The Mystery of Ephraim

Chapter 9 starts with “rejoice not” when Ephraim returns to Egypt and eating unclean food in Assyria, both places where Israel have been in captivity. But a prophetic one is for the endtime.

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” Jeremiah 23:20; “In latter days you will understand it fully,” or even “you will understand it fully in the latter days.”

More on (1) Ephraim / The United States; (2) Ephraim and Manasseh

Hosea 9

¹ Rejoice not for joy, O Israel, as other people, for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God; thou hast loved for reward upon every threshing floor. — for thou hast gone a whoring; playing the harlot with many nations; committing adultery; worshipping idols, making feasts before them and dancing about them; and so departing from God;

— the Targum says it this way: “for you have erred from the worship of your God; you have loved to serve idols on all, corn floors,” alluding to the hire of a harlot, prostituting herself for it on a corn floor, or anywhere else;

² The floor and the wine press shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her. — nothing seems to satisfy her as idolatrous Israel is personified as a harlot; and wine-drinking was, in fact, so closely connected with the customs of idolatry.

³ They shall not dwell in the Lord’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. — Ephraim returning to Egypt and eating unclean food in Assyria, both places where O Israel have been in captivity; the indication of this word “shall” used three time above is prophetic; back into captivity, another time in “Egypt” for 190 years perhaps.

⁴ They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto Him; their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners. All that eat thereof shall be polluted, for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord.

— in other words, the bread eaten at funeral meals; this was regarded as unclean, because the corpse defiled the mourners and then the house, and all who came in contact with it, for seven days (Numbers 19:14).

— they have gone too deep into idolatress that any sacrifices would be viewed as the bread of mourners; and instead of being acceptable to God, were abominable to him; and all that partook them should consider them as funeral feasts; God’s feasts are always joyous.

⁵ What will ye do in the solemn day (moed 4150), and in the day of the feast (cḥaḡ 2282) of the Lord? — here “the solemn day” would the referring mō‛ēd (moed 4150 appointed time) and feasts of the Lord would be of a different kind: cḥaḡ (2282);

— the three feasts at which Israel was to appear before the Lord, viz., the Passover (cḥaḡ 2282 Leviticus 23:6), pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles (cḥaḡ 2282 Leviticus 23:34), are described as chaggı̄m; and every other joyous festival is also called a chag

— whereas mō‛ēd (moed 4150) simply expresses the idea of a holy assembly; the two words are synonymous, but they are so arranged that by chag the idea of joy is brought into greater prominence, and the feast-day is thereby designated as a day of holy joy before Yehovah; whereas mō‛ēd simply expresses the idea of a feast established by the Lord, and sanctified to Him;

— another word miqra (4744 a convocation) is used very often in Leviticus 23 and elsewhere.

⁶ For lo, they are gone because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up; Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess the pleasant places for their silver; thorns shall be in their tabernacles. — in Egypt they hope to be quiet, and survive these desolations, and to return into their own land; but they shall die in Egypt, and Egyptians shall lay them out and prepare them to their grave.

⁷ The days of visitation have come, the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad because of the multitude of thine iniquity and great hatred. — the prophet is a fool; so Israel said, before those days came, of a true prophet of the Lord, that he was a fool for prophesying of evil things, but now they shall find it otherwise;

— so the Targum says: “they of the house of Israel shall (note the subtle change of present ‘is’ to future tense ‘shall’) know that they who had prophesied to them were true prophets;” but rather this is to be understood of false prophets, who, when the day of God’s visitation shall come on Israel in a way of wrath and vengeance, will appear both to themselves and others to be fools, for prophesying good things to them, when evil was at hand;

— “The prophet is a fool” indicates their prophets today don’t know much about the prophecies of the Old Testament; mainly their false prophets pretend to much inspiration and flattered their faithfuls with false hopes and vain promises of safety and prosperity;

⁸ The watchman of Ephraim was with my God; but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. — the watchman of Ephraim was with my God; formerly the watchmen of Ephraim such as Elijah and Elisha were with the true God, with revelations and instructions from him; and were under the inspiration of his spirits, and prophesied in his name things according to his will;

— but now the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways; these are false prophets, instead of guiding and directing Ephraim in the right way in which he should go, they lay snares for him in all the ways he takes, to lead him wrong, and draw him into sin, particularly into false doctrines and false prophecies;

— these false prophets, as well as those of Judah in her evil days, flattered the kings who supported them, misled them, encouraged them in disbelieving the threats of God, and so led to their destruction; and after everything is over, these prophets become detestable in the house of God.

⁹ They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah. Therefore He will remember their iniquity; He will visit their sins.

— as recorded in Judges 19:16-22, when the abominable conduct of the men of Gibeah in connection with the concubine of a Levite from Bethlehem, Judah, took place; the consequence of which her body was cut into twelve pieces and send to all the twelve tribes of Israel; and the tribe of Benjamin was almost exterminated;

— this same depravity on the part of Israel could be equally punished; he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins: that is, God, my God, as the prophet calls him in Hosea 9:8, will not forgive and forget their sins; pardon being often expressed by a non-remembrance of sins;

— but God will make inquiry after them, who persisting in their sins, like the men of Gibeah and Benjamin; and “he will visit their sins” that is, visit them in a way of wrath and judgement, and punish for them (who prided themselves as “liberal” democracies, promoting their LGBTqia agenda and other filths by coercing other countries with threats and falsehoods) as they deserve: perhaps, by the same Lord in the latter days.

¹⁰ “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe of the fig tree at her first season. But they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame, and their abominations were according as they loved. — Baalpeor was the place where Moabitic idolatry was practised. This great disgrace had burned itself into their national traditions and literature (Numbers 25; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28-31).

¹¹ As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. — the greatest glory, perhaps, of Ephraim was their fruitfulness; “double fruitfulness” being the meaning of their blessings; now that glory of populousness was to vanish speedily: no birth, and no pregnancy, and no conception, like birds winging their way swiftly out of sight.

¹² Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left; yea, woe also to them when I depart from them! — yet will I bereave them; their parents of them, by the sword, famine, pestilence, or by carrying them captive into a foreign country;

— that there shall not be a man left; in the whole land of Israel, but all shall be destroyed, or carried captive; or either from being men, as though they are brought up to some ripeness, and a more adult age than others, yet arrive not to such a time and age as to be called men.

¹³ Ephraim, as I saw Tyre, is planted in a pleasant place; but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.”

— the reference to Tyre seems prophetic and read it as: “I look on Ephraim even as I look on Tyre, planted in a secure resting-place.” The impregnable fortress of Tyre was a conspicuous object in the days of Hosea; her strength, her pride, and in the end, her fall; so as in today’s Ephraim; the United States has seven fleets plowing up and down the five oceans effortlessly without any challenge;

— the Septuagint continues with a dark ending: “Ephraim, even as I saw, gave their children for a prey; yea, Ephraim was ready to bring out his children to slaughter.”

— a parallel Scripture in Isaiah: “Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1

¹⁴ Give them, O Lord — what wilt Thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. — give them, O Lord; what wilt Thou give? the question interrupting the flow of thought showing the deep indignation of the prophet Hosea over the willful corruption of his people;

— give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts, sterility being considered a disgrace and a reproach, one of the sternest punishments of the Lord; population decline are prominent among the children of Israel, due to their collapse of fertility rate, especially among the countries in the northern kingdom;

¹⁵ “All their wickedness is in Gilgal, for there I hated them; for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of Mine house. I will love them no more; all their princes are revolters. — the wickedness of the northern kingdom had its focus there, at Gilgal, seems like it was their capital during the early years, their crimes recorded in Judges 19:16-22, were, perhaps in a provincial Gibeah, belongeth to Benjamin;

— of violating a travellor from Bethleham from Judah by certain sons of Belial of committing a sin, LGBTqia, described as “so vile a thing!” (Judges 19:24) As a result concubine body was cut “into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the regions of Israel.”

¹⁶ Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.” — Ephraim is smitten, like a plant struck by the too direct rays of the sun; or suffer to be slain, either by the sword of the enemy, or by famine, or by pestilence, or by some disease or another;

— their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb, by permitting their children to be killed by civil wars, conspiracies and murders among themselves; 

¹⁷ My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations. — and they shall be wanderers among the nations, being dispersed by their enemies, having no settled place of their own, nowhere where they can be called a people, or are for such owned: exiles, fugitives, and vagabonds. Cf Deuteronomy 28:65.

Hosea 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. — Israel is an empty [or perhaps a luxuriant] vine; the people of Israel are often compared to a vine, and such an one from whence fruit might be expected, sometimes planted in good soil, other times in poor soil;

— the Targum renders it, “a spoiled vine” spoiled by their enemies, who robbed them of their wealth and riches, and trampled them under foot; or spoiled by prosperity; the more fruit or material wealth, the better the harvests, the more altars; the more the obelisks or pillars to gods;

— the Septuagint understands it in a sense quite the reverse, rendering it, “a flourishing vine” putting forth branches, leaves and fruit.

² Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty. He shall break down their altars; He shall despoil their images. — their heart is divided; between God and their idols, as in Ahab’s time between God and Baal; or for today, between God and the world;

— as the Targum says; their hearts were divided between God and their idols; as in Ahab’s time between God and Baal; they pretended to worship God when they worshipped the calves, as if they had done that which was right and good, and were guilty of no evil;

— or further back, the heart of “Thy calf, O Samaria” (refering to Israel; Hosea 8:5-6), are divided between worshipping the God of Israel and worshipping the Sun.

³ For now they shall say, “We have no king, because we feared not the Lord. What then should a king do to us?” — when Israel is in captivity, they shall say, we have no king; they had none to protect and defend them;

⁴ They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant; thus judgement springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field. — swearing falsely, by perjury deceiving those they treated with, in making a covenant; either among themselves, accepting a usurper, promising and swearing fealty to him; or with their allies;

— judgements, divine judgement shall prevail not as a blessing, but as a curse; not as a precious harvest, but as a poisonous plant.

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 who rejoiced on it for the glory thereof, because glory has departed from it. — for the people thereof shall mourn over it; either the people of Samaria [but read Israel]; who would mourn over their loss, being taken away from their land, and disposed of as in the next verse

— again, the link between verse 5 and verse 6 shows that the golden calves of Samaria, like shit stuck to a shovel, are intrinsicaly linked with the calves of Ephraim.

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. — and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel; of giving in to such idolatry, contrary to the counsel, mind and will of God;

— or of the counsel which they and Jeroboam took to set up the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, and thereby to keep the people from going up to Jerusalem, whereby they cut themselves off from the true God.

⁷ As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water. — again, this is talking of the kings of Ephraim; after three years’ siege she shall be cut off. Her king is cut off; for all the rest of the kingdom was lost, and now he is rather a prisoner than a 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!”

— shall say to the mountains, Cover us! and to the hills, Fall on us! That is the cry of the unbelievers, mockers, when they see the judgement approaching them, when it is too late for salvation. Cf Isaiah 2:19; Luke 23:30.

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. — O Israel, thou hast sinned; you of the ten tribes with such consent have sinned, that you seem to do it as one man;

— Gibeah is emblematic of gross and cruel sensuality, in allusion to Judges 19:20, just as Sodom and Gomorrah is used for unnatural vice.

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. — when I shall chastise them for their two iniquities; namely, the calves of Dan and Bethel.

¹¹ And Ephraim is as a 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.” — and Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, that is teachable; and loveth to tread out the corn; like a heifer taught to bear the yoke, and to plough; but learned it not,

— as the Targum; does not like it; chooses to tread out the corn where it can feed upon it, its mouth not being then muzzled, according to the law; oxen or heifers were used both in ploughing and treading out corn;

— “to pass over,” says some commentators, especially when it is said of God, “always signifies inflictions and troubles.”

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. — the Targum says, “O house of Israel, do for yourselves good works; walk in the way of truth; establish for yourselves the doctrine of the law; behold, at all times the prophets say to you, return to the fear of the Lord; now shall he be revealed, and bring righteousness to you.”

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. — “the fruit of lies” is destruction; the lies of the law being done away with; the lies surrounding Easter rabbits and Christmas, an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25; the lies of the trinity.

— Rashi: you have eaten fruit of lies: You have received the retribution for your deeds; as a sweet morsel though bread of deceit; which could not profit them, nor yield them in the issue the pleasure it promised them, and they hoped for from it.

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

— all thy fortresses shall be spoiled; every one of thy strong holds, those impregnable fortifications on which thou hast laid out all that art and diligence could, to make them able to break the power of the enemy that dares besiege them, these, every one of them, shall be wasted;

— as the plunder of a peaceful people by an ambush: Like plunderers who come upon a tranquil people suddenly with an ambush, for they did not beware of them to flee from before them, and they plunder everything; (for more see Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years and A Sword from the South!)

— in the day of battle; the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children, in an excess of unnatural cruelty.

¹⁵ So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness; in a morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off. — in a morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off; meaning Hoshea, Hosea, or Osee, the last king of Israel, and the kingdom entirely destroyed; so that afterwards there was no more king in Israel, leaving neither root nor branch.

— during the life of Hosea, it was in the days of Hezekiah (Hosea 1:1); the kingdom of Israel was already exiled into captivity or in the process of doing so, so this message is prophetic; it was meant for the last days.

~ by Joel Huan on December 9, 2022.

Posted in Minor Prophets