Hosea 5:2-5

2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter R.V., “And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter.” For the last three words margin suggests “in corruption,” which is to be preferred, since the context says nothing about murder, nor is there a reference to the slaughter of sacrifice. The thought would be that the apostate leaders have gone to all possible depths of corruption. The ancient versions found the passage obscure. Modern commentators are generally agreed on an emendation, very slight in the original, “And the pit of Shittim they have made deep.”

At Shittim the Israelites gave themselves to the abominations of Baal-peor (Numbers 25:1 ff.). It is thought that Shittim, like Mizpah and Tabor, was a sacred place where the people were led astray. If this emendation is adopted pit is parallel with snare and net, and the clause contains an additional accusation against the nobles for causing the unsuspecting people to stumble.

Though I have been a rebuker of them all Better R.V., “but I am a rebuker”; Hebrews rebuke, Tempter and tempted alike will be visited by Jehovah in judgment. Cheyne, by transposing two letters, makes the clause a continuation of the description of the people’s sin: “and there is no correction for any of them,” that is, improvement has become impossible (Hosea 5:4).

Hosea 5:3-4 indicate the cause of Jehovah’s anger. Their conduct is well known to him. I Emphatic in Hebrew.

Ephraim Poetic synonym of Israel. What Jehovah knows is stated in 3b.

Now The force of this word is uncertain. Keil thinks it is used to designate the whoredom of Israel as in fact lying before him. It is not impossible, however, that two similar sounding words have been interchanged, now for thou, Hebrews ‘attah for ‘ attah, and we should read, “for thou, O Ephraim.”

They will not frame their doings R.V., “Their doings will not suffer them,” is certainly to be preferred. Wrongdoing has become their second nature; they find it impossible to return to Jehovah (Hosea 7:2; Jeremiah 13:23).

Spirit of whoredoms See on Hosea 4:12.

In the midst of them In their innermost being.

Have not known R.V., “they know not” (see on Hosea 2:20; compare Hosea 4:6).

Hosea 5:5 announces judgment.

Pride of Israel doth testify Repeated in Hosea 7:10; is capable of two interpretations: (1) If pride is used in an evil sense of the haughty and arrogant attitude of the Israelites, the meaning is expressed most satisfactorily by Marti: “The strongest testimony against the Israelites, and the most convincing proof of their incapacity for improvement is offered by their arrogance, in which they regard their conduct, their cult and service of Jehovah, as acceptable to him, and therefore do not think in the least of a return.” (2) The other interpretation is suggested by the marginal rendering for pride, “excellency”; this many commentators understand to be a title of Jehovah; he is the “excellency of Jacob” (Amos 8:7; compare 1 Samuel 15:19). According to this interpretation testify is used not in the simple sense of bear witness, Jehovah is both witness and judge; here the emphasis would be upon the pronouncing of the sentence, the sentence being contained in the next clause. The rendering “the pride of Israel shall be humbled,” though supported by some of the ancient versions, is unsuitable with “to his face.” On the whole, the first interpretation is to be preferred. Nothing but judgment is possible.

Fall Better, R.V., “shall stumble.” A common figure of calamity (Hosea 4:5; Hosea 14:1; Isaiah 8:15, etc.).

In their iniquity Better, by, or through. Iniquity is the cause. Judah also shall fall [“stumble”] In Hosea 1:7; Hosea 4:15, Judah is represented as being better than Israel; here, as in Hosea 5:10; Hosea 5:12-14, etc., it is considered equally guilty. The difference has sometimes been explained as due to the fact that the utterance in this verse and others like it are of a later period than those in Hosea 1:7, and Hosea 4:15, when Hosea had become more familiar with conditions in Judah. So far as Hosea 1:7, is concerned, this is undoubtedly true; of Hosea 4:15, this cannot be said with equal certainty. Conditions began to grow bad in Judah as early as in Israel. Whether Hosea ever considered Judah better than Israel is at least doubtful (see on Hosea 1:7). All references to Judah are considered secondary by some commentators, but in some cases, at least, on insufficient grounds. In certain passages, it is true, they might easily be omitted without affecting the thought, sometimes the parallelism and even the thought would be improved if the reference were omitted, or changed to Israel (for example, in this verse); in other instances, however, the omission would seriously affect the text and require alterations which cannot readily be justified (Hosea 5:12-14). In the absence of decisive data the passages are treated as original unless statements to the contrary are made.