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A COMMENTARY

OF THE BOOK OF
HOSEA

By

Rev. Dr Jeffry David Camm


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION 3
COPYRIGHT: 3
The Original Source Document: 3
Explanatory Notes: 3
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF HOSEA 4
Chapter One: The Word of the Lord that came to Hosea 4
Chapter Two: Idolatry Threatened with Severe Judgements 6
Chapter Three: A Promise of Severe Judgements 8
Chapter Four: A promise of reconciliation 9
Chapter Five: God’s judgement on the People, Priest & Princes of Israel 11
Chapter Six: Israel Reproved for its Hypocrisy 13
Chapter Seven: Israel reproved for Hypocrisy & Impiety 14
Chapter Eight: Distress & Captivity of Israel for their Sins 15
Chapter Nine: Israel in Captivity for their Sins 17
Chapter Ten: Israel Reproved for Impiety & Idolatry 19
Chapter Eleven: Israel’s Ingratitude, Ephraim Reproved 21
Chapter Twelve: It is Time to Seek the Lord 22
Chapter Thirteen: Ephraim’s Glory Dies 23
Chapter Fourteen: Repentance Enjoined 25

Copyright © 2022, by Rev. Dr Jeffry David Camm


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DEDICATION
This commentary is dedicated to my wife, Rani, who has been my soulmate and
my encouragement for these last 40 years, as we have travelled and preached in
many nations. There have been many good experiences, (and some not so good),
but throughout these travelling adventures for the LORD, He has always been
faithful; He is the ONE person whom we have come to love and trust, in ALL
situations ~ in the good, the bad, and the ugly.

COPYRIGHT:
The contents of this book remain the copyright property of the author, Rev. Dr
Jeffry David Camm, and his estate, in succession. Permission is given for the use
of parts of this document for Bible Study Groups, Evangelism, or Private Study.
Permission is given for the whole of this document to be reproduced by Christian
organisations for evangelistic and/or Bible College reference purposes, provided
it is not sold for profit!

THE ORIGINAL SOURCE DOCUMENT:


The Original Source Document is my KJV Bible, which is over 100 years old, and
still has AN OCCASIONAL reference to some of the “hidden books,” which were in
the Bible at the time of Jesus Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem, and in the KJV
First Edition, which was still in publication in 1834.

EXPLANATORY NOTES:
Like the other prophetic books, some of the prophecies are for events which
happen in the New Testament. The codes below will indicate which time periods
these verses/chapters refer to.

Code Code Meaning Comments


[F] First Coming of Jesus Christ His first coming, ministry, death &
resurrection
[S] His Second coming back NOT, His “appearing” in the clouds.
physically to earth
[T] The Tribulation Period of 7 This is the tribulation period of
years Daniel’s Prophecies & Revelation
[M] The Millennium Period The reign of Jesus on the “existing”
earth for 1,000 years.
[h]~ The Hebrew word The deeper Hebrew meaning is given
for the word identified
[P] Prophecy A promise made by God to be
fulfilled.
[Ch]~ Chaldean Aramaic Some of (some say all-of) this book
(Daniel) was originally written in the
Aramaic Language.
*** “Therefore” When you see “therefore” in
scripture, it means “conclusion;” so
go back and read what has been
concluded.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF HOSEA
(As stated in the New Living Bible):

Love is a magnificent, exhilarating trip, and when it dies, it is worse than, almost
any kind of death. You don’t want to believe it, but the ride is over, and you are
just not going any further on this track.
That is what happened to the love affair between Israel and her God, during the
days of Hosea. “The LORD has filed a lawsuit against you,” Hosea announced
shortly before Samaria was aconquered [in 722 BC], “listing the following charges:
➢ There is NO Faithfulness,
➢ NO kindness,
➢ NO knowledge of God in your land.
➢ You swear, and lie, and kill, and steal, and commit adultery.
➢ There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another >>>.
➢ Your doom is sealed, for you refuse to understand.” (4:1, 2.14).
It is hard to believe that God really loves human beings ~ maybe that’s why their
rejection of Him is so terrible!

CHAPTER ONE: THE WORD OF THE LORD THAT CAME TO HOSEA

1. The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, bin the days of
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of
Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel [the 10 rebellious tribes].
2. Then beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the LORD said to
Hosea; Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms:
for cthe Land has committed great whoredoms, departing from the Lord.
3. So, he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim: which conceived and
bare him a son.
4. And the Lord said unto him, call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and
d
I will eavenge the blood of Jezreel, upon the house of Jehu, and fwill cause
to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5. And it shall come to pass at that day that gI will break the bow of Israel in
the valley of Jezreel.

These are the messages from the Lord to Hosea, the son of Beeri, during the
reigns of these four kings of Judah; Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah; and only
one king of Israel ~ Jeroboam, the son of Joash, he ruled the 10 rebellious tribes
of Israel.
This Hosea’s first message:
The Lord said to Hosea; “Go and marry a girl who is a prostitute, so that some of
her children will be born to you from other men.” [I am sure Hosea must have
been asking himself, what he had wrong; that the righteous Lord, would punish
him, by asking him to marry a prostitute: to be shunned by society: But then, God
explains the reason].
This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, committing open
adultery, by worshipping other gods.” This is also a reflection upon the nation of
Israel throughout the ages.

a c f
In 722 BC Ezekiel 16:15 2 Kings 15:10,12
b d g
Isaiah 1;1; Amos 1:1, Micah 2 Kings 10:11 2 Kings 15:29
e
1:1 [h]~ visit

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Even today, (2022) prostitution, and illegal drugs are readily available on the
streets in Israel. Sadly, there are no government-run, drug rehabilitation centres;
they are all supported by overseas Christian organizations. Drugs are a problem,
but the police force is not equipped to deal actively with this problem, with their
priority on prevention & reduction of terrorism, which is an immediate real threat
to human life.
So, Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived a son.
And the Lord said to Hosea: “Name the child Jezreel [which means “avenge”], for
in the valley of Jezreel I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty, to avenge the
murders that he has committed; [He went far beyond God’s command to execute
the family of Ahaz (see 1 Kings 21:21 and 2 Kings 10:11).
The Lord continues: In fact, I will put an end to Israel as an independent Kingdom,
breaking the power of the nation in the valley of Jezreel. [This is a prediction of
the Assyrian conquest of Israel, 25 years later.]
6. And she conceived again and bare a daughter, And God said unto him; ‘Call
her name aLoruhamah (which means ~ having not obtained mercy or grace),
for I will bno longer have mercy upon the house of cIsrael; dbut I will utterly
take them away.
7. [P] But eI will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by
the Lord their God, and I fwill not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by
battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
Soon after this, Gomer had another child, a daughter. And God said to Hosea;
Name her Loruhamah (meaning no more mercy, or grace), for I will have no more
mercy upon Israel (those 10 rebellious tribes), to forgive her again. But I will have
mercy upon the Tribe of Judah. I will personally free her from her enemies, without
any help from her armies, or her weapons. [Soon after defeating Israel, the
Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib, invaded Judah, and besieged Jerusalem. He was
driven off by special intervention of God’s angel ~ Isaiah chapters 36-37)] This
prophecy came to pass!
8. Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived and bare a son.
9. Then said God; Call his name gLoammi, for you are not my people and I not
be your God.
After Gomer had weaned Loruhamah, she again conceived, and this time gave
birth to a son. And God said: Call him Loammi (which means ~ not my people),
for Israel is not mine, and I am not her God.
10. Yet the number of children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which
cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the
place where it was said unto them; You are not my people, there it shall be
said unto them; You are the sons of the Living God. [Israel is not forsaken
by God. The “eternal covenant”, is still eternal].
11. [P] hThen shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be
gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come
up out of the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Yet the time will come when Israel shall prosper and become a great nation: in
that day, her people will be too numerous to count ~ like the sand on the seashore!
Then, instead of saying to them; ‘You are not my people’, I will tell them; ‘You are
my sons & daughters, children of the Living God.’ Then the people of Judah and
a c f
[h]~ not have obtained The 10 rebellious tribes Zechariah 4:6
d g
mercy or grace [h]~ that I should utterly [h]~ not my people
b h
[h]~ not add any more pardon them Isaiah 11: 12-13; Ezekiel 37:
e
mercy to; 2 Kings 17:6,23 2 Kings 19:35 16-24

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Israel will unite and have one leader; they will return from exile together; what a
day that will be ~ the day when God will sow his people in the fertile land of their
own land again. [This refers to the day of Jezreel; see Verse 2:23]

CHAPTER TWO: IDOLATRY THREATENED WITH SEVERE JUDGEMENTS

1. Say unto your brethren, aAmmi and to your sisters, bRuhammah.


2. Plead with your mother, plead; for cshe is not my wife, neither am I her
husband: let therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her
adulteries from between her breasts.
3. Lest dI 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.
4. And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of
whoredoms.
5. For their mother has played the harlot; she that conceived them have done
shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that they give me my
bread, and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil, and my edrink.
O Jezreel, rename your brother and your sister. Now call your brother Ammi,
(which means ~ “Now you are mine”); and name your sister Ruhammah (which
means ~ “Pitied”), for now God will have mercy upon her!
Plead with your mother, for she has become another man’s wife ~ I am no longer
her husband. Beg her to stop her idolatry, to quit giving herself to others. If she
doesn’t, I will strip her naked as the day she was born, and cause her to waste
away and die of thirst, in a land riddled with famine and drought. And I will not
give special favours to her children, as I would to my own, for they are not my
children; they belong to other men. For their mother has committed adultery. She
did a shameful thing when she said; “I’ll run after other men and sell myself to
them for food, drink, and clothes.”
This is a clear warning, not to turn away from God Almighty, and put your trust in
other gods, ideologies, or pass laws, which are clearly contrary to God’s Holy
Word. This is showing, that you are claiming to know more than God ~ which is a
big mistake, because, no man was there at creation!
Therefore, fI will hedge up thy ways with thorns, and gmake a wall, that she shall
not find her paths.
6. And she shall follow after her lovers, but shall not overtake them; and she
shall seek them, but not find them; then shall she say; ‘hI will go and return
to my first husband; for then, it was better with me than with me now.’
7. For she did not know ithat I gave her corn, and (new) wine, and oil, and
multiplied her silver and gold, jwhich they prepared for Baal.
8. Therefore, will I return, and take away my corn, in the time thereof, and my
wine in the season thereof, and krecover my wool, and my flax, to cover her
nakedness.
9. And now will I discover her llewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none
shall deliver her out of my hands.

a e j
[h]~ that is “my people” [h]~ drinks [h]~ OR, wherewith, they
b f
[h]~ that is “having obtained Job 3:23 made Baal
g k
mercy” [h]~ wall a wall [h]~ Or, take away
c h l
Isaiah 50:1 Luke 15:17-18 [h]~ Folly, or villainy
d i
Ezekiel 16:39 Ezekiel 16:17-19

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10. [LD] aI will also cause her mirth to cease, her Feast Days, bher New Moons,
and her Sabbaths, all-of her solemn feasts.
11. And I will cdestroy her vines, and her fig trees, whereof she has said; These
are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest,
and the beast of the field shall eat them.
12. And dI will visit upon her ethe days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to
them, and she decked herself with her earrings and jewels, and she went
after her lovers, and forgot me, Says the Lord.
But I will fence her in with briars and thornbushes; I’ll block the road before her
to make her lose her way, so that when she runs after her lovers, she will not
catch up with them. She will search for them, but not find them. Then she will
think, “I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him, then I
am now.”
She does not realise, that all that she has, comes from me. It was I who gave her
all-of the gold and silver, that she used in worshipping Baal, her god!
But now I will take back the new wine, and the ripened corn, that I constantly
supplied, and the clothes I gave her, to cover her nakedness. ~ I will no longer
give her rich harvests of grain in its season, or new wine at the time of the grape
harvest. Now I will expose here nakedness in public, for all-of her lovers to see,
and no one will be able to rescue her from my hand.
I will put an end to all-of her joys, her parties, holidays, and feasts. I will destroy
her vineyards, and her orchards, ~ gifts she claims that her lovers gave her ~ and
let them grow into jungle; wild animals will eat their fruit.
For all-of the incense that she burned to Baal, her idol, and for the times when
she put on her earrings and jewels, and went out looking for her lovers, and
deserted me (her husband): for all-of these things I will punish her, says the Lord.
13. *** Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness and
speak fcomfortably to her.
14. And I will give her, her vineyards from thence, and gthe valley of Achor, for
a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and has
in the days when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
15. And it shall be at that day, says the LORD, that you shall call me iIshi ~
(which means My Husband); and shall call me no more jBaali ~ (which means
My Lord).
16. For I will take away the names of Baalim, out of her mouth, and they shall
no more be remembered by their name.
17. And in that day kwill I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field,
and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground;
and lI will break the bow, and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and
will make them to lie down msafely.
18. And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yes, I will betroth thee unto me in
righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.
19. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and you shall know the
LORD.

a e j
Jeremiah 7:34 11:2 [h]~ that is ~ my Lord
b f k
2 Kings to make her lose her [h]~ friendly, Or, to her heart Isaiah 11:6-9
g l
way 4:23; Amos 8:5 Joshua 7:26 Psalm 46:9
c h m
[h]~ make desolate Exodus 15:1,20 Leviticus 26:5; Jeremiah
d i
4:9 [h]~ that is ~ my husband 23:6

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20. And it shall come to pass in that day, aI will hear, says the Lord, I will hear
the heavens, and they shall hear the earth:
21. And the earth shall hear bthe corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall
hear cJezreel.
22. And dI will sow her unto me in the earth: and eI will have mercy upon her
that had not obtained mercy; And fI will say to them which were not my
people, that gyou are my people; and they shall say: you are my God.
But I will court her again, and bring her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to
her there. There I will back her vineyards, and transform her Valley of Troubles,
into a Door of Hope. She will respond to me there, singing with joy, as in the days
long ago in her youth: after I had freed her from captivity in Egypt.
In that coming day, says the Lord, she will call my “my husband.” Instead of “My
Master.” O Israel, I will cause you to forget your idols, and their names will not be
spoken anymore.
At that time, I will make a treaty between you and the wild animals, birds, and
snakes, not to fear each other anymore; and I will destroy all weapons, and all
wars will end. Then you will lie down in peace and safety, unafraid; and I will bind
you to me for ever with chains of Righteousness, and Justice, Love and Mercy. I
will betroth you to me in faithfulness and love, and you will really know me then,
as you have never have before.
In that day, says the Lord, I will answer the pleading of the sky for clouds, to pour
down water on the earth in answer to its cry for rain. Then the earth can answer
the answer the parched cry of the grain, the grapes, and the olive trees for
moisture, and for dew ~ and the whole grand chorus shall sing together the “God
sows!” (Jezreel) He has given all.
At that time, I will sow a crop of Israelites, and raise them up for myself! I will
pity those who are “not pitied,” and I will say to those who are “not my people,”
that “Now you are my people;” and they will reply; “YOU ARE OUR GOD!”

CHAPTER THREE: A PROMISE OF SEVERE JUDGEMENTS

1. Then said the Lord unto me, hGo yet, love a woman, beloved of her ifriend,
yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of
Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
2. So, I bought her for me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a homer of barley,
and a jhalf homer of barley.
3. And I said unto her; You shall kabide with me for many days; you shall not
play the harlot, and you shall not be for another man: so, will I also be for
thee.
4. For the children of Israel shall abide many days lwithout a king, and without
a prince, and mwithout a sacrifice, and without nan image, and without an
o
ephod, and without a pteraphim.

a g m
Zechariah 8:12 Zechariah 13:9 9:4
b h n
Psalm 67:6; 85:12 1:2-3 [h]~ standing, or statue, or
c i
1:4 Jeremiah 3:20 pillar
d j o
Jeremiah 31:27 [h]~ letchech Exodus 28:6
e k p
Romans 9:25 Deuteronomy 21:13 Genesis 31:19: Judges 17:5
f l
12:9-10; 1 Peter 2:10 10:3

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5. [LD] Afterwards shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their
God, and aDavid their king; and shall fear the lord, and his bgoodness in the
latter days.
Then the Lord said to me; “Go, and get your wife again, and bring her back to you
and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the Lord still loves Israel though
she has turned to other gods, and offered them choice gifts. So, I brought [back
from slavery] for a couple of dollars and 8 bushels of barley, and said to her; “You
must live alone for many days do not go out with other men, nor be a prostitute,
and I will wait for you.”
This illustrates the fact that Israel will be a long time without a king, or prince,
and without an altar, a temple, Priests, or even idols.
Afterwards, they will return to the Lord their God, and to the Messiah, their king,
and they shall be trembling, submissive to the Lord, and to His blessings, in the
end times.

CHAPTER FOUR: A PROMISE OF RECONCILIATION

1. Hear the Word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for cthe LORD has a
controversy with all-of the inhabitants of the land, because there is not truth,
nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Recent statistics indicate that as many as 50% of the present population in Israel,
do not believe in God. This is really sad, especially since that is the nation that
God Himself personally selected for Himself, and that is where He has chosen to
dwell on His Holy Mountain, where the New Jerusalem shall appear, coming down
from Heaven and hovering over Jerusalem, for 1,000 years.
2. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and committing adultery, they break out,
and dblood touches blood.
3. *** [P] Therefore,e shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwells therein
shall languish, with the beasts of the fields, and with the fowls of heaven:
yes, the fish of the sea shall also be taken away.
4. Yet, let no man strive, nor reprove one another: for fthy people are as gthey
that strive with the priest.
5. *** [P] Therefore, shall you fall in the day, and the prophet also will fall with
thee in the night, and I will hdestroy thy mother. [Israel]
The Word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The Lord has filed a suit against
you (in the Courtroom of Heaven), and these are the charges that are listed
against you:
• There is no faithfulness,
• No kindness,
• No knowledge of God in your land,
• You swear, and lie, and kill, and steal, and commit adultery.
• There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another.
Because of these sins, that is why your land is not producing, as it should. It is
filled with sadness, and all the living things grow sick and die; the animals, the
birds, and even the fish begin to disappear.

a d f
Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9 [h]~ bloods Exodus 32:7; Deuteronomy
b e
Jeremiah 31:12 Jeremiah 4:28; Joel 1:10; 9:12
c g
Isaiah 1:18; 3:13; Jeremiah Amos 8:8 Deuteronomy 17:12
h
25:31: see 12:2 [h]~ cut off

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Don’t point your finger at someone else, and try to pass the blame onto him! Look
Priest! I am pointing my finger at you! YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!
As a sentence for your crimes, you priests will stumble in broad daylight, as well
as in the night, and so will your “False Prophets” too; and I will destroy your
“Mother” ~ Israel.
6. [P] My people are adestroyed bfor lack of knowledge: because you have
rejected knowledge, I will also reject you; that cyou shall be no priest to me;
seeing that you have forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy
children.
7. As they were increased, so they sinned against me; *** dTherefore, will I
change their glory into shame.
8. They eeat up the sin of my people, and they fset their heart on their iniquity.
9. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will gpunish them for their
ways, and hreward them for their doings. [both good & bad]!
10. For ithey shall eat and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and
shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.
11. Whoredom and wine and new wine, take away the heart.
God’s word comes down strongly on the Priests for not teaching the word and
more importantly, not practising the word!
My People are destroyed because they don’t know me, and it’s all your fault , you
priests (Pastors), for you yourselves, refuse to know me.
*** Therefore, I refuse to recognise you as my Priests (pastors). Since you have
forgotten my laws, I will “forget” to bless my children. The more my people
multiplied, the more they sinned against me. They exchanged the glory of God for
the disgrace of idols.
They will eat and still be hungry. Though they did a big business as prostitutes,
they shall have no children ~ for they have deserted me and turned to other gods.
The Priests rejoice in the sins of the people; they lap it up and lip their lips for
more! And thus it is: “LIKE PRIEST ~ LIKE PEOPLE!” Because the Priests are
wicked, the people are too.
*** Therefore, I will punish both the Priests and the people, for all-of their wicked
deeds. Because of this, they will eat and not be satisfied ~ they will still be hungry!
Though they do big business as prostitutes, they shall have no children. I will close
up their wombs, because they have turned away from me, to serve other gods.
12. My people ask counsel at their jstocks, and ktheir staffs declare it unto them:
for the spirit of whoredom had cause them to error: and they have gone a
whoring from under their God.
13. [P] lThey sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon
the hills, under poplars, moaks and elms, because the shadow thereof is good;
*** Therefore, your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouse
shall commit adultery.
14. [P] nI will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your
spouses, when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with
whores and they sacrifice with harlots; *** Therefore the people that does
not understand shall ofall.

a f k
[h]~ cut off [h]~ lift up their soul to Ezekiel 21:21
b g l
Isaiah 5:13 [h]~ visit upon Isaiah 1:29; 57:5,7
c h m
Exodus 19:6 [h]~ cause to return Genesis 35:8; Amos 2:9
d i n
1 Samuel 1:30 Leviticus 26:26; Micah 6:14 [h]~ shall I not
e j o
Leviticus 6:25-26; 10:17 Jeremiah 2:27; 3:9 [h]~ be punished

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For they are asking a piece of wood to tell them what to do. “Divine Truth” comes
to them through tea leaves! Longing after idols has made them foolish!
For they have played the harlot, serving other gods, and deserting me! They
sacrifice to idols on the top of mountains; they go up into the hills to burn incense,
in the pleasant shade of oaks and poplars and terebinth trees. There your
daughters turn to prostitution, and your brides commit adultery. But why should
I punish them? For you men are doing the same thing! You are sinning with harlots
and temple prostitutes. FOOLS!!! Your doom is sealed, for you refuse to
understand.
15. Though you, O Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah offend; and come not
you unto aGilgal, neither go up to bBet-haven, cnor swear; The LORD liveth.
16. For Israel slides back das a backsliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as
a lamb in a large place.
17. eEphraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
18. Their drink is fsour; they have committed whoredom continually: her grulers
with shame do love Give ye.
19. The wind has bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed, because
of their sacrifices.
But although Israel is a prostitute, may Judah remain pure and stay far away,
from such a life. O Judah, do not join with those who insincerely worship me at
Gilgal and at Bethel. Their worship is mere pretence. Don’t be like Israel, stubborn
as a heifer, resisting the Lord’s attempts to lead her into green pastures. Stay
away from her, for she is wedded to idolatry.
The men of Israel finish up their drinking bouts, and go off to find some whores.
Their love of shame, is greater than their love for honour.
*** Therefore, a mighty wind shall sweep them away: they shall die in shame,
because they sacrifice to idols.

CHAPTER FIVE: GOD’S JUDGEMENT ON THE PEOPLE, PRIEST & PRINCES


OF ISRAEL

1. Hear you this, O Priests; and hearken you house of Israel: and give you ear,
O house of the king; for judgement is towards you; because you have been
a snare at hMizpah, and a net spread upon iTabor.
2. And the revolters jare profound to make slaughter, kthough I have been a
rebuker of them all.
3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, lO Ephraim, you
commit whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
4. m
They will not nframe their doings, to turn unto their God: for othe spirit of
whoredoms is in-the-midst-of them, and they have not known the Lord.
5. And pthe pride of Israel does testify to his face: *** Therefore, shall Israel
and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
6. They shall go with their flocks and their herds to seek the Lord; BUT they
shall not find Him; (Because) He has withdrawn Himself from them.

a g m
See 12:11 [h]~ shields [h]~ Their doings will not
b h
Amos 4:4 Genesis 31:49 suffer them
c i n
Amos 8:14 Joshua 19:12 [h]~ give
d j o
Jeremiah 3:6 See 9:9 4:12
e k p
See 5:3 [h]~ and See 7:10
f l
[h]~ gone See 6:10

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7. They have adealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten
strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
8. b
Blow cthe cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at dBet-
haven, after thee, O Benjamin.
9. [P] Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel
have I made known that which surely shall be.
10. [P] The Princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: ***
Therefore I will out my wrath upon them like water.
11. Ephraim is eoppressed and broken in judgement, because he willingly walked
after the commandment.
12. *** Therefore, will I do unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah,
as frottenness.
13. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went
Ephraim gto the Assyrians, and sent to hking Jareb: yet could he not heal you,
nor cure you of your wound.
14. For iI will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of
Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away: I will take away, and none shall
rescue him.
Listen to this, you Priests and all-of Israel’s leaders; listen all-of you men of the
royal family; You are doomed! For you have deluded the people with idols at
Mizpah and Tabor, and dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia. BUT never forget ~
I will settle up with all-of you, for what you have done.
Do you thing that you could this evil from me? I have seen your evil deeds: Israel,
you have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled! Your
deeds will prevent you from coming to God again, for the spirit of adultery is
deposited deep within you, and you cannot know the Lord.
The very arrogance of Israel testifies against her in my court. (The Court-room of
Heaven). She will stumble under her load of guilt, and Judah too, shall fall. THEN,
at last, they will come with their flocks and their herds, to sacrifice to God, but it
will be too late. They will not find Him. He has withdrawn from them and they
are left alone.
For they have betrayed the honour of the Lord, bearing children that are not his.
Suddenly, they, and all-of their wealth will disappear. Sound the Alarm!!! Warn
the trumpet blast in Gibeah and Ramah, and on over the Bet-haven; tremble, land
of Benjamin! Hear this announcement, Israel: When your day of punishment
comes, you will become a heap of rubble!
The leaders of Judah have become the lowest type of thieves. Therefore, I will
pour out my anger upon them, like a waterfall, and Ephraim will be crushed and
broken, by my sentence, (punishment) because she is determined to continue to
follow idols. I will destroy her, as a moth does wool; I will sap away the strength
of Judah, like dry rot.
When Ephraim and Judah see how sick they are, Ephraim will turn to Assyria, to
the great king there, but he can neither help them, nor cure them.
I will tear Ephraim and Judah as a lion tear apart its prey; I will carry them off
and chase all rescuers away. I will abandon them and return to my home until
they admit their guilt, and look to me for help again, for as soon as trouble comes,
they will search for me and say;
a e h
6:7 Deuteronomy 28:33 [h]~ Or the king of Jareb, Or,
b f
Jeremiah 4:5 [h]~ Or, a worm the king that should plead
c g i
2 Chronicles 15:14; See 8:1 2 Kings 15:19 13:7
d
4:15

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CHAPTER SIX: ISRAEL REPROVED FOR ITS HYPOCRISY

1. Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for aHe has torn, and He will heal
us; He has smitten, and He will bind us up.
2. After two days bHe will revive us; in the THIRD DAY, HE WILL RISE UP, and
we will live in His sight.
3. c
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD; dHis going forth is
prepared eas the morning; and He will come to us as the rain, as fthe latter
and former rain unto the earth.
Come and let us return unto the LORD; it is He who has torn us ~ He will heal us.
He has wounded us ~ so He will bind us up. In just a couple of days, (as those
who move a boundary marker), or three at the most, He will set us on our feet
again, to live in His kindness.
Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him, and He will respond
to us, as surely as the coming of the dawn, or the rain of early spring.
4. g
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto you? O Judah, shall I do unto you? For your
goodness is has a morning cloud, and as the early dew ~ it goes away.
5. *** Therefore, have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the
words of my mouth: iand thy judgements are as the light that goes forth.
6. For jI desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge more than burn
offerings.
7. But they, like kmen, have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt
treacherously against me.
8. l
Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and it is mpolluted with blood.
9. And as ntroops of robbers wait for a man, oso the company of Priests
[Caiaphas & the Sanhedrin] murder in the way pby consent: for they commit
q
lewdness.
10. I have seen ra horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of
Ephraim, Israel is defiled!
11. Also, O Judah, He has set a harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity
of my people.
O Ephraim and Judah, what shall I do with you? For your love (for me) vanishes
like morning clouds, and disappears like dew. I have sent my prophets to warn
you of your doom; I have slain you with the words of my mouth, threatening you
with death. (And just like today, you refused to listen!) So, SUDDENLY,
WITHOUT WARNING, my judgements shall strike you as surely as day follows
night!
I don’t want your sacrifices ~ I want your love; I don’t want you offerings, I want
you to know me. [Do you realise that God cannot love Himself? That is why God
created mankind, with free will, to get to know Him personally, (like a son does
His Father), and to love Him, unconditionally ~ Just like Jesus loves us, and that
is why He was prepared to die for us ~ His love is unconditional ~ He died for us
even BEFORE we knew Him].
But just like Adam, you broke my covenant; you refused my love. Gilead is a city
full of sinners, tracked with footprints of blood. Her citizens are gangs of robbers,

a h m
Deuteronomy 32:39 13:3 [h]~ Or, cunning for
b i n
Psalm 71:20 [h]~ that thy judgements 7:1
c o
Isaiah 54:13 might be Jeremiah 11:9; see 5:1-2
d j p
Micah 5:2 1 Samuel 15:22; Matthew [h]~ with one shoulder, Or,
e
Malachi 4:2 9:13 to Shechem
f k q
Deuteronomy 11:14 [h]~ like Adam [h]~ enormity
g l r
11:8 12:11 Jeremiah 5:30
lying in ambush for their victims; packs of Priests murder along the road to
Shechem and practise every kind of sin.
Yes, I have seen a horrible thing in Israel ~ Ephraim chasing after other gods, ***
Therefore, Israel is defiled. O Judah, for you also there is a plentiful harvest of
punishment waiting (also many other nations on the earth) ~ and I wanted so
much to bless you!

CHAPTER SEVEN: ISRAEL REPROVED FOR HYPOCRISY & IMPIETY

1. When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was
discovered, and the awickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood; a
the thief comes in, and the troop of robbers bspoils without.
2. And they cconsider not in their hearts that I remember all-of their
wickedness; now their own doings have beset them about; they are dbefore
my face. [They forget that the sin offering in the Temple, only “covers their
sins” for just one year: They keep forgetting that God “still remembers their
sins” ~ UNDER THE OLD COVENANT. But under the NEW COVENANT; Jesus
FORGIVES OUR SINS & REMEMBERS THEM NO MORE!!]
3. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their
lies.
4. e
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by a baker, fwho ceases from
g
raising, after he has kneaded the dough, until it is (all) leavened.
5. In the day of our king, the princes have made him sick with hbottles of wine;
he stretched out his hand with scorners.
6. For they have imade ready their hearts like an oven; while they lay in wait:
their baker sleeps all-of the night; in the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
7. They are all hot as an oven; and have devoured their judges, and all-of their
kings jhave fallen: there is none among them that calls unto me.
8. Ephraim, khe has mixed himself among the people: Ephraim is a cake not
turned.
9. l
Strangers have devoured his strength, and He knows it not: Yes, grey hairs
are mhere and there upon him, yet he knows it not.
10. And nthe pride of Israel testifies to his face: and othey do not return to the
Lord their God, nor seek Him for all-of this.
And God said: I wanted to forgive Israel, but her sins were far too great ~ no-one
can ever live in Samaria without being a liar, a thief, and/or a bandit (terrorist).
Her people never seem to recognise, or understand that I am watching them.
Their sinful deeds give them way on every side; I see them all! Even the king is
glad about their wickedness; the princes laugh about their lies. They are all
adulterers; as a baker’s oven is constantly aflame ~ except while he kneads the
dough, and waits for it to rise ~ so are these people constantly aflame with lust.
On the king’s birthday, the princes get him drunk; he makes a fool of himself, and
drinks with those who mock him. Their hearts blaze like a furnace with intrigue.
Their plot smoulders through the night, and in the morning. it flames forth like a
raging fire. They kill their kings, one after another, and none cries out for help.

a f k
[h]~ evils [h]~ the raiser will cease Psalm 106:35
b g l
[h]~ strips [h]~ waking 8:7
c h m
[h]~ say not to [h]~ Or, heat through wine [h]~ sprinkled
d i n
Psalm 90:8 [h]~ applied 5:5
e j o
Jeremiah 9:2 2 Kings 15:10, 14, 25, 30 Isaiah 9:13

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14
[Three kings were assassinated during Hosea’s lifetime ~ Zechariah, Shallum and
Pekahiah].
My people mingle with the heathen, picking up their evil ways: Thus, they become
as good-for-nothing, as a half-baked cake. [If your sleep with dogs, sooner or
later you will catch flees. If you mingle with evil-doers, sooner or later you will
start to develop their habits. That is why the church is commanded “to come out
from among them”.]
Worshipping foreign gods have sapped their strength, but they don’t even know
it. Ephraim’s hair is turning grey; and he even realise how weak and old he is. His
pride in other gods has openly condemned him; yet he doesn’t return to his God,
nor even try to find him.
11. aEphraim also is like a silly dove without heart: bthey call to Egypt; they go
to Assyria.
12. When they shall go, cI will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down
as the fowls of the heaven: I will chastise them, das their congregation has
heard.
13. Woe unto them! For they have fled from me; eDestruction unto them!
Because they have transgressed against me: though fI have redeemed them,
yet they have spoken lies against me.
14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon
their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel
against me.
15. Though I ghave bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine
mischief against me.
16. They return, but not to the Most-High: they are like as deceitful bow: their
princes shall fall by the sword, for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their
derision, in the land of Egypt.
Ephraim is a silly, witless dove, calling to Egypt, but flying to Assyria. But as she
flies, I throw my net over her and bring her down, like a bird from the sky; I will
punish her for all-of her evil ways.
Woe to my people for deserting me! Let them perish ~ for they have sinned
against me. I wanted to redeem them, BUT their hard hearts would not accept the
truth. They lie there, sleepless with anxiety, but refuse to ask my help. Instead,
they worship heathen gods; asking them for crops and prosperity.
I have helped them, and made them strong; yet now they turn against me. They
look everywhere except to heaven, to the Most-High God. They are like a crooked
bow that always misses targets; their leaders will perish by the sword of their
enemies, for their insolence towards me. And all of Egypt will laugh at them.

CHAPTER EIGHT: DISTRESS & CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL FOR THEIR SINS

1. Set hthe trumpet to ithy mouth. He shall come jas an eagle against the house
of the Lord, because kthey have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed
against my law.
2. Israel shall cry unto me; lMy God, we know you!
3. Israel has cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.

a e j
11:11 [h]~ spoil Deuteronomy 28:49
b f k
2 Kings 17:4; see 12:1 Micah 6:4 6:7
c g l
Ezekiel 12:13 [h]~ chastened Matthew 7:21-23
d h
Leviticus 26:14-39; 5:8
i
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 [h]~ the roof of thy (mouth)

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4. They have set up kings ~ but not by me: they have made princes, and I
a

knew it not: of btheir silver and their gold have they made them idols, that
they may be cut off.
SOUND THE ALARM! They are coming! Like a vulture, the enemy descends upon
the people of God, because they have broken my treaty (covenant), and revolted
against my laws.
Now, Israel pleads with me and says; “Help us ~ for you are our God!” But it is
too late! Israel has thrown away her chance with contempt, and now her enemies
will chase her.
She has appointed kings and princes, without my counsel, or my consent! They
have cut themselves off from my help by worshipping idols that they made with
their hands from silver and gold.
5. c
Thy calf, O Samaria has cast thee off: mine anger is kindled against them:
how long will it be before they attain to innocence?
6. [P] For from Israel was it also: the workmen made it; *** Therefore it is NOT
God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
7. For dthey have sown the wind, and they shall reap whirlwind: it has no estalk;
the bud shall yield no meal; if it does yield, fthe strangers shall swallow it up.
8. [P] Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles, as ga vessel
wherein there is no pleasure.
9. For hthey are gone up to Assyria, ia wild ass alone by himself: jEphraim has
hired lovers.
10. [LD] Yes, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them,
and they shall ksorrow la little for the burden of mthe king of princes.
11. Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him as
sin.
12. nI have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as
a strange thing.
13. [P] oThey sacrificed flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it: but
the Lord accepted them not: now will he remember their iniquities, and visit
their sins: pthey shall return to Egypt.
14. [T] For Israel has forgotten His maker, and builds Temples; and Judah has
multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon the cities, and devour the
palaces thereof.
O Samaria, I reject this calf ~ this idol that you have made. My furious anger is
directed against you! As God cries out towards His people, so we cry out today:
How long before we find an honest man among you. We have searched among
kings, presidents, princes, priests, and the peoples, but found none. When will
you admit, that that calf that you have made with your hands, is the calf that you
worship? It is NOT God! Therefore, it must be smashed to pieces!
[Sadly, in today’s society, we have made many objects to be our idols: our nation,
our careers, our families, our wealth, or even sport; in fact, anything which we
feel has a higher priority in our lives than Jesus, is now our idol, and our god.]

a f l
1 Kings 12:20; 2 Kings 7:9 [h]~ in a little while
g m
15:13,17,23 Jeremiah 22:28 Isaiah 10:8; Ezekiel 26:7
b h n
2:8 2 Kings 15:19 Deuteronomy 4:6,8
c i o
1 Kings 12:28 Jeremiah 2:24 [h]~ in the sacrifices of mine
d j
10:12 Ezekiel 16:33-34,41 offerings
e k p
[h]~ standing corn [h]~ begin Deuteronomy 28:68

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They have sown the wind; Therefore, they shall reap the tornado; their corn stalks
shall be left standing barren, stripped of its harvest, withered and sickly; with no
grain. However, if it has some grain left, the foreigners will eat it!
Israel is destroyed, she lies among the nations as a smashed vessel, with pieces
scattered everywhere. She is like a lonely wandering wild ass, with no purpose or
direction. The only friends she has are those that she hires: Assyria is one of them.
But although she hires “friends” from many nations, I will send her off into exile,
into captivity. Then for a little while, (for seventy years) she will be free of the
burden of her wonderful king.
Ephraim has built many altars, but they are not to worship me! They are altars of
sin! Even if I gave her ten thousand laws; she would ignore them, and say that
they are not for her. She would explain that they were for another nation very far
away. [That is how far she has drifted away from her God].
Like some churches today, her people like the rituals of their sacrifices, but to me
it is meaningless! I will call for an accounting of their sins, and I will punish them:
They shall return to Egypt, to slavery and sin.
Israel has built great palaces; Judah has constructed great walls, as defences for
their cities, but they have forgotten their Maker. *** Therefore, I will send
down fire upon those palaces and burn those fortresses. [Just like is
proclaimed in Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra & Nehemiah; and in the Book of Revelation].

CHAPTER NINE: ISRAEL IN CAPTIVITY FOR THEIR SINS

1. Rejoice NOT, O Israel, for joy, as other people; for ayou have gone a whoring
from thy God, you have loved ba reward on every corn harvest floor.
2. [P] The floor and the cwinepress shall not feed them; and the new wine shall
fail in her.
3. [P] They shall not dwell in the Lord’s Land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt,
and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
4. [P] They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be
pleasing unto him; their sacrifices shall be unto them, as the bread of
mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul
shall not come into the house of the Lord.
5. What will you do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the Lord?
6. For, lo, they are gone because of ddestruction: Egypt shall gather them up,
Memphis shall bury them: ethe pleasant places of their silver, nettles shall
possess them; thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
7. The days of visitation is come, the days of recompense are come: Israel shall
know it: fthe prophet is a fool: the gspiritual man is mad, for the multitude of
thine iniquities, and the great hatred.
8. h
The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare to
the fowler, in all-of his ways, and hatred iin the house of his God.
9. [P] They have deeply corrupted themselves, as jin the days of Gibeah: ***
Therefore He will remember their iniquity, He will visit their sins.
10. I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness: I saw your fathers as kthe first
ripe (fruit) in the fig tree, at her first time: but they went to lBaalpeor, and

a e i
5:3 [h]~ their silver shall be [h]~ Or, against
b j
2:5 desired, the nettle Judges 19:22
c f k
[h]~ wine fat Ezekiel 13:3 Jeremiah 24:2
d g l
[h]~ spoil [h]~ man of the spirit Numbers 23:28
h
Ezekiel 3:17

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separated themselves unto that shame: and their abominations were
according, as they loved.
11. As for Ephraim, atheir glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from
the womb, and from the conception.
12. bThough they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall
not be a man left: Yes, woe, also to them, when I depart from them!
13. Ephraim, as I saw cTyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall
bring forth his children to the murderer.
14. Give them, O Lord: what will you give? Give them a dmiscarrying womb, and
dry breasts.
15. All-of their wickedness is ein Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the
wickedness of their doings, I will drive them out of my House, I will love them
no more: all-of their princes are revolters.
16. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yes, though
they bring forth, yet will I slay even fthe beloved fruit of their womb.
17. My God will cast them away because they did not hearken unto Him: gthey
shall be wanderers among the nations.
O Israel; Rejoice no more ~ as others do, for you have deserted Your God, and
sacrificed to other gods, on every threshing floor. Therefore, your harvest will be
small; your grapes will blight and die upon the vine. You may no longer stay here
in this land of your God: You will be carried off captive to Egypt and Assyria, and
live there as slaves on scraps of food. There, far from home, you are forbidden
from pouring out wine, to your God. For no sacrifices made there can please Him;
it is polluted, just like the food of mourners: all who eat such sacrifices are defiled.
They may eat this food to feed themselves, but must not offer it to God.
What then will you do on your holy days? What will you do on your feasting days,
when you are carried off to Assyria as slaves? Who will inherit your possessions
left behind? Egypt will! She will gather your dead; Memphis will bury them; And
thorns and thistles will grow up out of the ruins.
The time for Israel’s punishment has come; the day of recompense is almost here,
and soon Israel will know it all too well. “The prophets are crazy”; the “inspired
men are mad.” Yes, so they mock, for the nation is weighed down with sin, and
shows only hatred to those who love God.
I appointed the prophets to guard my people, but the people have blocked them
at every turn, and publicly declared their hatred ~ even in the Temple of the Lord.
The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeahh long ago.
The Lord does not forget ~ He will surely punish them for their evil deeds.
O Israel, how well do I remember those few delightful days, when I led you
through the wilderness, as a cloud by day and a fire by night. How refreshing was
your love!
How satisfying it was, just like the early figs of summer in their first season! But
then you deserted me for Baalpeori. You gave yourselves to other gods, and very
soon after that, you were as filthy and foul as they are.
The glory of Israel flies away like a bird, for your children will die at birth, or perish
in the womb, or never ever be conceived. And if your children do grow up, I will
take them from you; all are doomed! Yes, it will be a very sad day when I turn my
back on you and leave you alone.
a e i
10:5 4:15 The god of Peor ~ a city in
b f
Job 27:14 [h]~ the desires Moab
c g
Ezekiel chapters 26-28 Deuteronomy 28: 64-65
d h
[h]~ that casts out the fruit Judges 19:14

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In my vision, I have seen the sons of Israel doomed! The fathers are forced to
lead their sons to slaughter. O Lord, what shall I ask for your people? I will ask
for wombs that don’t give birth, for breasts than cannot nourish. All-of their
wickedness started at Gilgal. [This is the town where Baal-worship flourished
(Hosea 4:15, 12:11) and where the monarchy, hated of God, was established ~
(1 Samuel 11:15)]. This is where I began to hate them. I will drive them from my
land because of their idolatry ~ I will love them no more, for all-of their leaders
are rebels. Ephraim is doomed. The roots of Israel are dried up; She shall bear no
more fruit. And if she gives birth, I will slay even her beloved children.
My God will destroy the people of Israel, because they will not listen, or obey.
They will become wandering Jews, homeless among the nations.

CHAPTER TEN: ISRAEL REPROVED FOR IMPIETY & IDOLATRY

1. Israel in aan empty vine, he brings forth fruit bunto himself: according to the
multitude of his fruit che has increased the altars: according to the goodness
of his land, dthey have made godly eimages.
2. f
Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall gbreak down
their altars, he shall spoil htheir images.
3. For now, they shall say; We have no king, because we feared not the Lord;
what then shall a king do to us?
4. They have spoken words, swearing falsely in the making of a covenant: thus,
judgement springs up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5. The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of ithe calves of jBeth-haven:
for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the kPriests thereof that
rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6. l
It shall also be carried unto Assyria for a present to mking Jareb: Ephraim
shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7. As for Samaria, her king is cut off, as the foam upon nthe waters.
8. The high places also of oAven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn
and the thistle shall come upon their altars; and pthey shall say to the
mountains, cover us; and to the hills; fall on us!
9. O Israel; you have sinned qfrom the days of Gibeah: there they stood: rthe
battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
10. It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be
gathered against them, swhen they shall bind themselves in their two
furrows.
11. And Ephraim is as ta heifer that is taught, and loves to tread out the corn;
but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall
plough, and Jacob shall break his clods.

a g o
[h]~ Or, a vine emptying its [h]~ behead 4:15; compare with verse 15
h p
fruit that it gives [h]~ statues, or standing Luke 23:30; Revelation 6:16;
b
Luke 12:21 images 9:6
c i q
8:11 1 Kings 12:28 9:9
d j r
8:4 4:15 Judges 20:18
e k s
[h]~ statues, or standing [h]~ Chemerin [h]~ when I shall bind them
l
images 12:1 for their two transgressions,
f m
[h]~ he has divided their 5:13 or, in their two habitations
n t
hearts [h]~ the face of the water Jeremiah 48:34: chapter 11:4

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12. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy: bbreak up your fallow
a

ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and crain righteousness
upon you.
13. You have ploughed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity; you have eaten
the fruit of lies: because you did trust in (your own) ways, in the multitude
of your mighty men.
14. [P] *** Therefore, shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all-of your
fortresses shall be spoiled, das Shalman spoiled Betharbel, in the day of
battle: ethe mother was dashed to pieces upon her children.
15. [P] So shall Bethel do unto you, because of your great wickedness: in a
morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
How prosperous Israel is ~ a luxuriant vine all filled with fruit! But the more wealth
and prosperity I give her, the more she pours it out on the altars of her heathen
gods; the richer the harvest I give her, the more beautiful are the statues that
she builds to her heathen gods.
The hearts of her people are false towards God Almighty. Therefore, they are guilty
and must be punished. God will break down their heathen altars and smash into
pieces their idols. Then they will say; “We deserted the LORD and He took away
our king. But what’s the difference? We don’t need a king anyway!”
(Like Politicians) they make promises they don’t intend to keep. Therefore,
punishment will spring up among them like poisonous weeds in the furrow of the
field. The people of Samaria tremble, lest their calf-god idols at Bet-haven should
be hurt; the priests and people, too, they all mourn over the departed honour of
their smashed and shattered idols ~ their gods! This idol, this calf god
abomination, will be carted with them when they go as slaves into Assyria, a
present to the great king there. Ephraim will be laughed at for trusting in this idol;
Israel will be put to shame. As for Samaria, her king shall disappear like a chip of
wood upon an ocean wave. And the idol altars of Aven at Bethel where Israel
sinned will crumble. Thorns and thistles will grow up to surround them. And the
people will cry to the mountains and the hills to fall upon them and crush them
for their wickedness.
O Israel, ever since that awful night in Gibeah,f there has only been sin after sin,
after sin! You have made no progress towards repentance at all! Therefore, was it
not right that the men of Gibeah were all wiped out?
[P] I will come against you for your disobedience; I will gather the armies of the
nations against you, to punish you for your multitude of unrepentant sins.
Ephraim is accustomed to treading out the harvest grain ~ an easy job that she
loves. I have never put her under a heavy yoke before; I have spared her tender
neck. But now, I will harness her to the plough and the harrows, and her days of
ease are gone.
If you plant the seeds of righteousness, then you will reap the crop of my love;
plough the hard ground of your hearts, remove the hard pieces, for now is the
time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower salvation upon you.
But you have cultivated more wickedness, and raised up a thriving crop of sins.
Therefore, you have earned the full reward of trusting in a lie; believing that the
military might and great armies can make a nation safe!

a c e
Galatians 6:8 Isaiah 45:8 13:16
b d f
Jeremiah 4:3 2 Kings 17:3 Judges 19:14

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[P] Therefore, the terrors of war shall rise up among your people, and despite
their strength, all-of your forts will fall, just as at Betharbel, which Shalmana
destroyed; even mothers and their children were dashed to their deaths there.
That will be your fate, too, you people of Israel; because of your great wickedness.
In one morning, the king of Israel shall be destroyed.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: ISRAEL’S INGRATITUDE, EPHRAIM REPROVED

1. b
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and ccalled dmy son out of Egypt.
[Note: Israel is usually referred to as “female gender, because Israel is
“married to the Father”, but here we have a change of gender; remember
Jesus was called back out of Egypt.]
2. As ethey called them, so they went from them: fthey sacrificed unto Baalim,
and burned incense to graven images.
3. g
I taught Ephraim to go, taking them by the arms; but they knew not that hI
healed them.
4. i
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as
they that jtake off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid out meat unto them.
When Israel was a child, I loved him and brought him out of Egypt. But the more
I called to him, the more he rebelled, sacrificing to Baal, and burning incense to
idols. I trained him from infancy, I taught him to walk, I even held him in my
arms. But he doesn’t even know, or care, that it was I who raised him up.
As a man who would lead his favourite ox, so I have led Israel with my rope of
love. I loosened his muzzle so that he could eat. I, myself, have stooped down
and fed him. But my people shall return to Egypt and Assyria, as slaves in
captivity, because they refuse to return to me.
5. k
He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrians shall be his king,
because they refused to return.
6. And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and
devour them, lbecause of their own counsels.
7. And my people are bent on backsliding from me; though they called them to
the Most-High, mnone at all would exalt him.
8. n
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How
shall I make thee as oAdmah? How shall I set thee as pZeboiim? My heart is
turned within me, my repenting’s are kindled together.
9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy
Ephraim: qfor I AM God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and
I will not enter into the city.
10. They shall walk after the LORD: rHe shall roar, like a lion: when he shall roar,
then the children shall tremble sfrom the west.
11. They shall tremble like a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of
Assyria: and tI will place them in their houses, says the Lord.
12. Ephraim compasses me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit:
but Judah yet rules with God, and is faithful with the usaints.
a g n
Cities of the plain, which Deuteronomy 1:31 Jeremiah 9:7
h o
were destroyed along with Exodus 15:26 Genesis 19:24-25
i p
Sodom and Gomorrah. John 6:44 Deuteronomy 29:23
b j q
2:15 [h]~ lift up Numbers 23:19
c k r
Matthew 2:15 8:13 Joel 3:16
d l s
Exodus 4: 22-23 10:6 Isaiah 11:11
e m t
Jeremiah 7:25-26 [h]~ together they exalted Ezekiel 37:21,25
f u
2 Kings 17:16 not [h]~ or, most holy

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21
Wars will swirl through their cities; their enemies will smash down their gates, and
trap them in their own fortresses. For my people are determined to desert me.
Therefore, I have sentenced them to slavery, and no-one shall set them free.
Oh, how can I give you up, my Ephraim? How can I possibly let you go? How can
I forsake you like Admah and Zeboiima? My heart cries out within me: How I long
to help you! No, I will not punish you as much as my fierce anger tells me to. This
is the last time I will destroy Ephraim. For I AM God, and not man. I AM the Holy
One, living among you, and I did not come to destroy, (but to give life).
For the people shall walk after the LORD. I shall roar like a lion [at their enemies]
and my people shall return to me trembling from the west. Like a flock of birds,
they will come from Egypt once again; like doves flying for Assyria. And I will bring
them back home again.; It is a promise from the LORD.
Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit, but Judah still trusts in the Lord their
God, and is faithful to the Holy One.

CHAPTER TWELVE: IT IS TIME TO SEEK THE LORD

1. Ephraim bfeeds on wind, and (they) follow after the east wind: He daily increases lies,
and desolation; and cthey do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried
into Egypt.
2. d
The LORD also has a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his
ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
Israel is chasing the wind (but will never catch it, or capture it); Yes, shepherding a
whirlwind, which is a very dangerous game. She has given gifts to Egypt and Assyria to
help her, and in return, she gets their worthless promises. But the Lord is bringing a lawsuit
in the courtrooms of heaven against Judah too. Judah will be justly punished for his ways.
3. e
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength hef had power with
God.
4. Yes, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto
him: ghe found him in Bethel, and there He spoke with us.
5. Even the LORD God of Hosts; hthe LORD is his memorial.
6. *** Therefore, turn (back) to your God: keep mercy and judgement, and wait on thy
God continually.
When he was born, he struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought
with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed. He wept and pleaded a blessing
from him. He met God there (the Angel of the Lord ~ Jesus in His spiritual form). Yes, He
met Jesus there, yes face-to-face. God spoke to him ~ the LORD, the God of Hosts; Jehovah
is His name.
*** Therefore, repent and return back to God. Live by the principles of love and justice,
and ALWAYS be expecting the best from Him, your God.
7. He is ia merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loves to joppress.
8. And Ephraim said; Yet kI am become rich; I have found me out substance: lin all-of
my labours they shall find no iniquity that were sin.

a e j
Cities of the plain, which Genesis 25:26 [h]~ deceive
f k
were destroyed along with [h]~ was a prince, Or, Zechariah 11:5
l
Sodom and Gomorrah. behaved himself princely [h]~ Or, all my labours
b g
Job 15:2 Genesis 28:12 suffice me not; he shall have
c h
5:13 Exodus 3:15 punishment of iniquity in
d i
4:1 [h]~ Canaan merchant whom is sin

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9. And I that am the LORD thy God, from the land of Egypt, will yet make thee ato dwell
in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10. I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes,
by the bministry of the prophets.
11. Is there iniquity in Gilead? Surely, they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal;
yes, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
12. And cJacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel dserved for a wife, and for a wife
he kept sheep.
13. And eby a prophet fthe LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he
preserved.
14. Ephraim provoked him to anger gmost bitterly: *** Therefore, shall he leave his hblood
upon him, and his reproach shall his LORD return unto him.
But no! My people are like crafty, deceitful merchants, selling from dishonest scales ~ they
love to cheat! They think that they have victory when they cheat a customer! Ephraim
boasts; “I am so rich! I have gotten all-of these rich by myself! BUT riches can’t make up
for the sins that they have committed!”
I AM the same LORD, the same God, who delivered your from slavery, and brought you up
out of the land of Egypt, and I AM the one who will assign you to live in tents again, as you
do each year at the Tabernacle Feast.
I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions, parables, and dreams. But the sins of
Gilead still flourish and continue ~ just the same. Row upon row of altars, like furrows in
the fields, are used for sacrifices to your evil gods. And Gilead is full of people who worship
idols too.
Jacob fled to Syria and earned a wife by tending sheep (for seven years). Then the Lord led
his people out of Egypt, by the prophet Moses, who guided and protected them. But Ephraim
has bitterly provoked the LORD! The LORD will sentence him to death for his sins.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: EPHRAIM’S GLORY DIES

1. When Ephraim spoke trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he


offended iin Baal ~ HE DIED!
2. And now jthey sin more and more, and have made molten images of their
silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all-of it the works of
the craftsmen: they say of them; Let kthe men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
3. *** Therefore, they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early (morning)
dew that passes away; las the chaff that is driven away by the whirlwind out
of the floor, and mas the smoke out of the chimney.
4. Yet, I AM the LORD thy God, from the land of Egypt, and you shall know no
other God but me: for nthere is no Saviour beside me.
It used to be when Israel (Jacob) spoke, the nation shook with fear, for he was a
mighty prince; but he worshipped Baal and sealed His fate. And now, the people
disobey and sin more and more. They melt their silver to mould into idols, formed
with skill, by the hands of craftsmen. “Sacrifice to these”, they say ~ men kissing
the feet of calves.
Because of this sin, they shall disappear like the morning mist, like the morning
dew, which dries up, when it is exposed to the light of the sun’s rays, or like the

a f k
Leviticus 23:34 Exodus 12:50 [h]~ the sacrificers of men
b g l
[h]~ hand [h]~ with bitterness Psalm 1:4
c h m
Genesis 28:5 [h]~ bloods Psalm 68:2
d i n
Genesis 29:20, 28 11:2 Deuteronomy 32:37-39
e j
Deuteronomy 18:15 [h]~ they add to their sin

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chaff, blown away from the threshing floor by the power of the whirlwind, like the
cloud of smoke from the chimney.
I alone am God, Your LORD, and I have been ever since I brought you up out of
the land of Egypt. You have no other God but me: for there is no other Saviour.
5. a
I did know thee in the wilderness, bin the land of the cgreat drought.
6. According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their
hearts were exalted; *** therefore, have they forgotten me.
7. *** Therefore, I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I
observe them:
8. I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the
caul of their hearts, and there I will devour them like a lion: the dwild beast
shall tear them.
I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you
had eaten and were satisfied, then you became proud and forgot me and went out
after other gods.
So, I will come upon you as a lion, ore as a leopard, lurking in the bushes beside
the road. I will rip you to pieces, like a bear whose cubs have been taken away
from her, in violent anger; and like a hungry lion I will devour you.
9. O Israel, eyou have destroyed yourself! But fin me gis thy help ~ (your
salvation).
10. hI will by your king: where is there any other that will give you all-of your
cities? And thy judges of whom iyou said; Give me a king and princes?
11. I gave thee a king in mine anger, and jtook him away in my wrath.
12. This iniquity of Ephraim is bound up: his sin is hid.
13. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise
son; for he should not stay klong in the place on lthe breaking forth of
children.
14. [LD] I will ransom them from the mpower of the grave; I will redeem them
from death: nO death I will be thy plagues; O grave I will be thy destruction:
o
repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
O Israel, if I destroy you, who can save you? Where is your king? Why don’t you
call on him for help? Where are all-of the leaders of the land? You asked for them,
so now, let them save you! I gave you kings in my anger, and I took them away
again in my wrath ~ my extreme anger!
Ephraim’s sins are harvested and not forgotten, nor are they forgiven; they are
stored away for punishment.
New birth is offered to him, but he is like a child, resisting in the womb ~ how
stubborn, how foolish! Shall I ransom him from hell? Shall I redeem him from
death? O death, bring forth thy terrors for his tasting! O grave, demonstrate your
plagues! For I will not relent!
15. Though he be fruitful among his brethren, pan east wind shall come, the wind
of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become
dry, and his foundation shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all
q
pleasant vessels.

a g m
Deuteronomy 2:7 [h]~ in thy help [h]~ hand
b h n
Deuteronomy 8:15 [h]~ Where is thy king! 1 Corinthians 15:55
c i o
[h]~ droughts 1 Samuel 8:5, 19 Romans 11:29
d j p
[h]~ the beasts of the field 1 Samuel 15:22-23 12:1
e k q
14:1 [h]~ a time [h]~ vessels of desire
f l
See verse 4 Isaiah 37:3

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16. [P] Samaria shall become desolate; for she has rebelled against her God:
they shall fall by the sword: their inhabitants shall be dashed to pieces, and
their women with child shall be ripped up. [This event actually took place.]
He was called the most fruitful of all his brothers, but the east wind ~ the wind of
the Lord from the desert, will blow hard upon him, and dry up his land. All-of his
flowing springs and green oasis, will all dry up and fade away, and he will die of
thirst. Samaria must bear her guilt, for she rebelled against her God. Her people
will be killed by the invading army, her babies dashed to death against the ground,
her pregnant women ripped open by the sword.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REPENTANCE ENJOINED

1. O Israel, areturn unto the LORD, thy God: for you have fallen by your iniquity.
2. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD; say unto him; Take away all
iniquity, and breceive us graciously: so, cwill we render the calves of our lips.
3. d
Asshur shall not save us; ewe will not ride upon horses; neither will we say
anymore to the work of our hands, you are our gods: for fin thee the
fatherless find mercy.
O Israel, return to the Lord, your God, for you have been crushed by your sins.
Bring your petition: Come to the Lord and say; “O Lord, take away our sins: be
gracious to us and receive us, and we will offer you the sacrifice of praise. Assyria
cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle, never again will we call the idols,
that we have made, ‘our gods’; for in you alone, O Lord, do the fatherless find
mercy.
4. I will heal their backsliding, gI will love them freely: for my anger is turned
away from him.
5. I will be has the dew unto Israel: he shall igrow as the lily, and jcast forth his
roots as Lebanon.
6. His branches shall kspread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his
smell as Lebanon.
7. l
They that dwell under his shadow shall return: they shall revive as the corn,
and mgrow as the vine, the nscent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
8. Ephraim shall say; What have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard him,
and I have observed him: I am like a green fir tree. oFrom me is they fruit
found.
9. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? Prudent and he shall
know them? For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in
them: BUT the transgressors shall fall therein!
Then, I will cure you of your idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no
bounds towards you; for my anger will be forever gone! I will refresh Israel like
the dew from heaven; she will blossom like the lily and root deeply into the soil,
like the cedar trees in Lebanon. Her branches will spread out, as beautiful as the
olive trees, fragrant as the forests of Lebanon. Her people will return from exile,
from far away, and rest beneath my shadow. They will be a watered garden and
blossom like grapes and be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

a f k
12:6 Psalm 10:14 [h]~ go
b g l
[h]~ give good 11:1 Psalm 91:1
c h m
Psalm 50:14; Hebrews 13:15 Micah 5:7 [h]~ blossom
d i n
5:13 [h]~ blossom [h]~ memorial
e j o
Isaiah 30:2,16 [h]~ strike John 15:4-5

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O Ephraim! Stay away from idols! I am living and strong! I look after you and care
for you. I am like and evergreen tree, yielding my fruit to you throughout the
whole year. My mercies never fail ~ they endure forever.
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things. Whoever is intelligent, let him
listen and learn. For the paths of the LORDS are true and right, and good men
walk along and follow them. But sinners trying it will fail!

Conclusion:

The Book of Hosea shows clearly that God is righteous, who always warns His
people of their wrong doing, and giving them an opportunity to repent and turn
back to Him without punishment. But if the nation is rebellious, and refuses to
listen to the warning of the prophets, then those punishments will come to pass.
God has not changed his mind! Just because we claim to live under the New
Covenant, that is not an excuse to continue to sin. The same warnings and
punishment apply. REMEMBER: WITHOUT REPENTANCE ~ NO-ONE SHALL
SEE GOD!

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