by moths and that by termites are both slow, yet that of the termites is slower. The reference is to Judah being destroyed more slowly than Ephraim. The idea is that when men sin God withdraws from them and as they continue in rebellion they become dead to spiritual things.

Hosea used similes to create vivid pictures of God’s wrath toward both kingdoms of sinful Israel (Job 13:28). God’s judgment would slowly but surely bring about the demise of both Israel and Judah, much like “moths” and “rottenness” slowly eat away at an object until it is destroyed. The sinner overlooks this erosion of his conscience and character. Only God can awaken him to his condition.

A garment riddled by a moth is ruined. The moth eats away at the material, until it is of no use. "Rottenness" speaks of decay from within. For a long time, Judah's rottenness will not show. This is saying, their destruction will not come instantaneously, but will be progressive until they are destroyed. We certainly know this to be true with Judah, because Babylon took many years to totally destroy them.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. Hos. 5:13

to king Jareb... Another name for Tiglath-pileser who punished both Ephraim and Judah (2Ki. 15:27-31; 16:7-10). When the moth and termites had performed their work on both nations of Israel, then God became a lion to Ephraim and destroyed the nation (2Ki. 17:1-41); later He became a young lion to Judah and destroyed her (2 Ki. 24-25). Jareb means “warrior” and refers to the king of Assyria, to whom Israel (2 Ki. 15:19-20), and later Judah (2 Ki. 16:5-9), turned to for help.

It appears from the verse above, that Ephraim and Judah became aware they had a problem. The sad thing was that Ephraim did not go to God with the problem, but went to the Assyrians. Neither was willing to admit that their problem was because of their worship of false gods.
could he not... The world has no answers to problems then or now. The worldly king Jareb was no help at all.

For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. Hos. 5:14

as a lion... First the trans-Jordanic tribes, then additional provinces, and lastly the whole population, were carried away as in the teeth of a beast of prey (compare Amos 3:6). Assyria is here referred to as represented by Tiglath-pileser. A similar fate overtook Jerusalem (in 587 B.C.), at the hands of Babylonia, in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chron. 36:4-10; 2 Kings 24:10-16; 2 Kings 25:1-11).

and none shall... None shall rescue him: none have courage to attempt or power to affect a rescue, the prey must hopelessly perish; so it will be with Ephraim and Judah, when God appears as a lion against them.
I, will tear... The destruction of Ephraim is actually a little worse than the destruction of Judah. Perhaps that is why God speaks of Himself as being as a lion to Ephraim, and a young lion to Judah. The young lion would not do as much damage as the lion.
I will take... Notice that God tells them of the many battles that will take place, when He says; He will "tear and go away". This is a judgment of God, and no one will be able to stop it.

The moth (Hos. 5:12) is transformed into a raging lion which violently kills its prey. The use of six first-person forms (I) in the Hebrew emphasizes God’s role in this judgment. In the final analysis the Lord Himself would be the attacker and destroyer, even though He would use foreign armies as His instruments.

For Ephraim this prophecy was fulfilled a few years later when Assyria conquered Samaria and carried the people into exile (2Ki. 17:1-41). Judah was overrun by the Assyrians in 701 B.C, but she experienced a miraculous deliverance after being severely ravaged (cf. Hos. 1:7). The prophecy about Judah’s fall and exile (Hos. 5:14) was eventually fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki. 25:1-30).

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Hos. 5:15

I will go... Tenderness blends with judgment, and insulted love bleeds and hopes. The image of the lion is dropped. Jehovah speaks of “His own place”, Heaven. He will cause all manifestations of His regard for them to cease till “they suffer punishment, and seek my face,” and, like the prodigal in the flush of a new morning, will arise and go unto the Father.

till they acknowledge... Till they confess and humble themselves for their sins. Their offence, and seek my face, God said He would return to His place till both houses of Israel would acknowledge their sins and seek Him (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rom. 11:25-29).

And seek my... Me their God, my mercy, and my law; their Sovereign as well as Savior.
In their affliction... In deep distresses they will, at least some will, seek me diligently, as indeed they did at the end of Judah’s seventy years’ captivity.
This speaks of the time being extended for their captivity. The lion tears at its victim and then carries it away. The lion then goes to his den and rests. This is also, what this is speaking of here. God will allow all of these terrible things to happen to them.
they will seek...He will not intervene and stop it, as He has in the past. It is such a shame that they have to be in such destitute condition, before they reach out to God. The captivity is to cause them to repent and turn back to God. God will not seek them, they must seek Him. Because of the great affliction, they will seek God sooner than they would, had they not suffered so greatly.