Book of Hosea Chapter 13 Vs. 13

 The Lord's Relentless Judgment on Israel

The 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. Hos. 13:13

sorrows of a... This is speaking of the pain accompanied with childbirth. The severity of the punishment is compared to the pain of childbirth. His sorrow will overcome him. It is very bad to stay in the sin that got him into this trouble. His way out is through repentance.

חֵבֶל חֶבֶל

chebel chêbel

kheh'-bel, khay'-bel

From H2254; a rope (as twisted), especially a measuring line; by implication a district or inheritance (as measured); or a noose (as of cords); figuratively a company (as if tied together); also, a throe (especially of parturition); also ruin: - band, coast, company, cord, country, destruction, line, lot, pain, pang, portion, region, rope, snare, sorrow, tackling.

he is an... He will be destroyed as an unwise son and will suffer the pangs of a travailing woman.

לֹה לוֹא לֹא

lô' lô' lôh

lo, lo, lo

lo; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abstract negation); by implication no; often used with other particles: - X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig [-norant], much, less, nay, neither, never, no ([-ne], -r, [-thing]), (X as though . . . , [can-], for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

חָכָם

châkâm

khaw-kawm'

From H2449, wise, (that is, intelligent, skilful or artful): - cunning (man), subtil, ([un-]), wise ([hearted], man).

the breaking forth... This refers to the birth canal. Employing this figure of giving birth, the Lord likens Ephraim to an unwise child, unwilling to move through to birth. By long deferring a “new birth” with repentance, the nation was like a child remaining in the canal dangerously long and risking death (2 Kings 19:3; Isa. 37:3; 66:9).

מִשְׁבֵּר

mishbêr

mish-bare'

From H7665, the orifice of the womb (from which the foetus breaks forth): - birth, breaking forth.

we see here, any basis for hope had all but disappeared. Israel had not responded to God’s call for repentance during the period of grace He had extended. The procrastinating nation was compared to a baby which does not come out of its mother’s womb despite her strenuous efforts in labor. Such a delay will result in death for both mother and child. Since the baby seemingly does not observe the proper time for his birth, he is referred to, figuratively, as without wisdom (cf. Ecc. 8:5).

ֵּן

bên

bane

From H1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like H1, H251, etc.): - + afflicted, age, [Ahoh-] [Ammon-] [Hachmon-] [Lev-]ite, [anoint-]ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, [Assyr-] [Babylon-] [Egypt-] [Grec-]ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant[-est], whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

Gathered is Ephraim’s guilt, stored up is his sin. The nation is pregnant - but with guilt! Birth pangs seize him but-the figure changes, with Hosea’s own swiftness, from mother to child-he is an impracticable son; for this is no time to stand in the mouth of the womb. The years that might have been the nation’s birth are by their own folly to prove their death. Israel lies in the way of its own redemption-how truly this has been forced home upon them in one chapter after another!

Any basis for hope had all but disappeared. Israel had not responded to God’s call for repentance during the period of grace He had extended. The procrastinating nation was compared to a baby which does not come out of its mother’s womb despite her strenuous efforts in labor. Such a delay will result in death for both mother and child. Since the baby seemingly does not observe the proper time for his birth, he is referred to, figuratively, as without wisdom (cf. Ecc. 8:5).