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Hosea 13

KJV · Chapter 13/14

1When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.

2And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.

3Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

4Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

5I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.

6According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.

7Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:

8I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

9O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

10I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?

11I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

12The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.

13The 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.

14I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

15Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.

16Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God recalls how He rescued Israel from slavery and provided for their needs, but because of their idolatry and pride, He promises to act like a lion and a bear to bring just judgment on the nation.

Explanation

The images of God as a lion and a bear tearing their prey apart are shocking, but they reflect the seriousness of the broken covenant: God had promised blessings for faithfulness and curses for rebellion (Deuteronomy 28), and now He is fulfilling His word. Yet in the midst of this announcement of judgment comes one of the most astonishing promises in the Bible: 'I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues' — a glimpse of the final victory over death. The application for today is that even in the darkest moments of discipline, God is already planting seeds of hope for ultimate restoration.

Fun facts

  • Verse 14 ('I will ransom them from the power of the grave... O death, I will be thy plagues') is quoted almost word for word by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55 when he speaks of Christ's victory over death in the resurrection.
  • The king given 'in my anger' (v.10-11) probably refers to Saul, the first king of Israel, or more broadly to the monarchy the people demanded despite being warned it would bring trouble (1 Samuel 8).

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Hosea 13:1Ephraim was once respected enough to make others tremble, but by getting involved with Baal, that honor "died" — a picture of the kingdom's spiritual and political decline.
  2. Hosea 13:2"Kissing the calves" was a ritual gesture of worship toward calf-shaped idols; the text mocks people who kiss metal statues as if they were real gods.
  3. Hosea 13:3Four images of fleeting things — morning cloud, dew, chaff in the wind, smoke — describe how quickly Ephraim will disappear.
  4. Hosea 13:4God reaffirms His unique identity since the Exodus: Israel should recognize no other god, because only He is truly able to save.
  5. Hosea 13:5God recalls that He cared for the people precisely in the harshest place, the wilderness — reinforcing the historical closeness between the two from the very beginning.
  6. Hosea 13:6As soon as they were satisfied in the promised land, the people's heart grew proud, and so they forgot the very God who sustained them.
  7. Hosea 13:7God shifts from protector to predator: He promises to act like a lion and a leopard lying in wait, because of the people's forgetfulness.
  8. Hosea 13:8An even more violent image: a bear enraged over losing her cubs, tearing the people apart — describing the intensity of the announced judgment.
  9. Hosea 13:9Israel destroyed itself by rebelling against the very one who was its only real source of help: the Lord Himself.
  10. Hosea 13:10The question "where is thy king" is ironic: the people had asked for a king centuries earlier in order to be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8), and now, in the end, neither the king nor the princes will save them from Assyria.
  11. Hosea 13:11God recalls that the request for a king (1 Samuel 8) was granted with a certain divine reluctance, and now that same king will be taken away in judgment.
  12. Hosea 13:12Ephraim's sin is stored away like a treasure, ironically — nothing has been forgotten, and everything will be accounted for in the end.
  13. Hosea 13:13An image of childbirth: the pains of judgment are coming, but Ephraim is like a foolish baby that does not "come out" at the right time, losing the chance to be saved.
  14. Hosea 13:14"O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction" is a taunt against death and the grave, promising ransom; the apostle Paul echoes this same verse, centuries later, in a letter about the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).
  15. Hosea 13:15Even if Ephraim prospers among the other tribes, a wind coming from the desert, called here "the wind of the Lord," will dry up its entire source of life.
  16. Hosea 13:16The chapter's brutal conclusion: Samaria will be destroyed with the violence typical of ancient warfare, a realistic picture of the cruelty of the invading armies of the time.

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