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Texts -- Hosea 9:1-16 (NET)

Context
Fertility Cult Festivals Have Intoxicated Israel
9:1 O Israel , do not rejoice jubilantly like the nations , for you are unfaithful to your God . You love to receive a prostitute's wages on all the floors where you thresh your grain . 9:2 Threshing floors and wine vats will not feed the people, and new wine only deceives them.
Assyrian Exile Will Reverse the Egyptian Exodus
9:3 They will not remain in the Lord’s land . Ephraim will return to Egypt ; they will eat ritually unclean food in Assyria . 9:4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord ; they will not please him with their sacrifices . Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten while in mourning ; all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean . For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite ; it will not come into the temple of the Lord . 9:5 So what will you do on the festival day , on the festival days of the Lord ?
No Escape for the Israelites This Time!
9:6 Look ! Even if they flee from the destruction , Egypt will take hold of them, and Memphis will bury them. The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure – thorn bushes will occupy their homes .
Israel Rejects Hosea’s Prophetic Exhortations
9:7 The time of judgment is about to arrive ! The time of retribution is imminent! Let Israel know ! The prophet is considered a fool – the inspired man is viewed as a madman – because of the multitude of your sins and your intense animosity . 9:8 The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim on behalf of God , yet traps are laid for him along all of his paths ; animosity rages against him in the land of his God .
The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
9:9 They have sunk deep into corruption as in the days of Gibeah . He will remember their wrongdoing . He will repay them for their sins . 9:10 When I found Israel , it was like finding grapes in the wilderness . I viewed your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season . Then they came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame – they became as detestable as what they loved .
The Fertility Worshipers Will Become Infertile
9:11 Ephraim will be like a bird ; what they value will fly away . They will not bear children– they will not enjoy pregnancy – they will not even conceive ! 9:12 Even if they raise their children , I will take away every last one of them . Woe to them! For I will turn away from them . 9:13 Just as lion cubs are born predators, so Ephraim will bear his sons for slaughter . 9:14 Give them, O Lord – what will you give them? Give them wombs that miscarry , and breasts that cannot nurse ! 9:15 Because of all their evil in Gilgal , I hate them there . On account of their evil deeds , I will drive them out of my land . I will no longer love them; all their rulers are rebels . 9:16 Ephraim will be struck down – their root will be dried up; they will not yield any fruit . Even if they do bear children , I will kill their precious offspring .

Pericope

NET
  • Hos 9:1-2 -- Fertility Cult Festivals Have Intoxicated Israel
  • Hos 9:3-5 -- Assyrian Exile Will Reverse the Egyptian Exodus
  • Hos 9:6 -- No Escape for the Israelites This Time!
  • Hos 9:7-8 -- Israel Rejects Hosea's Prophetic Exhortations
  • Hos 9:9-10 -- The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
  • Hos 9:11-17 -- The Fertility Worshipers Will Become Infertile

Bible Dictionary

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • HOSEA

    [isbe] HOSEA - ho-ze'-a: I. THE PROPHET 1. Name 2. Native Place 3. Date 4. Personal History (Marriage) (1) Allegorical View (2) Literal View II. THE BOOK 1. Style and Scope 2. Historical Background 3. Contents and Divisions (1) Hos...

  • Hosea, Prophecies of

    [ebd] This book stands first in order among the "Minor Prophets." "The probable cause of the location of Hosea may be the thoroughly national character of his oracles, their length, their earnest tone, and vivid representations." ...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • Worldliness

    [nave] WORLDLINESS. 1 Sam. 8:19, 20; Job 20:4-29; Job 21:11-15; Psa. 49:16-18; Psa. 73:2-22; Prov. 14:12, 13; Prov. 15:21; Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:20, 21; Prov. 27:1, 7; Eccl. 1:8; Eccl. 2:1-12; Eccl. 6:11, 12; Eccl. 8:15-17; Eccl. ...

  • CALF, GOLDEN

    [isbe] CALF, GOLDEN - kaf, gol'-d'-n: I. THE NAME II. ANCIENT CALF WORSHIP 1. Narrative of Aaron's Golden Calf 2. Jeroboam's Golden Calves III. ATTITUDE OF ELIJAH TO THE BULL SYMBOLS IV. ATTITUDE OF AMOS AND HOSEA TO THE BULL SYMBO...

  • Gilgal

    [ebd] rolling. (1.) From the solemn transaction of the reading of the law in the valley of Shechem between Ebal and Gerizim the Israelites moved forward to Gilgal, and there made a permanent camp (Josh. 9:6; 10:6). It was "beside ...
    [isbe] GILGAL - gil'-gal (gilgal, "circle"; Galgala): The article is always with the name except in Josh 5:9. There are three places to which the name is attached: (1) The first camp of Israel after crossing the Jordan (Josh 4:19; ...
    [nave] GILGAL 1. Place of the first encampment of the Israelites W. of the Jordan, Josh. 4:19; 9:6; 10:6, 43; 14:6. Monument erected in, to commemorate the passage of the Jordan by the children of Israel, Josh. 4:19-24. Circumcis...

  • Idolatry

    [smith] strictly speaking denotes the worship of deity in a visible form, whether the images to which homage is paid are symbolical representations of the true God or of the false divinities which have been made the objects of worshi...
    [nave] IDOLATRY. Wicked Practices of Human sacrifices, Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 3:26, 27; 16:3; 17:17, 18; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Psa. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; 19:4-7; 32:35; Ezek. 16:20, 2...

  • Baal-peor

    [ebd] lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Num. 25:3; 31:16; Josh. 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. So called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. The Israelites fell into the worship of...
    [nave] BAAL-PEOR, an idol of Moab, Num. 25:3, 5; Deut. 4:3; Psa. 106:28; Hos. 9:10.

  • CORNFLOOR

    [isbe] CORNFLOOR - korn'-flor (goren daghan): "Thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor" (Hos 9:1 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "hire upon every grainfloor"). Israel had deserted Yahweh for...

  • Nettles

    [isbe] NETTLES - net'-'lz: (1) charul, (Job 30:7; Prov 24:31; Zeph 2:9 margin, in all, "wild vetches"); the translation "nettles" is due to the supposed derivations of charul from an (obsolete) charal, meaning "to be sharp" or "sti...
    [nave] NETTLES, an obnoxious plant, Prov. 24:31; Isa. 34:13. Figurative Job 30:7; Hos. 9:6; Zeph. 2:9. See: Briers.

  • Memphis

    [ebd] only in Hos. 9:6, Hebrew Moph. In Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16, it is mentioned under the name Noph. It was the capital of Lower, i.e., of Northern Egypt. From certain remains found half buried in the sa...
    [nave] MEMPHIS, called also Noph. A celebrated city of Egypt, Hos. 9:6. Prophecies concerning, Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:16.

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • Gibeah

    [smith] a word employed in the Bible to denote a hill. Like most words of this kind it gave its name to several towns and places in Palestine, which would doubtless be generally on or near a hill. They are -- Gibeah, a city in the m...
    [nave] GIBEAH 1. Of Judah, Josh. 15:57. 2. Of Saul. Called also Gibeah of Benjamin. The people's wickedness, Judg. 19:12-30; Hos. 9:9; 10:9. Destroyed by the Israelites, Judg. 20. The city of Saul, 1 Sam. 10:26; 15:34; 22:6. Th...

  • Minister

    [nave] MINISTER, a sacred teacher. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Call of; Character and Qualifications of; Charge Delivered to; Courage of; Duties of; Duties of the Church to; Emoluments of; Faithful, Instanc...

  • NOPH

    [ebd] the Hebrew name of an Egyptian city (Isa. 19:13; Jer.2:16; 44:1; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16). In Hos. 9:6 the Hebrew name is Moph, and is translated "Memphis," which is its Greek and Latin form. It was one of the most ancien...
    [isbe] NOPH - nof (noph; in Hos 9:6 moph): A name for the Egyptian city Memphis (so the Septuagint), hence, thus rendered in the Revised Version (British and American) (Isa 19:13; Jer 2:16; 44:1; Ezek 30:13,16). See MEMPHIS.

  • FOWLER

    [ebd] the arts of, referred to Ps. 91:3; 124:7; Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26; Hos. 9:8; Ezek. 17:20; Eccl. 9:12. Birds of all kinds abound in Palestine, and the capture of these for the table and for other uses formed the employment of ma...
    [isbe] FOWLER - foul'-er (yoqesh): A professional birdcatcher. In the days previous to firearms, birds were captured with nets spread on the ground, in traps and snares. There was a method of taking young birds from a nest, raising...

  • THORN IN THE FLESH

    [isbe] THORN IN THE FLESH - thorn (skolops te sarki): Paul thus characterizes some bodily ailment which afflicted him and impaired his usefulness (2 Cor 12:7). The data are insufficient to enable us to ascertain its real nature, an...

  • VISITATION

    [isbe] VISITATION - viz-i-ta'-shun, vis-(pequddah; episkope): In Biblical writings, the divine investigation or inspection of men's character and deeds with a view to apportioning to them their due lot, whether of reward or of chas...
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  • [Hos 9:13] God Made Me For Himself

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "It is not only the action of the men of Gibeah which reveals the abysmally low moral standards of the age; the indifference of the Levite who prepared to depart in the morning without any apparent concern to ascertain the fa...
  • David's overtures to the Jabesh-gileadites were very important. Saul's commander-in-chief and cousin, Abner, was working to install Saul's youngest son, Ish-bosheth (called Eshbaal in 1 Chron. 9:39), as his father's successor...
  • "The section begins (1-6) and ends (23-29) with double illustrations drawn from nature and agriculture. Between lies a meditation in eight broadly equal parts on how Jerusalem's leaders refused the word of invitation and inhe...
  • 14:1 A message came to Jeremiah from Yahweh concerning some droughts (Heb. plural) that overtook Judah.241Droughts were a punishment for covenant violation in Israel (cf. Lev. 26:18-19; Deut. 28:23-24).14:2 Judah was in mourn...
  • Sometimes God used the events in the lives of His prophets to speak to the people as well as their messages."Hosea's unhappy marriage (Hos. 1-3), Isaiah's family (Isa. 7-8), the death of Ezekiel's wife (Ezek. 24:15-27), and J...
  • 24:1 This prophetic message came to Jeremiah after Nebuchadnezzar had taken King Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah, cf. 22:24) and many of the other royal counselors, craftsmen, and smiths (or artisans) captive to Babylon in 597 B...
  • 3:16 At the end of these seven days the Lord's word came to Ezekiel. "The word of the Lord came to me"is a key phrase in Ezekiel occurring in 41 verses. It appears in Jeremiah nine times and in Zechariah twice."For no other p...
  • "God would not share His dwelling place with other gods,' and the sanctuary had been polluted with idolatry. God's worship center at Shiloh was removed shortly after His glory had departed from it (1 Sam. 4:1-4, 10-11, 19-23;...
  • 24:15-16 The Lord told Ezekiel that He was about to take the life of his beloved wife. The English word "blow"(v. 16) implies a sudden, unexpected death. The Hebrew word, magephoh, does not demand a sudden death, but it somet...
  • The major biblical doctrines that Hosea stressed were sin, judgment, salvation, and the loyal love of God.Regarding sin, the prophet stressed the idolatry of the Israelites, which he compared to spiritual adultery. Israel had...
  • I. Introduction 1:1II. The first series of messages of judgment and restoration: Hosea's family 1:2-2:1A. Signs of coming judgment 1:2-9B. A promise of restoration 1:10-2:1III. The second series of messages of judgment and re...
  • The Lord brought a legal charge against the Israelites for breaking the Mosaic Covenant. Again the literary form of this section is a legal confrontation (Heb. rib, cf. 2:2). The Lord stated His charges against Israel in 4:1-...
  • 4:15 The Lord warned the Israelites not to pollute their brethren in the Southern Kingdom with their unfaithfulness. He also warned them not to go to the pagan shrines and take an oath in His name since they did not really wo...
  • This section of the book contains another series of messages that deal, first, with the judgment coming on Israel and, second, the restoration that will follow. There are three major addresses in this section each introduced ...
  • 8:11 In rebellion against Yahweh's covenant the Israelites had also built many altars. They built them to offer many sin offerings, but since God had not authorized these altars they became places for sinning rather than plac...
  • 9:1-2 The Lord told Israel not to rejoice like other nations at the prospect of an abundant harvest; that would not be her experience. He promised to remove her grain and wine. These were threatened curses for covenant unfait...
  • 9:7 Israel was to know that the days of her punishment and retribution were imminent because the nation's iniquity was fat and its hostility to the Lord was great. Another reason for her judgment was that the Israelites had r...
  • This section is one in a series that looks back on Israel's previous history, and its reflective mood colors its prophecies (cf. 10:1-8, 9-15; 11:1-7)."Divine speech and prophetic speech combine in this passage to pronounce u...
  • 9:10 In the early days of Israel's history in the wilderness, the Lord took great delight in His people, as one rejoices to find grapes in a desert or the first figs of the season. However, when they came to Baal-Peor, where ...
  • 9:15 What the Israelites did at Gilgal caused the Lord to hate them. This is covenant terminology meaning He opposed them; personal emotion is not in view. At Gilgal the Israelites practiced the pagan fertility cult (cf. 4:15...
  • The allusion that opens this series of messages is similar to the ones in 9:10; 10:9, and 11:1 in that it refers to Israel's early history. A mood of loss of confidence and protection marks this section. As so often in Hosea,...
  • This section also opens with a reference to an event in Israel's past history (cf. 9:10; 10:1; 11:1). Announcements of war punishment (vv. 9-10, 14-15) bracket Yahweh's indictment of His people for their sins (vv. 11-13)....
  • Again this section, which is all divine speech, begins with a reference to something in Israel's history to contrast the past with the present (cf. 9:10; 10:1, 9)."The passage at its outset has similarities to the form of the...
  • 11:5 Because Israel refused to return to Yahweh after so many appeals by His prophets (v. 2), He would send the nation back into captivity. Yet the place of exile would not be Egypt but Assyria. In other messages Hosea identi...
  • As previously, a series of messages assuring Israel's judgment (6:4-11:7) ends with assurance of future restoration. God would definitely bring devastating judgment on Israel, but His compassion for the nation and His promise...
  • 12:7-8 A merchant who used dishonest scales loved to oppress his customers. Similarly Israel's oppression of others was traceable to pride in her riches. Much of Israel's dealing with the nations involved trading that deceit ...
  • 4:4 Ironically the Lord told these sinful Israelites to go to Bethel but to transgress, not to worship. Such a call parodied the summons of Israel's priests to come to the sanctuary to worship (cf. Ps. 95:6; 96:8-9; 100:2-4)....
  • 7:14 Micah prayed that the Lord would again take an active role as the shepherd of His people Israel. Shepherding with His rod (Heb. shebet) implies kingly leadership. This is a request for the promised descendant of David to...
  • Mark gave more precise time intervals than Matthew did. Matthew related the cursing of the fig tree (Matt. 21:12-17) and Jesus' lesson to the disciples the following day (Matt. 21:18-22) back to back.11:12-13 The next day was...
  • This parable illustrated the need for repentance, but it also drew attention to God's grace in allowing time for repentance.13:6-7 The parable as a whole is very similar to Isaiah 5:1-7, though there the plant in view was a g...
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