Hosea 10

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 735 BC – 722 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

15 verses · 426 words · ~2 min read · ~3 min listen

Retribution for Israelʼs Sin

¹Israel was a luxuriant vine,

yielding fruit for himself.

The more his fruit increased,

the more he increased the altars.

The better his land produced,

the better he made the sacred pillars.

²Their hearts are devious;

now they must bear their guilt.

The Lord will break down their altars

and demolish their sacred pillars.

³Surely now they will say,

“We have no king,

for we do not revere the Lord.

What can a king do for us?”

⁴They speak mere words;

with false oaths they make covenants.

So judgment springs up

like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

⁵The people of Samaria will fear

for the calf of Beth-aven.

Indeed, its people will mourn over it

with its idolatrous priests—

those who rejoiced in its glory—

for it has been taken from them into exile.

⁶Yes, it will be carried to Assyria

as tribute to the great king.

Ephraim will be seized with shame;

Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.

⁷Samaria will be carried off with her king

like a twig on the surface of the water.

⁸The high places of Aven will be destroyed—

it is the sin of Israel;

thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”

and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

⁹Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel,

and there you have remained.

Did not the battle in Gibeah

overtake the sons of iniquity?

¹⁰I will chasten them when I please;

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bondage

for their double transgression.

¹¹Ephraim is a well-trained heifer that loves to thresh;

but I will place a yoke on her fair neck.

I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow,

and Jacob will break the hard ground.

¹²Sow for yourselves righteousness

and reap the fruit of loving devotion;

break up your unplowed ground.

For it is time to seek the Lord

until He comes and sends righteousness

upon you like rain.

¹³You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in the multitude of your mighty men,

¹⁴the roar of battle will rise against your people,

so that all your fortresses will be demolished

as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel

in the day of battle,

when mothers were dashed to pieces

along with their children.

¹⁵Thus it will be done to you, O Bethel,

because of your great wickedness.

When the day dawns,

the king of Israel will be utterly cut off.

Footnotes (7)

a v5 Beth-aven means house of wickedness. This is a derogatory term for Bethel, which means house of God; see 1 Kings 12:28–29.
b v6 Or to King Jareb
c v6 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verse 11
d v6 Or of its own counsel
e v8 Or of wickedness; Aven is a reference to Beth-aven (a derogatory term for Bethel); see verse 5.
f v8 Cited in Luke 23:30; see also Revelation 6:16.
g v9 Or Did not the battle overtake the sons of iniquity in Gibeah?

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Type / patternWidely held reading

Israel the vine and Jesus the true vine

The Old Testament often pictures Israel as a vine or vineyard planted by God, sometimes fruitful and often failing. Jesus says 'I am the true vine', and that his followers must remain in him to bear fruit.

When: Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, Hosea 10; Jesus' upper-room discourse, c. AD 30–33.

Original passagePsalms 80:8–16Isaiah 5:1–7Hosea 10:1

Echoed inJohn 15:1–8

Ways people read this (2)

Jesus replaces or fulfills Israel as God's true vine, bearing the fruit Israel did not.
The image also draws on the vine as a symbol of the temple (a golden vine decorated its gate) and of Israel's restoration.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

Say to the mountains: fall on us

On the road to the cross Jesus warns the women of Jerusalem that days of judgment are coming when people will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us', echoing Hosea's words about Israel's ruined shrines. Revelation reuses the image for the terror of the final judgment.

When: Hosea, c. 750–722 BC; Jesus' words on the way to Golgotha, c. AD 30–33.

Original passageHosea 10:8

Where the New Testament applies itLuke 23:28–30

Echoed inRevelation 6:15–17