Hosea 10

Chapter 10



1 Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

God gives Israel a very good land and she uses her prosperity to better worship pagan gods.

2 Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: He shall break down their altars, He shall spoil their images.


3 For now they shall say, ‘We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us?’

If you are not afraid of God, why would you fear a mere human king?

4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

God is making a list of the sins of Israel and her punishments.

They have lied, so God will have poisonous plants grow up among their crops. Hemlock is the most poisonous plant on the planet.

5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

Because Israel (whose capital is Samaria) has worshipped the golden calves, she will fear. And they will miss their calf while they are in captivity.

6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

The very idol they have worshipped as a god will be taken as a mere present to a foreign king.

7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.

Bye-bye king. Since Israel would never be a separate nation again but would be incorporated into Judah, she will never have her own king.

8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, ‘Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.’

Israel will prefer death to captivity, but will not have that choice.

9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

The battle of Gibeah was one of the first battles in the conquest of Canaan’s land.

10 It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.


11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.

Treading corn was an easy job for cattle to do. They simply pulled a light weight around until all the chaff was broken off. Plowing, however, was hard physical labor (“I passed over upon her fair neck” is translated “I bent her fair neck to the yoke” in more modern translations.) God is going to make Israel work though she would rather be lazy.

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

God will lesson His punishment on people who seek Him and repent. Israel has the chance to lesson the severity of her punishment, but, of course, she won’t take that chance.

13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Humanism. This is the same problem we have today. We believe we are in charge and can control our own destiny.

14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.

We don’t know for sure who this King Shalman is. There are several possibilities in history, but none of them are any more likely than the others.

Whoever he was, he led an army to conqueror Beth-arbel (this may be a city in the trans-Jordon region, but we don’t know for sure.) He was merciless, destroying the mother with their babies. This is how the Assyrians are going to treat Israel.

15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

The New King James words this verse “Thus is shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great wickedness.” Other translations agree. Bethel was a major city in Israel.

In one morning, the royal line will die and the kingship of Israel will cease to exist.