Book of Hosea Chapter 5 Vs. 1

 

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.

Hear this, O Priests, and hearken, House of Israel, and House of the King, give ear. For on you is the sentence! You who have hitherto been the judges, this time shall be judged.

A snare have ye become at Mizpah, and a net spread out upon Tabor, and a pit have they made deep upon Shittim; but I shall be the scourge of them all.

Israel’s Judgment Announced

The Northern Kingdom remains the primary target group in this section. However, Judah, which had been warned to avoid Israel’s example (Hos. 4:15), was now brought within the scope of God’s judgment (cf. Hos. 5:5, 5:8, 5:10, 5:13-14). The chapter begins with an accusation of guilt (Hos. 5:1-5) which merges into an announcement of judgment (Hos. 5:6-15).

Though the accusation en-compassed the entire nation (you Israelite's), the priesthood (priests) and monarchy (royal house) were singled out for special consideration (cf. Hos. 4:4-10, 4:18). The leaders had encouraged the people to engage in false worship at cult sites such as Mizpah and Tabor. In so doing they were like a snare or net used to trap a bird (cf. Hos. 7:12; Amos 3:5). Mount Tabor was in northern Israel, about 12 miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee. Mizpah in this context refers to a site either in Gilead or in Benjamite territory. If the former, then the places mentioned represent areas of the Northern Kingdom west and east of the Jordan River. If the reference is to Mizpah of Benjamin, the idea is that all cult sites from south to north were involved. In either case the selection of place names was designed to emphasize how the false worship led by the priests had permeated the land.

The rebellious priesthood (rebels) had gone to great depths (are deep) as it were, to slaughter their prey (continuing the haunting imagery of Hos. 5:1), the people of Israel.