‘Hear this, O you priests, And listen, O house of Israel, And give ear, O house of the king, For to you pertains the judgment, For you have been a snare at Mizpah, And a net spread on Tabor.' The call comes to priests, people and royal house to listen to what YHWH has to say. All are involved.... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGMENT IS ANNOUNCED ON THE PRIESTS, PEOPLE AND ROYAL HOUSE OF ISRAEL BECAUSE OF THEIR GOING ASTRAY IN THEIR RITUAL, SOMETHING WHICH HAS PREVENTED THEM FROM TURNING TO YHWH AND HAS MADE THEM UNACCEPTABLE TO HIM, AND THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE THAT THEY WILL BE DEVOURED (HOSEA 5:1). Hosea now involves... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And those who err (shettim = rebels, swervers, wanderers) are gone deep in slaughter, And I am a rebuker (correcter, chastener) of them all.' Here we have explained the reason why they were seen as setters of snares. It was because in their behaviour they were behaving like rebels against YHWH by... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I know Ephraim, And Israel is not hid from me, For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot, Israel is defiled. ‘Their doings will not allow them, To turn to their God, For the spirit of whoredom is within them, And they do not know YHWH.' There is an interesting inclusio and play on idea... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, And Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity, Judah also will stumble with them.' Indeed He is aware of their pride and self-reliance which testifies to His face (or their own face), revealed both in their false worship and their social inj... [ Continue Reading ]
‘With their flocks and with their herds, They will go to seek YHWH, But they will not find him, He has withdrawn himself from them.' ‘Against YHWH have they dealt treacherously, Because they have borne strange children. Now will the new moon devour them, With their fields (portions).' When ju... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Blow you the ram's horn in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah, Sound an alarm at Beth-aven. Behind you, O Benjamin.' The picture is vivid. The call is to the watchmen on the watchtowers to sound the alarm at the sight of invading armies, using both ram's horn and metal trumpet, and is made to the... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHRAIM ARE TO PREPARE FOR AN INVASION WHICH WILL LEAD TO THEIR DESOLATION WHILST JUDAH WILL BE PUNISHED FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION TO SEIZE LAND. BOTH WILL SUFFER AS A CONSEQUENCE. MEANWHILE A PLEA FROM EPHRAIM TO ASSYRIA WILL NOT SOLVE HER PROBLEMS, WHILST YHWH WILL BE WAITING FOR THEIR... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke, Among the tribes of Israel have I made known what will surely be.' The consequence of the invasion, and the certainty of those consequences, is now described. Ephraim will become a desolation (a virtual desert) on the ‘day of rebuke (chastise... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark, I will pour out my wrath on them like water.' Judah also is to face YHWH's chastisement although not to the same degree. There is no mention of desolation, but they will nevertheless experience the pouring out of YHWH's anger on them lik... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Ephraim is oppressed, He is crushed in judgment, Because he was content to walk, After man's command.' The spotlight turns back on Ephraim (Israel). They are being oppressed, they are being crushed in judgment, and while the mills of God grind slowly, they are grinding exceeding small. Both expr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Therefore am I to Ephraim as a moth, And to the house of Judah as rottenness (decay).' Central to the passage (see the analysis above) is a description of what YHWH is to both Israel and Judah. To Israel He is as a moth, devouring them like clothes are devoured by moths, to Judah He is like the r... [ Continue Reading ]
‘When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria, And sent to the Great King, But he is not able to heal you, Nor will he cure you of your wound.' The main warning here is to Israel, but there is a spin off to Judah, possibly because Ahaz was still consideri... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I will be to Ephraim as a lion, And as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away, I will carry off, and there will be none to deliver.' It is now emphasised that it was YHWH Who was responsible for the troubles of both Israel and Judah, because they had been faith... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I will go and return to my place, Until they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me earnestly.' The thought of the lion going away to the shelter of his lair having torn his prey is now applied to YHWH's treatment of Israel. He too will go away, leavin... [ Continue Reading ]