Hosea 5

The indictment of Israel that began in Hosea 4 continues in this chapter. Hosea 4 rebuked the people for their lack of the knowledge of the LORD. Chapter 5 summons the priests, the people, and the house of the king together and extends the scope of judgment to southern Judah.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Judgment is pronounced on the priests, the house of Israel, and the house of the king. They are charged with having been "a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor."
• Verses 3–7 Ephraim is indicted for whoredom and pride. Because of the spirit of whoredoms within them, they cannot return to God. Though they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find Him, and "a month" (the new moon) will devour them. Judah also falls with them.
• Verses 8–12 The alarm is to be sounded in Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven. Ephraim will become desolate, and God's wrath will be poured out like water on the princes of Judah, who are like those who move a boundary stone (KJV "them that remove the bound"). God declares that He will be to Ephraim as a moth and to Judah as rottenness.
• Verses 13–15 Ephraim and Judah recognize their sickness and their wound and send to King Jareb of Assyria, but they are not healed. Like a lion, God will tear and carry off His prey; He will then return to His place and wait until they acknowledge their offense and seek His face.

Key Verses

• Hosea 5:4 "For the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD" — This reflects a central theme of the Book of Hosea, which traces the root of sin to the absence of the knowledge of the LORD.
• Hosea 5:13 "Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb" — This criticizes a foreign policy that relies on a great power instead of on God.
• Hosea 5:15 "Till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face" — This shows that the purpose of judgment is the people's return to God.

People and Places

• Ephraim A major tribe of northern Israel. In the Book of Hosea the name frequently stands for the northern kingdom as a whole.
• Judah The southern kingdom.
• Mizpah and Tabor Because several places bear the name Mizpah, opinions differ as to which one is meant. Tabor is a mountain on the northern edge of the Jezreel Valley. Many interpreters regard both as sites where illegitimate worship was practiced.
• Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven Towns in the territory of Benjamin and along its border. Many hold that Beth-aven ("house of wickedness") is a derogatory name for Bethel.
• Assyria and King Jareb Some understand Jareb not as a personal name but as a title meaning "great king."

Points for Reflection

• Some scholars associate the background of verses 8 and following with the Syro-Ephraimite War of the late eighth century BC, in which an alliance of northern Israel and Aram came into conflict with Judah. The payment of tribute to Assyria and appeals for its help are recorded in 2 Kings 15 and 2 Kings 16. Opinions differ, however, as to which specific event verse 13 refers to.
• The prohibition against moving boundary markers appears in Deuteronomy 19.
• In the Korean Revised Version, verse 15 ends with "saying," which leads directly into 6:1. For this reason Hosea 6:1–3 is read as the people's confession of repentance. Some interpreters regard this confession as genuine repentance, while others, on the basis of God's response in 6:4, regard it as superficial.
• No verse of this chapter is directly quoted in the New Testament. However, the charge in verse 6 that the people bring their sacrifices yet do not find the LORD is connected with 6:6, which is quoted in Matthew 9:13.