Book of Jeremiah Chapter 50 Vs. 13

 Judgment on Babylon

Jer. 50:13 Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

Because...

מִן

min, מִנִּי

minniy, מִנֵּי

minnēy: A preposition used to indicate from, out of, away from; more than: after, since; immediately; because of, since, so that; without; direction as southward, etc.). Its spelling varies according to its location and usage. Its basic meaning is from, away from, out of. Its basic meanings only can be noted here, but its exact meaning is easily discerned from its context: (1) With verbs, it expresses separation spatially or figuratively (Exo. 19:14; Deu. 22:8; Jos. 10:7). It can be used with a verb not indicating separation, e.g., to stay away from strife (Pro. 20:3; Isa. 14:19). (2) With the basic sense of out of, from (Gen. 3:22-24; 4:10; 34:26; Exo. 2:10; 8:9,5; Jdg. 15:7; Psm. 40:2,3), it often indicates what something is made of or formed from (Gen. 2:19; Hos. 13:2). With a pronominal suffix meaning from it, it means of one piece with it (Exo. 25:19, 25:31). It indicates a cause for something, on account of, because (Exo. 2:23; 6:9; 1Kgs. 14:4; Pro. 20:4; Isa. 53:5). (3) It is used to mean something is a part of something else, a part or share of it (Gen. 6:19; 7:8; 39:11; Num. 16:2). It indicates some of in an indefinite sense (Exo. 16:27; Lev. 25:49; Psm. 137:3). When repeated it means some . . . others or its equivalent expression (1Chr. 9:28-29). (4) It is used to mark time: from, since (Deu. 9:24), from a certain day or time (Lev. 22:27; Num. 15:23; 1Sam. 18:9). It is used in phrases to mean from ancient times, antiquity (Hab. 1:12); from of old (Isa. 42:14). It indicates right after a certain time (Gen. 38:24; Jos. 23:1; Ezk. 38:8). (5) Paired with ‛aḏ it usually means from . . . even to, as far as (Gen. 10:19; 15:18; Exo. 11:7; Jer. 51:62). In a figurative sense, this same construction can mean e.g., from young . . . to old, both inclusive (Gen. 19:4; 1Sam. 5:9; Jer. 6:13). (6) It may further indicate than, in comparisons (Lev. 21:10; Jdg. 14:18). (7) Prefixed to an infinitive, it is often translated as from (Gen. 16:2); a few times as on account of or because (Deu. 7:7-8); or temporally as since or after (Num. 24:23; Isa. 44:7). (8) It is often attached to other words in compounds and is sometimes used in front of infinitives of verbs: e.g., with ‛āḇaḏ meaning from serving (Exo. 14:5); with bāla‛ meaning from destroying (Lam. 2:8). (9) It is used in front of a verb form once as a conjunction indicating a negative purpose, "that . . . not" (Deu. 33:11). Other uses almost always fall under one of the above categories.

Of the wrath...

קֶצֶף

qeṣep̱: A masculine noun meaning wrath. The word refers to anger aroused by someone's failure to do a duty. For example, a wife in Persia who showed contempt for her husband by not doing her duties would arouse his wrath (Est. 1:18). This word usually refers to God's wrath aroused by people failing to do their duties (Deu. 29:28,27; Psm. 38:1,2; Isa. 34:2). In some cases, this wrath was directed against sinful Gentile nations (Isa. 34:2; Zec. 1:15; cf. Rom. 1:18). In Israel's case, this duty was expressed in the Law of Moses (2Chr. 19:10; Zec. 7:12; cf. Rom. 4:15). Atonement performed by priests turned away God's wrath when laws were broken (Num. 16:46; 17:11; 2Chr. 29:8; 27:24; 29:8).

of the Lord...

יְהוָֹה

y^ehōwāh: A noun meaning God. The word refers to the proper name of the God of Israel, particularly the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses (Exo. 6:2-3). The divine name has traditionally not been pronounced, primarily out of respect for its sacredness (cf. Exo. 20:7; Deu. 28:58). Until the Renaissance, it was written without vowels in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, being rendered as YHWH. However, since that time, the vowels of another word, ’^aḏōnāy, have been supplied in hopes of reconstructing the pronunciation. Although the exact derivation of the name is uncertain, most scholars agree that its primary meaning should be understood in the context of God's existence, namely, that He is the "I AM THAT I AM" (Exo. 3:14), the One who was, who is, and who always will be (cf. Rev. 11:17). Older translations of the Bible and many newer ones employ the practice of rendering the divine name in capital letters, so as to distinguish it from other Hebrew words. It is most often rendered as LORD (Gen. 4:1; Deu. 6:18; Psm. 18:31,32; Jer. 33:2; Jon. 1:9) but also as GOD (Gen. 6:5; 2Sam. 12:22) or JEHOVAH (Psm. 83:18, 19; Isa. 26:4). The frequent appearance of this name in relation to God's redemptive work underscores its tremendous importance (Lev. 26:45; Psm. 19:14,15). Also, it is sometimes compounded with another word to describe the character of the Lord in greater detail (see Gen. 22:14; Exo. 17:15; Jdg. 6:24).

it shall not...

לֹא

lō’, לוֹא

lô’, לֹה

lōh: An adverb meaning no, not. The term is primarily utilized as an ordinary negation, as in Genesis 3:4: "You will not surely die" (NIV cf. Jdg. 14:4; Psm. 16:10). Often it is used to express an unconditional prohibition, thus having the force of an imperative: "You shall not (= do not ever) steal"(Exo. 20:15 NIV; cf. Jdg. 13:5). Frequently, it functions as an absolute in answer to a question (Job. 23:6; Zec. 4:5). The word is also employed in questions to denote that an affirmative answer is expected (2Kgs. 5:26; Jon. 4:11). When it is prefixed to a noun or adjective, it negates that word, making it have an opposite or contrary meaning (e.g., god becomes non-god; strong becomes weak; cf. Deu. 32:21; Pro. 30:25). When prefixed by the preposition b^e, meaning in or by, the combined term carries the temporal meaning of beyond or before (Lev. 15:25); the meaning without is also not uncommon for this combination (Job 8:11). A prefixed preposition l^e, meaning to or for, gives the term the meaning of without (2Chr. 15:3) or as though not (Job 39:16). Occasionally, the word suggests the meaning not only, on account of the context (Deu. 5:3).

be inhabited...

יָשַׁב

yāšaḇ: A verb meaning to sit, to dwell, to inhabit, to endure, to stay. Apparently, to sit is the root idea, and other meanings are derived from this. The subject of the verb may be God, human, animal (Jer. 50:39), or inanimate matter. The word sometimes emphasizes the location of persons, whether they were sitting under a tree (Jdg. 6:11; 1Kgs. 19:4) or in a house (2Kgs. 6:32). It could also reflect a person's position: one sat as a judge (Pro. 20:8; Isa. 28:6); as a widow (Gen. 38:11); or on a throne as king (Exo. 12:29; 2Kgs. 13:13). Sometimes it indicated one's companions; one sits with scoffers (Psm. 1:1); or with the elders of the land (Pro. 31:23). The word may signify "to dwell," either temporarily (Lev. 23:42) or in a permanent dwelling (Gen. 4:16; Zep. 2:15). Sometimes the word means that an object or person stays in a limited area (Exo. 16:29); or abides for a period of time (Lev. 12:4-5; 2Sam. 6:11); or for eternity (Psm. 9:7,8; 102:12,13; 125:1). The years are even said to sit, that is, to pass (1Kgs. 22:1).

but it shall be...

הָיָה

hāyāh: A verb meaning to exist, to be, to become, to happen, to come to pass, to be done. It is used over 3,500 times in the Old Testament. In the simple stem, the verb often means to become, to take place, to happen. It indicates that something has occurred or come about, such as events that have turned out a certain way (1Sam. 4:16); something has happened to someone, such as Moses (Exo. 32:1, 32:23; 2Kgs. 7:20); or something has occurred just as God said it would (Gen. 1:7, 1:9). Often a special Hebrew construction using the imperfect form of the verb asserts that something came to pass (cf. Gen. 1:7, 1:9). Less often, the construction is used with the perfect form of the verb to refer to something coming to pass in the future (Isa. 7:18, 7:21; Hos. 2:16).

The verb is used to describe something that comes into being or arises. For instance, a great cry arose in Egypt when the firstborn were killed in the tenth plague (Exo. 12:30; cf. Gen. 9:16; Mic. 7:4); and when God commanded light to appear, and it did (Gen. 1:3). It is used to join the subject and verb as in Gen. 1:2 where the earth was desolate and void, or to say Adam and Eve were naked (Gen. 2:25). With certain prepositions, it can mean to follow or to be in favor of someone (Psm. 124:1-2). The verb is used with a variety of other words, normally prepositions, to express subtle differences in meaning, such as to be located somewhere (Exo. 1:5); to serve or function as something (e.g., gods [Exo. 20:3]); to become something or as something, as when a person becomes a living being (Gen. 2:7); to be with or by someone (Deu. 22:2); to be or come on someone or something (e.g., the fear of humans on the beasts [Gen. 9:2]); to express the idea of better than or a comparison (Ezk. 15:2), as in the idea of too small (Exo. 12:4).

wholly...

כֹּל

kōl: A particle meaning each, every, all, everything, the whole, entire. It has an inclusive meaning of all or every one of something. Its exact meaning must be discerned from its usage in its context. Some representative samplings will help: With the definite article, it means the whole or everything of something (Ecc. 11:5); used before a definite noun, it expresses the whole of that noun, the whole earth (Gen. 9:19); whole people (Gen. 41:40). Used after a noun, it can refer to the whole or entirety of the preceding noun (2Sa. 2:9); before a plural noun, it usually means all, all the nations (Isa. 2:2); before a collective noun, it means all or every, all people (Gen. 7:21). Before a singular noun, it means every (Est. 3:8). Other nuances of its use can be discerned from studying its context closely.

Desolate:...

שִׁמְמָה

šimmāh, שְׁמָמָה

š^emāmāh: A feminine singular noun meaning desolation, waste. This noun can be used to refer to many things such as land, cities, or houses (Exo. 23:29; Lev. 26:33; Isa. 1:7). Most often it is used in conjunction with a passage describing what did happen to the land of Israel after God judged His people and sent them into exile. This shows the totality of the destruction that Israel endured. Nothing was to be saved from this destruction. Fields and vineyards were turned into wastelands and desolate fields after God's judgment (Jer. 12:10). God allowed such desolation as a punishment for the sins of His people because they refused to repent. This punishment could even fall on people of other nations, such as the Edomites (Ezk. 33:28-29; 35:3).

every one... see wholly above.

that goeth...

עָבַר

‛āḇar: A verb meaning to pass through or over, to cover, to go beyond, to go along, to be crossed over, to make to cross over, to go through, to go away. This verb indicates the physical act of crossing or passing over and takes on a figurative usage that exhibits many variations in meaning. Two figurative meanings are of primary importance theologically; the verb means going beyond, overstepping a covenant or a command of God or man. Moses uses the word when charging the people with disobeying and overstepping the Lord's commands (Num. 14:41; Jos. 7:11, 7:15). Est. 3:3 depicts Mordecai's transgressing of the king's command. The word is used of God's passing over His people's rebellion (Mic. 7:18); but also of His decision not to pass over or spare them any longer (Amos 7:8; 8:2). The verb relates to the placement of a yoke of punishment on the neck of Ephraim, God's rebellious nation (Hos. 10:11; cf. Job 13:13).

The word indicates the literal movement of material subjects and objects in time and space in various contexts: a stream or river is passed over (Jos. 3:14); as are boundaries (Num. 20:17). An attacking army passes through its enemies' territories, conquering them like a flood (cf. Jos. 18:9; Isa. 8:8; Dan. 11:10, 11:40); and as the literal flood waters of Noah's day covered the earth (Psm. 42:7,8; 88:16,17; Isa. 54:9). In a figurative sense, the word describes the feeling of jealousy that can come over a suspecting or jealous husband (Num. 5:14, 5:30); or the movement of God's Spirit (1Kgs. 22:24; 2Chr. 18:23; Jer. 5:28). The location of an event could move or pass on, as when the Israelites routed the Philistines, and the battle, both in location and progress, passed by Beth Aven (1Sam. 14:23; 2Sam. 16:1; Jer. 5:22).

The word indicates passing away or leaving (emigrating) from a certain territory (Mic. 1:11). It indicates dying or perishing, as when the Lord described the perishing of Assyria's allies (Nam. 1:12); or the disappearance of Job's safety (Job 30:15; 33:18); it describes the passing of a law's validity or its passing out of use (Est. 1:19; 9:27).

The causative stem adds the aspect of making these things happen as described in the simple stem. Jacob caused his family to cross over the Jabbok River (Gen. 32:23,24). The word is used of the heinous act of devoting children to pagan gods (Jer. 32:35; Ezk. 23:37). A proclamation or the sound of the shofar can pass through the land (Exo. 36:6; Lev. 25:9).

The word means to cause something to pass away. Many things could be noted: God caused Saul's kingdom to pass over to David (2Sam. 3:10); evil could be put away, as when Asa, king of Judah, put away male prostitutes from the religions of Israel (1Kgs. 15:12); or holy persons turned away their eyes from vain things (Psm. 119:37).

The word is used one time in the passive stem to indicate a river that cannot be crossed (Ezk. 47:5); and in the factitive or intensive stem to describe Solomon's stringing gold chains across the front area inside the Holy Place in the Temple (1Kgs. 6:21).

by...

עַל

‛al: A preposition meaning upon, over, against, by, to, for. The various nuances of this preposition are wide-ranging, and the context determines its exact meaning and usage. Here are some basics: on, upon (Gen. 1:11, 1:26; Exo. 20:12; 2Sam. 4:7); in front of (Gen. 18:8; Exo. 27:21); to, unto plus mî, "to whom" (Jer. 6:10); with zô’ṯ or kēn following, it means because of, therefore with respect to, concerning (Gen. 20:3; Ruth 4:7); as or according to (Psm. 110:4); besides or over against (Exo. 20:3); to come on (one's) heart, means to come to mind, to think of (Jer. 3:16); to add to, in addition to (yāsap̱ ‛al) (Gen. 28:9; 31:50; Deu. 19:9); it has the sense of with, met with (Exo. 3:18). Other phrases include: k^e‛al-ḵōl, according to all (Isa. 63:7); from upon, upon, e.g., a camel (Gen. 2:5; 19:24; 24:64); ‛al-b^elî, that . . . not (Gen. 31:20); ‛al-’^ašer, because (Exo. 32:35). It is used to indicate God's provincial care, His hand on (‛al) someone (Neh. 2:8); and to indicate a burden on someone (Exo. 5:8; 21:22; Job 7:20; Psm. 42:6; Isa. 1:14). It indicates the thing one speaks about or is concerned with when used with verbs of speaking, hearing (Jdg. 9:3; Jer. 16:3). It has the sense of eminence or exaltation, above (Deu. 26:19; Psm. 57:5,6, 57:11,12). It indicates what one exercises authority over (Isa. 22:15). It is used in the idiom, to fall asleep, sleep falls on someone (Gen. 2:21; Gen. 15:12); and of the activity of the mind setting on (‛al) something (2Sam. 14:1; Jer. 22:17; Mal. 3:13). It is used of an army attacking against (‛al) a foe (Gen. 34:25; Deu. 19:11; Amos 7:9).

Babylon...

בָּבֶל

bāḇel: A proper noun designating Babel or Babylon, a name meaning "confession" and the name of the foreign power most often mentioned in the Old Testament, Babylon. Its beginnings go back to Nimrod, "a mighty warrior" and hunter but also a founder of cities and city-states (Gen. 10:8-12). At Babel the languages of the world became mixed and separated (Gen. 11:9), and there great towers (ziggurats) were built to approach the gods as humankind deemed necessary. God stopped the building of these "towers of hubris" (Gen. 11:5-8), where humankind tried to gather together as one (Gen. 11:1-2). It was a part of the Assyrian Empire for a while (2Kgs. 17:24, 17:30). The neo-Babylonian Empire, founded by Nabopolassar (626 B.C.) is often mentioned in the prophets (Isa. Jer., Ezk., Dan., Mic., Zec.). Its greatest king, Nebuchadnezzar, ruled nearly 43 years and is the topic of much of the Book of Daniel (Dan. 1:1; 2, 3, 4). The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took Judah into exile in 587/6 B.C. (2Kgs. 25:1-28; Jer. 52:3-34). Isaiah the prophet especially denounced the idolatry of Babylon (Isa 40-66). Israel was exiled in 587/6 to Babylon for seventy years in fulfillment of both the prophet Moses' and Jeremiah's prophecies (Deu. 28; Jer. 25:1-14). They returned in 538 B.C. under Cyrus, king of Persia (2Chr. 36:20-23; Ezra 1:1-3; Zec. 2:7,11).

shall be astonished,...

שָׁמֵם

šāmēm: A verb meaning to be desolated, to be destroyed. The desolation or destruction that this verb refers to can be used of both people (2Sam. 13:20; Lam. 1:13, 1:16); and places (Lev. 26:31-32; Isa. 61:4; Ezk. 35:12) and is used in both its simple and causative forms. A second meaning of this verb, which is extremely common, is to be appalled or astonished and is used in the simple, passive, and passive causative stems (Job 18:20; Isa. 52:14; Jer. 18:16). The connection between these two meanings is not entirely clear; yet they are both used with great frequency. When this verb is used in the second meaning, it often describes a person's reaction on seeing desolation and destruction. For example, in 1Kgs. 9:8, the reaction of people to a destroyed land was described with this verb. A much less common use of this verb is in the reflexive stem. Here it meant to be disheartened or dismayed (Psm. 143:4).

and hiss...

שָׁמֵם

šāmēm: A verb meaning to be desolated, to be destroyed. The desolation or destruction that this verb refers to can be used of both people (2Sam. 13:20; Lam. 1:13, 1:16); and places (Lev. 26:31-32; Isa. 61:4; Ezk. 35:12) and is used in both its simple and causative forms. A second meaning of this verb, which is extremely common, is to be appalled or astonished and is used in the simple, passive, and passive causative stems (Job 18:20; Isa. 52:14; Jer. 18:16). The connection between these two meanings is not entirely clear; yet they are both used with great frequency. When this verb is used in the second meaning, it often describes a person's reaction on seeing desolation and destruction. For example, in 1Kgs. 9:8, the reaction of people to a destroyed land was described with this verb. A much less common use of this verb is in the reflexive stem. Here it meant to be disheartened or dismayed (Psm. 143:4).

at... see by above.

all... see wholly above.

Her plagues...

מַכָּה

makkāh: A feminine noun meaning a blow, a stroke. When the word carries this literal sense, often a weapon (sword, rod, whip) functions as the instrument by which the blow is delivered. The individual judged to be in the wrong in a legal case could receive as punishment a beating of up to forty blows or lashes (Deu. 25:3). In accordance with the royal edict decreed in the name of Xerxes, King of Persia, the Jews struck down their enemies with the blow of the sword (Est. 9:5). The Lord declared to Israel and Judah that He had dealt them their blows because their guilt was so great (Jer. 30:14). Elsewhere, the term signifies the result of a blow: a wound. King Joram rested in Jezreel to recover from wounds incurred in battle against the Arameans (2Kgs. 9:15). In another battle, King Ahab died of a wound, having been pierced by an arrow (1Kgs. 22:35; cf. Isa. 1:6; Jer. 6:7; 30:17; Mic. 1:9). In other passages, the word described calamities inflicted by God: affliction, misery, and plague. The Lord solemnly warned Israel that failing to diligently obey His commands would result in His overwhelming them with severe and lasting afflictions (Deu. 28:59, 28:61). The Philistines remembered that the "gods" of the Hebrews struck the Egyptians with all kinds of miseries (1Sam. 4:8; cf. Jer. 10:19, 49:17). Finally, the term can convey the sense of defeat or slaughter. Joshua and his fighting men handed the Amorites a great defeat at Gibeon (Jos. 10:10; cf. Jos. 10:20). Samson took revenge on the Philistines, killing many in a terrible slaughter because they had burned his wife and father-in-law (Jdg. 15:8; cf. Jdg. 11:33; 1Sam. 4:10; 14:14). This noun is related to the verb nāḵāh.

Book of Isaiah Chapter 14 Vs. 15

Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon 

Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Yet thou shalt... This will be the lot of all who seek to be like God the wrong way (Mat. 25:41; Rev. 14:9-11; 20:10-15; 21:8; 22:15).

Yet...

אַךּ

’ak

A particle meaning only, surely, but. Its emphatic use is translated as indeed or surely (Gen. 26:9; 29:14; 1Kgs. 22:32; Jer. 5:4). It takes on a restrictive meaning and is translated as only (Gen. 7:23; 9:4, NASB) or just as (Gen. 27:13; Jdg. 10:15, NASB). Its contrastive sense, but, however, or nevertheless, is also found (Jer. 34:4, NASB).

thou shalt be brought down...

יָרַד

yarad

A verb meaning to go down, to descend. It is used of motion both literally or figuratively of someone or something coming down. It is used figuratively of the Lord's coming down to observe something or to make an announcement, e.g., the Tower of Babel or the announcement of the Exodus (Gen. 11:5, 11:7; Exo. 3:8; 19:11, 19:18). It is used of people coming down from a mountain (Exo. 19:14); of birds descending from the air (Hos. 7:12), etc. It is used to describe valleys sinking (Psm. 104:8). A crown may "come down" as a sign of humility and falling from power (Jer. 13:17-18). It is used figuratively of going down to Sheol (Gen. 37:35); or of breaking into, going down, apart, into tears (cf. Psm. 119:136; Isa. 15:3). It depicts the falling or coming down of the pride of might (Eze. 30:6). It describes fire from heaven or a pillar of fire coming down (Exo. 33:9; 2Kgs. 1:10, 1:12, 1:14). It is used to depict the path of a boundary line descending down from one location to another (Jos. 16:3).

to...

אֵל

’el, אֶל

’el

A preposition meaning to, into, concerning. It has the basic meaning of toward. It is used in all kinds of situations indicating direction (Gen. 2:19; 16:11; 18:7; Lev. 1:16). It is used metaphorically to refer to speaking to someone (Gen. 8:15) or sexual intercourse (Gen. 16:2; Num. 25:1). It indicates direction when things face each other (Num. 12:8). Its use in the idiom hinn^eni ’el indicates motion toward (Gen. 4:8). Other meanings according to context are: as far as (Jer. 51:9); into (Jon. 1:5); to sit at (Gen. 24:11; 1Kgs. 13:20). Used figuratively, it can mean with regard to something (2Sam. 1:24). When used with other prepositions, it indicates direction or location according to the preposition it is being combined with (Jos. 15:13; 17:4; 1Kgs. 8:6; 2Kgs. 9:18).

It is used in place of or interchangeably for the preposition ‛al and takes on the meaning of upon, on (Jos. 5:14; Jdg. 6:37).

hell...

שְׁאוֹל

š^e’ôl, שְׁאֹל

š^e’ol

A noun meaning the world of the dead, Sheol, the grave, death, the depths. The word describes the underworld but usually in the sense of the grave and is most often translated as grave. Jacob described himself as going to the grave upon Joseph's supposed death (Gen. 37:35; 42:38); Korah, Dathan, and Abiram went down into the ground, which becomes their grave, when God judges them (Num. 16:30, 16:33; 1Sam. 2:6). David described his brush with death at the hands of Saul as feeling the ropes or bands of the grave clutching him (2Sam. 22:6). The Lord declares that He will ransom His people from the grave or Sheol (Hos. 13:14). Habak-kuk declared that the grave's desire for more victims is never satiated (Hab. 2:5).

The word means depths or Sheol. Job called the ways of the Almighty higher than heaven and lower than Sheol or the depths of the earth (Job 11:8). The psalmist could not escape the Lord even in the lowest depths of the earth, in contrast to the high heavens (Psm. 139:8; Amos 9:2). It means the deepest valley or depths of the earth in Isa. 7:11.

In a few cases, Sheol seems to mean death or a similar concept; that Abaddon (destruction) lies uncovered seems to be matched with Sheol's meaning of death (Job 26:6). It means death or the grave, for neither is ever satisfied (Prov. 7:27; cf. Isa. 38:10) The word is best translated as death or the depths in Deut. 32:22.

Sheol or the grave is the place of the wicked (Psm. 9:17,18; Psm. 31:17,18); Ezekiel pictured it as the place of the uncircumcised (Eze. 31:15; 32:21, 32:27). Israel's search for more wickedness and apostasy took them to the depths of Sheol (Isa. 57:9). On the other hand, the righteous were not made for the grave or Sheol; it was not their proper abode. They were not left in the grave or Sheol (Psm. 16:10) but were rescued from that place (Psm. 49:15,16). Adulterers and fornicators were, metaphorically, described as in the lower parts of Sheol or the grave (Prov. 9:18). Sheol and Abaddon (Destruction) are as open to the eyes of God as are the hearts and thoughts of humankind; there is nothing mysterious about them to Him (Prov. 15:11).

to... same as to above.

the sides...

יַרְכָה

yarkah, יְרֵכָה

y^erekah

A feminine noun referring to a remote area, a border, the highest part, the far end. It refers to something toward the back or side, distant, far away. It refers to the part of Zebulun most distant from Jerusalem, toward the Mediterranean Sea and north (Gen. 49:13). It refers to the back or rear of a tent or building (Exo. 26:22-23). It indicates the part of a mountain farthest away (Jdg. 19:1, 19:18; 2Kgs. 19:23); of the farthest part of the earth (Jer. 6:22; 25:32); of the northern territories (Isa. 14:13). It refers to the remotest parts of the pit in Sheol, its most remote areas (Isa. 14:15). It refers to the rear of an inner room, such as the Most Holy Place (1Kgs. 6:16); the inner recesses of the hold of a ship (Jon. 1:5); a cave (1Sam. 24:3,4); or a house (Amos 6:10).

of the pit...

בּוֹר

bôr

A masculine noun meaning pit, cistern, well. The term can refer to rock-hewn reservoirs or man-made wells. When empty, such cisterns served as perfect prisons (i.e., Joseph Gen. 37:20, 37:22, 37:24, 37:28, 29 and Jeremiah Jer. 38:6-7, 38:9-11, 13). The semantic range extends to prisons in general. Joseph refers to Pharaoh's dungeon as bôr (Gen. 40:15). Figuratively, it carries positive and negative connotations. Positively, it can signify a man's wife (Prov. 5:15), and Sarah is the cistern of Israel (Isa. 51:1). Negatively, it represents death (Prov. 28:17); Sheol (Psm. 30:3,4); exile (Zec. 9:11).

The language used here, of course, is hyperbolical. Yet he would be brought low to the grave (pit is a synonym for grave). Nothing could save him from death and from decay in the grave.

Book of Hosea Chapter 6 Vs. 11

 Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people. Hos. 6:11

Also, O Judah,... Lest Judah feel smug at her neighbor’s demise, the prophet reminds them that they have a day of reckoning awaiting them (Jer. 51:13; Joel 2:10-3-1).

Also...

גַּם

gam: An adverbial conjunction meaning also, even, moreover, indeed, yea, as well as, both, though. In different contexts, the word can be translated in various ways: it ties things together, new and old (Song 7:13,14); includes other things or persons, such as a husband (Gen. 3:6); adds action (Gen. 3:22); intensifies, such as even a blameless nation (Gen. 20:4); indicates neither . . . nor (1Sam. 28:20). It may stress a particular word with which it is used and mean even or else (Exo. 4:9; Num. 22:33; Pro. 14:13). It introduces a climax to a statement (Gen. 27:33) and means yes (KJV, yea). It expresses agreement in oneself with another, e.g., I also (Gen. 20:6; Jos. 24:18; Jdg. 2:21). When used in pairs gam . . . gam, it means also . . . as or as . . . as (Jer. 2:36) or as . . . so (Isa. 66:3-4). It means though in some contexts: "They tried Me, though [gam] they had seen My work" (of judgment) (Psm. 95:9 NASB, cf. Psm. 129:2; Jer. 6:15; Ezk. 20:23). When used in the phrase gam kiy, it is best rendered as yes, when, or even when (Pro. 22:6; Isa. 1:15; Lam. 3:8; Hos. 8:10).

O Judah,...

יְהוּדָה

y^ehûḏāh: A proper noun designating Judah:

A. The fourth son of Jacob through Leah (Gen. 29:35; 35:23). He married a Canaanite woman and bore two sons by her (Er, Onan). Er died and then Onan his brother died, leaving Tamar, Er's wife, without a child. Judah, heartlessly, refused to allow his third son to have a child by Tamar. Judah then committed an unwitting, but heinous sin with his daughter-in-law by hiring her as a prostitute and unwittingly fathered twins by her (Gen. 38). His lack of compassion is evident in the story. Judah himself bore many other sons (Gen. 46:12). Jacob prophesied of the high status Judah and his descendants would have among the patriarchs (Gen. 49:8-12). He and they would be above their enemies, their own kinsmen; he was compared to a lion. He would have royal prerogatives ("scepter," "rulership"); he would be prosperous and powerful in appearance (cf. also Deu. 33:7). From Judah would come the Star out of Jacob and Israel (Gen. 24:17).

B. The territory of Judah ran north-south from north of Jerusalem and Aijalom and south to Kadesh Barnea. Its eastern border ran from Gath south to the El-Arish (River of Egypt). Its eastern border was the Dead Sea and a boundary running from the Brook Zered southwest to Kadesh Barnea. Jerusalem, Hebron, and Bethlehem, all important cities in Israel and the Old Testament, were within its boundaries.

The tribe took its territory in Canaan rather forcefully (Jdg. 1:1-9) but could not totally capture Jerusalem. Judah seems gradually to have become isolated from the northern tribes (Jdg. 4; 5).

Under David, Judah became powerful. David was crowned king in Judah at Hebron and then captured Jerusalem to consolidate Judah and to attract the other tribes to Jerusalem as the central capital and worship center of the nation (2Sam. 5:1-16). Solomon attempted to consolidate the nation further, but through poor politics, poor economics, oppressive taxation, and megalomanical building projects, he forced those outside of Judah into a subordinate, almost slave-like position toward Judah and Jerusalem (2Sam. 8-12). As a result, Israel split off from Judah after Solomon's death in 930 B.C. The nation of Israel went into exile in 722 B.C., while the nation of Judah, with the Davidic covenant and royal line intact, lingered on with a few good kings (Asa, Jehosophat, Joash, Hezekiah, Josiah) until she too was destroyed because of her religious and moral corruption (2Kgs. 25).

Within Judah, God had chosen a king and established an eternal covenant (2 Sam. 7). The tribe of Judah went into exile in 586 B.C., as predicted by Jeremiah, but likewise returned in 538 B.C. according to the prophet's word, still bearing the promised royal seed. The tribe was a mere shadow of itself from then until the end of the Old Testament. The high priest became dominant, for no kings were permitted in Judah, now a province of Persia, then Egypt, Syria, and Rome.

C. A Levite who had intermarried with the foreign people of the land in Ezra's day (Ezra 10:23).

D. A district or sectional director in Jerusalem over its newly returned residents from exile or the surrounding region (Neh. 11:9).

E. A leading Levite who returned from exile from Babylon under Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:8).

F. A priest who took part in the procession celebrating the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:34).

he hath set... Judah, the southern kingdom, will fare no better than Ephraim, the northern kingdom; for it committed the same sins. God’s judgment will come to them some 136 years later and by a different agent, Babylon.

שִׁית

šiyṯ: A verb meaning to set, to put, to lay. It basically means to place or put something somewhere: hostility between the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15); to appoint or replace something (Gen. 4:25); to place or put sheep in a separate area (Gen. 30:40); to appoint or establish a person in an official position (Gen. 41:33; Psm. 21:6,7; 132:11; Isa. 5:6; 26:1; Jer. 22:6). It is used of God's setting or establishing the earth on its foundations (1Sam. 2:8). To set one's hand on a person's eyes at death means to close them (Gen. 46:4). It indicates merely placing one's hand on a person (Gen. 48:14, 48:17). To set one's heart on something means to pay attention to it (Exo. 7:23; 2Sam. 13:20; Jer. 31:21). The phrase šîṯ l^eḇaddô means to set apart (Gen. 30:40). The phrases to set one's hand to means to help or to have a common goal (Exo. 23:1); to blame someone means to set sin upon them (Num. 12:11). It takes on the sense of to make, to constitute something as: to make someone turn the shoulder (Psm. 21:12,13); to make something like something else, e.g., Israel like a land of hunting, a wilderness (Jer. 2:15; Hos. 2:3,5); to make or appoint darkness (Psm. 104:20). It refers to appointing a feast (Jer. 51:39); or of setting, putting one's refuge in the Lord (Ps. 73:28). God sets, defines Israel's borders (Exo. 23:31).

an harvest for... A reaping time of judgment.

when I returned... Judah had sinned like Israel, and they too, would reap what they had sown. There is a great harvest at the end of the earth when all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be carried to heaven to live for God. Those who reject Jesus will be the tares which are gathered and burned.

קָצִיר

qāṣiyr: I. A masculine noun indicating a harvest, a reaping. It refers to the time of the year set by God when crops have ripened and are harvested (Gen. 8:22; 30:14, April-June); and to the activity of harvesting itself (2Sam. 21:9). The failure of a harvest was devastating (Gen. 45:6). Certain feasts were centered around times of harvesting (Exo. 23:16).

II. A masculine noun meaning a bough, a branch. It refers to a fresh bough or sprig springing forth from a stump, an indication of life (Job 14:9). It is used figuratively of the wicked whose branch is dead, cut off (Job 18:16); and to the prosperity of Job in his earlier years (Job 29:19). It is used of Israel's prospering (Psm. 80:11,12), but also to her state of ruin as dry limbs (Isa. 27:11).

The comparison of judgment to a harvest (cf. Jer. 51:33; Joel 3:13) emphasizes its certainty (appointed) and its thoroughness.

for thee, when I returned...

שׁוּב

šûḇ: A verb meaning to turn, to return, to go back, to do again, to change, to withdraw, to bring back, to reestablish, to be returned, to bring back, to take, to restore, to recompense, to answer, to hinder. The verb is used over one thousand times and has various shades of meaning in its four stems. In the simple stem, it is used to describe divine and human reactions, attitudes, and feelings. The verb describes the possibility that Israel might change (turn) their minds and return to Egypt (Exo. 13:17). Josiah the king turned back to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength (2Kgs. 23:25; Jer. 34:15). Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the anger He held toward Judah (2Kgs. 23:26; Jer. 4:28). Job pleaded with his miserable comforters to relent (i.e., turn away) from him (Job 6:29). God's people will return (repent) and seek Him in the last days (Deu. 30:2; Isa. 59:20; Hos. 3:5) instead of turning away from Him as they are now; to return to Egypt (Isa. 6:10; Hos. 11:5). God's call was persistently for His people to return to Him (1Kgs. 8:33; Jer. 4:1). Any nation can repent and turn to God for forgiveness (Jer. 18:8).

The word is used metaphorically to describe things returning: God's Word will not be revoked (returned) once it has been uttered (Isa. 45:23; 55:11); Jacob stayed with Laban until Esau's anger cooled off (turned back) (Gen. 27:44-45); blood guilt could return on one's own head (1Kgs. 2:33; Psm. 7:16,17). This word also describes the sword of Saul that did not return without success from the battlefield (2Sam. 1:22).

The verb also indicates to returning to or to change into. For example, human beings return to the dust of the earth (Gen. 3:19; Ecc. 12:7); but a person cannot naturally return to life (2Sam. 12:23); unless God's Spirit brings it about (1Kgs. 13:6). A land of great natural fertility can be reduced (turned into) to a farmer's cropland (Isa. 29:17).

In its simplest sense, the word means to return, to restore, to go back. Abraham's descendants in their fourth generation would return to Canaan (Gen. 15:16); God returned to visit His people (Gen. 8:9; 18:10). It is also used to describe turning chariots about when needed (1Kgs. 22:33; Mic. 2:8).

This verb is used with other verbs of motion, all in their infinitive or participial forms, to describe a back and forth motion; the ravens Noah sent out went back and forth (Gen. 8:7). Used with another verb in general, šûḇis either not translated or means to do again whatever action is indicated by the other verb, such as when Isaac dug again the wells his father had previously dug (Gen. 26:18). A similar meaning is to take back or recapture when this verb is used with the Hebrew verb lāqaḥ, meaning to take or to receive (2Kgs. 13:25; Mic. 7:19). Finally, if this verb is used with a following infinitive of another verb, it means to do over and over or more and more; Israel angered the Lord more and more than they had already angered Him by performing pagan rituals (Ezk. 8:17).

the captivity...

שְׁבוּת

š^eḇûṯ, שְׁבִית

š^eḇiyṯ: A feminine noun meaning captivity, captives. This word conveys either a state of exile, such as being taken for a spoil of war, or the subjects of such captivity. The chief use was in declaring the liberating power of the Lord in releasing His people from such banishment (Deu. 30:3; Jer. 33:7; Hos. 6:11). Interestingly, when Job's fortunes were restored, he was said to have been freed from captivity (Job 42:10).

of my people...

עַ ם

‛am, עָ ם

‛ām: A masculine noun meaning a people, peoples, people of the land, citizens. The word is used over nineteen hundred times to indicate groups of people that can be categorized in various ways. The largest group of people is the one comprising the whole earth (see Gen. 11:1); it constituted one people (Gen. 11:6); who shared a common language (Gen. 11:6; Ezk. 3:5); a common location (see Gen. 11:2); and a common purpose and goal (see Gen. 11:4). However, the Lord scattered the group and brought about multiple languages, thereby producing many groups who would then develop into new peoples united around common languages, including common ancestors, religious beliefs, traditions, and ongoing blood relationships.

The word is used to describe various groups that developed. The people of the sons of Israel (Exo. 1:9; Ezra 9:1), was a term referring to all Israel. The people of Judah were a subgroup of Israel (2Sam. 19:40,41), as was northern Israel (2Kgs. 9:6). The people of Israel as a whole could be described in religious or moral terms as a holy, special people (Deu. 7:6; 14:2; Dan. 8:24); or the Lord's inheritance (Deu. 4:20). Above all, they were to be the Lord's people (Jdg. 5:11; 1Sam. 2:24); and the people of God (2Sam. 14:13). They were the Lord's own people because He had rescued them from slavery to Pharaoh and his gods (Exo. 6:7). But the Lord Himself characterized His people as stiff-necked (Exo. 32:9; 33:3; 34:9; Deu. 9:13). To be a member of the Lord's people was to have the Lord as one's God (Ruth 1:16); if God's people rejected the Lord, they ceased to be His people. Therefore, it is clear that God's presence and ownership of His people gave them their identity (Exo. 33:13, 33:16; Hos. 1:9; cf. Deu. 32:21).

In the plural form, the word refers to many peoples or nations. Jerusalem, destroyed and lamenting, called for the people of the world to look on it and its guilt (Lam. 1:18). Israel was chosen from among all the peoples of the earth (Exo. 19:5, 19:7; Deu. 14:2). The Lord is in control of all the plans of the nations and peoples (Psm. 33:10). The word is used in parallel with gôyim. Isaac prayed for Jacob's offspring to become a community of peoples that would include the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 28:3).

The word described people in general that is, nonethnic or national groups. It refers to all the people as individuals in the world (Isa. 42:5). When persons died, they were gathered to their people (Gen. 25:8, 25:17). It also referred to people from a particular city (Ruth 4:9; 2Chr. 32:18); or people from a specific land (e.g., Canaan [Zep. 1:11]). Centuries earlier, Pharaoh referred to the Hebrews living in Egypt under slavery as the people of the land (Exo. 5:5). This phrase could refer to the population at large in Solomon's time and later (2Kgs. 11:14, 11:18; 15:5); or to the population of Canaan in Abraham's time (Gen. 23:7).

The term also depicted foreign peoples and nations. The Moabites were the people of the god Chemosh (Num. 21:29). The word designated foreigners in general as strange or alien people (Exo. 21:8); the people of Egypt were considered the people of Pharaoh (Exo. 1:9, 1:22).

The word is even used to describe a gathering of ants (Pro. 30:25); or rock badgers (Pro. 30:26).

Book of Hosea Chapter 2 Vs. 3

 Israel's Unfaithfulness Punished

Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. Hos. 2:3

Lest...

פֶּן

pen: A conjunction meaning lest, so that, not. It indicates the prevention of a possible event: lest, so that . . . not (Gen. 3:22); or of an event that will occur unless it is stopped (Gen. 11:4; 19:19; 26:7, 26:9; 2Sam. 20:6). It indicates a negative purpose or result (Gen. 3:3). It is found at the beginning of a sentence meaning in order that not, lest (Isa. 36:18). Used with the perfect form of the verb, the condition may have already been fulfilled (2Kgs. 2:16 and above in 2Sam. 20:6).

I strip...

פָּשַׁט

pāšaṭ: A verb meaning to strip off; to raid, to invade. It is used of forcefully removing clothing from a person (Gen. 37:23); and of removing the skin from a sacrificial animal (Lev. 1:6). But it also refers to persons' removal of their inner clothing, as a matter of course (Lev. 6:11,14; 1Sam. 18:4); or under duress (Isa. 32:11). It indicates plundering or stripping a defeated enemy (1Sam. 31:8; 2Sam. 23:10). It means to break forth in a raid, to rush against an enemy (Jdg. 9:33; 20:37). Figuratively, it describes the ruthless way the rulers of Israel treated the people (Mic. 3:3); and of how God would strip His people because of their rebellion (Hos. 2:3,5).

her naked...

עָרוֹם

‛ārôm: An adjective meaning naked. It can allude to physical nakedness (Gen. 2:25; 1Sam. 19:24; Isa. 20:2-4). It can also be used figuratively to relate to one who has no possessions (Job 1:21; Ecc. 5:15,14). Moreover, Sheol is described as being naked before God, a statement of its openness and vulnerability to God and His power (Job 26:6).

set her as... (Eze. 16:4; 23:25-26, 28-29). The day of her political "birth" was when God delivered her from the bondage of Egypt, and set up the theocracy.

and set...

יָצַג

yāṣag̱: A verb meaning to set, to place, to present. It is a synonym of the Hebrew śim, to place, to put. It is used of placing objects or persons in a certain location or a certain way (Gen. 30:38; Jdg. 8:27; 1Sam. 5:2; 2Sam. 6:17). It has the sense of giving persons to someone as helpers (Gen. 33:15) in certain contexts. It means to set forth someone for a purpose or with a certain result (Job 17:6), e.g., Job was set forth, made a byword, a joke of scorn. To set justice in the land means to establish justice, what is right, in the land (Amos 5:15). In Jdg. 7:5, it has the sense of to set out, to separate out.

her as in the day...

יוֹם

yôm: A masculine noun meaning day, time, year. This word stands as the most basic conception of time in the Old Testament. It designates such wide-ranging elements as the daylight hours from sunrise to sunset (Gen. 1:5; 1Kgs. 19:4); a literal twenty-four hour cycle (Deu. 16:8; 2Kgs. 25:30); a generic span of time (Gen. 26:8; Num. 20:15); a given point in time (Gen. 2:17; 47:29; Ezk. 33:12). In the plural, the word may also mean the span of life (Psm. 102:3,4) or a year (Lev. 25:29; 1Sam. 27:7). The prophets often infuse the word with end-times meanings or connotations, using it in connection with a future period of consequential events, such as the "day of the LORD" (Jer. 46:10; Zec. 14:1) or simply, "that day" (Isa. 19:23; Zec. 14:20-21).

that she was born,...

יָלַד

yālaḏ, לֵדָה

lēḏāh: I. A verb meaning to give birth, to beget, to deliver. It is commonly used of women bearing children (Gen. 3:16) as well as animals who brought forth young (Gen. 30:39). In the case of birds, it may refer to the laying or production of eggs (Jer. 17:11). In a more general sense, it is used of men becoming the father of children (Gen. 4:18). It is used in figurative expressions: evil people bring forth iniquity (Job 15:35); Moses is said to beget, bear, conceive the people of Israel (Num. 11:12); God begets Israel (Deu. 32:18); a day brings forth many things (Pro. 27:1). In a passive use of the verb, it may refer to one's birthday, literally, "the day of her birth" (Hos. 2:5).

In certain forms of the verb, it means to help bring to birth, to serve as midwife (Exo. 1:16). In other forms of the verb, it takes on a causal sense, such as causing someone to give birth, as God causes His people to come to birth (Isa. 66:9). The wicked in Israel are said to conceive, to bring forth iniquity (Isa. 59:4). In Num. 1:18, it takes on the meaning of having one's name put into a genealogical record.

II. A feminine noun referring to childbirth, delivery. It indicates the time of or the process of childbirth (2Kgs. 19:3); it is used of the failure of Israel to be fruitful when her time had come (Isa. 37:3). Hosea stresses Israel's failure to become that nation God was looking for on the day of her birth (Hos. 9:11). The pangs of childbirth are employed in a simile to orchestrate the pain of Israel's being thrust into exile (Jer. 13:21).

and make...

שׂוּם

śûm, שִׂים

śiym: A verb meaning to appoint, to bring, to call, to put, to change, to charge, to commit, to consider, to convey, to determine. The primary meaning of the verb is to put, to set, or to place. The verb indicates that which God put on the earth, as noted in Genesis where God put the man and woman that He formed in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8). The usage of the verb in this sense indicates God's sovereignty over all creation, especially that of humankind. The verb is also used to describe Samuel's action concerning the stone he named Ebenezer (1Sam. 7:12). This stone was set up between Mizpah and Shen to remember God's deliverance of the Israelites from the Philistines. The verb is used to describe a committing of one's cause before God (Job 5:8). The word is used in Exodus in response to an interaction between Moses and God, in which God gave a new decree and law to the Israelites (Exo. 15:25). In this setting, the verb again emphasizes God's sovereignty, His ability to establish the order of things, and His ability to control the elements of nature and disease. In Deuteronomy, śûm is used to describe God's appointing of leaders over the different tribes of Israel, for their numbers were too great for Moses alone (Deu. 1:13). The word is also used to indicate a charging of someone, as where a man charged his wife with premarital sex (Deu. 22:14).

her as a... (Jer. 6:8; Zep. 2:13). Translate, "make her as the wilderness," namely, that in which she passed forty years on her way to her goodly possession of Canaan. With this agrees the mention of "thirst" (compare Jer. 2:6).

her as a wilderness,...

מִדְבָּר

miḏbār: I. A masculine noun meaning mouth, speech. It refers to the human instrument of talking, the mouth, but in context its beauty and pleasantness are stressed (Song 4:3). It stands in parallel usage to lips which precedes it in the previous line.

II. A masculine noun referring to a desert, a wilderness. It indicates a wilderness area, a desert, or a pasture used for animals in general (Gen. 37:22; Job 38:26; Jer. 23:10; Joel 2:22); in reference to specific areas, especially the great Sinai wilderness (Deu. 2:7). Several other specific wilderness areas are indicated: the wilderness of Shur (Exo. 15:22); of Qedesh (Psm. 29:8); of Beersheba (Gen. 21:14); of En Gedi (1Sam. 24:1,2) and others. It is used figuratively of the Lord making Israel like a wilderness (Hos. 2:3,5); and of the Lord depicted as a possible wilderness to His people (Jer. 2:31). Some wilderness areas featured cities and villages (Jos. 15:61; Isa. 42:11).

and set...

שִׁית

šiyṯ: A verb meaning to set, to put, to lay. It basically means to place or put something somewhere: hostility between the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15); to appoint or replace something (Gen. 4:25); to place or put sheep in a separate area (Gen. 30:40); to appoint or establish a person in an official position (Gen. 41:33; Psm. 21:6,7; 132:11; Isa. 5:6; 26:1; Jer. 22:6). It is used of God's setting or establishing the earth on its foundations (1Sam. 2:8). To set one's hand on a person's eyes at death means to close them (Gen. 46:4). It indicates merely placing one's hand on a person (Gen. 48:14, 48:17). To set one's heart on something means to pay attention to it (Exo. 7:23; 2Sam. 13:20; Jer. 31:21). The phrase šîṯ l^eḇaddô means to set apart (Gen. 30:40). The phrases to set one's hand to means to help or to have a common goal (Exo. 23:1); to blame someone means to set sin upon them (Num. 12:11). It takes on the sense of to make, to constitute something as: to make someone turn the shoulder (Psm. 21:12,13); to make something like something else, e.g., Israel like a land of hunting, a wilderness (Jer. 2:15; Hos. 2:3,5); to make or appoint darkness (Psm. 104:20). It refers to appointing a feast (Jer. 51:39); or of setting, putting one's refuge in the Lord (Psm. 73:28). God sets, defines Israel's borders (Exo. 23:31).

her like a dry...

צִיָּה

ṣiyyāh: A feminine noun indicating dryness, parched land, desert. It refers to a time of drought, a lack of rain for supplying water (Job 24:19); or to the infertile, dry ground itself (Job 30:3). The thirsting of the dry ground for water is compared to the longing of the soul for God (Psm. 63:1,2). It refers to the desert and wilderness wanderings of Israel after the Exodus (Psm. 78:17; 105:41). The Lord is able to transform a desert into a place of flowing waters and babbling springs (Psm. 107:35), even the dry land ’ereṣ ṣiyyāh (Isa. 41:18). But He can turn a city of splendor into a desiccated wilderness (Zep. 2:13).

land...

אֶרֶץ

’ereṣ: A noun meaning the earth, land. It is used almost 2,500 times in the Old Testament. It refers to the whole earth under God's dominion (Gen. 1:1; 14:19; Exo. 9:29; Psm. 102:25,26; Pro. 8:31; Mic. 4:13). Since the earth was God's possession, He promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants (Gen. 12:7; 15:7). The Promised Land was very important to Abraham's descendants and to the nation of Israel that possessed the land (Jos. 1:2, 1:4). Israel's identity was tied to the land because it signified the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. If the Israelites were disobedient, however, they would be cursed by losing the land (Lev. 26:32-34, 26:36, 26:38-39; Deu. 28:63-64; Jer. 7:7).

and slay...

מוּת

mûṯ: A verb meaning to die, to kill, to put to death, to execute. It occurs in the simple stem of the verb in 600 of its 809 occurrences, meaning to be dead or to die. It indicates a natural death in peace at an old age, as in the case of Abraham (Gen. 25:8; Jdg. 8:32). Dying, however, was not intended to be a natural aspect of being human. It came about through unbelief and rebellion against God (Gen. 3:4) so that Adam and Eve died. The word describes dying because of failure to pursue a moral life (Pro. 5:23; 10:21). It describes various kinds of death: at the hand of God the Lord smote Nabal, and he died (1Sam. 25:37); the execution of the offender in capital offense cases (Gen. 2:17; 20:7); the sons of Job from the violence of a mighty storm (Job 1:19); a murderer could be handed over to die at the hand of the avenger of blood (Deu. 19:12). The prophets declared that many people would die by the hand of the Lord when He would bring the sword, famine, and plagues upon them (Jer. 11:22; cf. Jer. 14:12). The present participle of this form may indicate someone who is dying (Gen. 20:3); dead or a corpse (Deu. 25:5; Isa. 22:2). People could also be put to death by legal or human authority (Gen. 42:20; Exo. 10:28).

The word indicates the dying of various nonhuman, non-animal entities. A nation could die, such as Moab, Ephraim, or Israel (Ezk. 18:31; Hos. 13:1; Amos 2:2). A more powerful use of the verb is its description of the death of wisdom (Job 12:2) or courage (1Sam. 25:37).

thirst...

צָמָא

ṣāmā’: A masculine noun referring to thirst, something parched. It describes a desire for water to drink or some other liquid, milk or wine. It indicates a literal thirsting for water (Exo. 17:3). It describes the throat of a righteous man before his enemies (Psm. 69:21,22). The Lord meets the thirsty needs of His creatures (Psm. 104:11). It is used of spiritual and emotional needs, the thirsts of God's rebellious people (Isa. 5:13); and the physical needs of the poor (Isa. 41:17). Thirst may be a feature of God's judgments (Isa. 50:2). It stands for parched places and land (Jer. 48:18). It refers to thirsting, desiring the Word of God (Amos 8:11).

The house of Jacob was in this condition, when God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. They had nothing. They became the wife of God when they made covenant with Him to keep His commandments. This was also, the condition of a sinner, before he was saved. We make covenant, when we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

The righteous do not hunger and thirst, they are filled. Those who wander away from God do not benefit from the things of God, because He withdraws from them. This is what this is saying here. They must repent or God will let them get back into the condition He found them in.

The Lord’s appeal (Hos. 2:2) was strengthened by a severe threat containing three solemn warnings to Israel (I will occurs three times in Hos. 2:3-4). First, the Lord threatened to strip her naked, making her an object of shame and ridicule (cf. Hos. 2:10; Eze. 16:35-43). The punishment fit the crime. She who had exposed her nakedness to her lovers would be exposed publicly for all to see. This public act apparently preceded the execution of an adulteress (cf. Eze. 16:38-40).

Second, the Lord threatened to make her like an arid desert, deprived of water (cf. slay her with thirst), incapable of producing or sustaining life. All her powers of fertility would be removed. Again the punishment fit the crime. She who had engaged in illicit sexual behavior would become incapable of reproduction.