Hashem has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land: there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God — swearing and lying, killing and stealing; 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge'; like people, like priest; a people that is without understanding is distraught.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Hear the word of Hashem, you children of Israel! For Hashem has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth, nor mercy, Nor knowledge of God in the land.
verse value 3874
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 3874 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, and·nothing·knowledge. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "strife" (רִ֤יב), "with·inhabitants" (עִם־יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י), "nothing·truth" (אֵין־אֱמֶ֧ת). The root אין appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea). First appearance of the root שמע ("hear") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 11 words.
Ibn Ezra
Hear. "The inhabitants of the land" – this refers to the Land of Israel, which God chose. And the correct interpretation is: the inhabitants of His land, similar to [the verse] "and from His land they went out."
Radak
"Hear the word of the Lord." Now he returns to words of rebuke addressed to that generation:
“With the inhabitants of the land.” The inhabitants of the Land of Israel: I have a claim against them, for I gave them the land on condition that they practice charity and justice. On this condition I stipulated with them that My eyes would be upon them from the beginning of the year until the end of the year. Since they act in the opposite manner, dealing deceitfully, etc., I too will act toward them in the opposite manner from what I promised them: I will hide My face from them, the land will mourn, and all who dwell in it will languish, because there is no truth. Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah said, “If there is one who practices justice and righteousness, I will forgive them.” And David said, “You have given the carcasses of Your servants as food to the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.” And there were righteous people among them, but they were few, and they hid themselves because of the majority who were wicked, as explained in the Book of Jeremiah.
There is no truth. There is no one who does truth, and there is no one who speaks truth.
"And there is no kindness." All the more so is there no kindness, for kindness is an excess of good beyond what is due; and one who does not do truth and justice, all the more so will he not do kindness. And likewise, it will not be measured nor counted, as we have explained.
"And there is no knowledge of God in the land: to execute justice and righteousness." Just as it says regarding your father: "Did he not eat and drink, and execute justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him; he judged the cause of the poor and needy, then it was well with him." And is not this the knowledge of Me, says the Lord? Alternatively, the phrase "knowledge of God" may be interpreted as the investigation into the knowledge of His divinity. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "And there are none who walk in the fear [of God], etc."
Metzudat David
"For there is a controversy with the Lord." This refers to the fact that the Omnipresent will contend with Israel, the inhabitants of the land. It is as if He were saying: Did I not give them the land on the condition that they listen to Me? And since they are not listening, what right do they have to dwell in the land?
For there is no truth. For in the land there is neither truth nor steadfast love, and there is no one who gives heed to know God.
Malbim
For “a dispute belongs to the Lord”: The measure of the verses “For a dispute belongs to the Lord with the inhabitants of the land” is that “no man should dispute,” [which is] the number of the statement of the people. They say to the prophets and the reprovers: “What is it to you to dispute and to reprove? Is not this dispute the dispute of the Lord, for He has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land because they sinned against Him? And what does a man have to do with disputing the Lord’s dispute? Let the Lord Himself dispute His dispute and pour out His wrath upon all of them; but no man should intervene in the dispute, and no man should reprove.” They say: “Behold, a dispute belongs to the Lord with the inhabitants of the land, for there is no truth, no kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land.” This means that the commandments were divided: regarding the commandments between man and his fellow, whose root is that they should do truth and kindness to one another, this was not found in the land; and regarding the commandments between man and the Divine, whose root is the knowledge of God, that they should know the Lord and His ways, this too was not found in the land. Rather, the opposite was found.
Swearing and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery! They break all bounds, and blood touches blood.
verse value 1573
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אָלֹ֣ה) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 1573 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "these" (אָלֹ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·blood" (וְדָמִ֥ים, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·lying" (וְכַחֵ֔שׁ), "and·murdering" (וְרָצֹ֥חַ), "and·committing·adultery" (וְנָאֹ֑ף). The root דם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אלה ("these") in Hosea. First appearance of the root כחש ("and·lying") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·committing·adultery', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: אָלֹ֣ה [these] (36) + וְכַחֵ֔שׁ [and·lying] (334) + וְרָצֹ֥חַ [and·murdering] (304) + וְגָנֹ֖ב [and·stealing] (61) + וְנָאֹ֑ף [and·committing·adultery] (137) + פָּרָ֕צוּ [they·broke] (376) + וְדָמִ֥ים [and·blood] (100) + בְּדָמִ֖ים [in·blood] (96) + נָגָֽעוּ [they·stroked] (129) = 1573.
Rashi
"These are the oaths of falsehood." They swear falsely.
פרצו. The Targum: "And they beget children from their neighbors' wives."
"And blood [was shed] in blood, they were touched." Sins are added upon sins. And according to its plain meaning, they breached the fence and multiplied the shedding of blood, until the blood of this slain man touched the blood of his neighbor.
Ibn Ezra
"Alah [oath]" – an oath; and "Elah" is derived from the root of "these."
פרצו - from the root of פריצים (transgressors).
And blood—The blood of one slain person is considered as touching the blood of another slain person.
Radak
"These are the oaths and the deceit." Furthermore, they will cause people to swear falsely by My name; this is "these are the oaths and the deceit." Rabbi Saadia Gaon explained that "these are the oaths" refers to those who entered into the covenantal oaths, as it is stated: "Cursed is the man who makes a carved image or a molten idol," yet they make such idols. And "the deceit" refers to the fact that they further deny the God whom they accepted as their God.
“Pratzu.” They breached the fence and the safeguard of the Torah, and they multiplied in transgressions. And Jonathan rendered [in the Targum]: “And they build buildings from the beginning, etc.”
"And blood [is avenged] with blood, they touch." The blood of the murdered ones touches one another due to their multitude. And Jonathan rendered it: "And sins upon sins are added."
Metzudat David
"Swearing and lying." They swear and lie in their oath.
"פרצו." This means that they breached the fence and the safeguard of the Torah.
"And blood." They shed much blood, until the blood of this slain person came into contact with the blood of that slain person.
Metzudat Zion
"“Alah.” The matter of an oath:"
And lying. Falsehood:
They breached. The matter concerns the breaking of the fence:
Malbim
"These and falsehood," meaning those who swear by the Name of the Lord falsely and deny the existence of the Lord and His providence, and this is the opposite of the knowledge of God; and murder, theft, and adultery, which are the opposite of truth and kindness. Regarding the first five commandments, most of which are commandments between man and God, it says "these and falsehood." "These" is the opposite of "You shall not take the LORD’s name in vain," and "falsehood" is the opposite of "I am the Lord your God" and "You shall have no other gods," as well as the commandment of the Sabbath, which came to establish the faith in the existence of the Lord, His unity, and His particular providence. And murder, theft, and adultery are the opposite of the second five commandments. "They broke through," meaning that these transgressions were broken through greatly, until blood touched blood due to the abundance of murder, and this is the controversy that the Lord has with the inhabitants of the land. And despite all this, no individual should involve himself in this controversy to contend and reprove on behalf of the Lord, except...
Therefore does the land mourn, And every one that dwells therein does languish, With the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; Indeed, the fishes of the sea also are taken away.
verse value 2952
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 2952 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "every·inhabitant" (כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "will·mourn" (תֶּאֱבַ֣ל), "and·will·languish" (וְאֻמְלַל֙), "every·inhabitant" (כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "therefore" (root על, 28x in Hosea). First appearance of the root גם ("and·also·fish") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heaven', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: עַל־כֵּ֣ן [therefore] (170) + תֶּאֱבַ֣ל [will·mourn] (433) + הָאָ֗רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְאֻמְלַל֙ [and·will·languish] (107) + כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב [every·inhabitant] (368) + בָּ֔הּ [in·it] (7) + בְּחַיַּ֥ת [with·the·beasts·of] (420) + הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה [field] (314) + וּבְע֣וֹף [and·over·the·birds·of] (164) + הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם [heaven] (395) + וְגַם־דְּגֵ֥י [and·also·fish] (66) + הַיָּ֖ם [sea] (55) + יֵאָסֵֽפוּ [they·will·be·gathered] (157) = 2952.
Rashi
But it shall be desolate. It shall be ruined, and the mourning shall be greatly increased over it:
"They shall gather." The Targum translates: "They shall be diminished from before their debts." This is a term of destruction, like "I will gather, I will reap them" (Jeremiah 8:13).
Ibn Ezra
“Al ken” – According to the opinion that “omelal” is a doubled word, the lamed [root letter] is doubled, the meaning is: “the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens,” so that they will not find anything to hunt; and the proof is: “And also the fish of the sea will be gathered” – meaning, they will die. Yefet said: For these [beasts] are worse than the generation of the Flood, because the fish of the sea did not die. And this is the method of midrashic interpretation.
Radak
"Wherefore the land shall mourn." It will be desolated and ruined, the Land of Israel.
“And I will make desolate all who dwell in her.” This means that every person dwelling in her will be cut off from her.
“Concerning the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens.” With the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens: For once the land becomes desolate, man and cattle will be cut off from it. And by “the beasts of the field,” He does not mean the wild beasts, but rather the domesticated animals that grow in settled areas among human beings, which are called “beasts,” as it is stated, “This is the beast that you may eat.” It is also possible that even the wild beasts are included, for a wild beast will not come to desolate settled places unless there is some settlement in them, as it is stated, “And the beasts of the field will increase against you.” And in His statement, “and the birds of the heavens,” it is because most birds do not dwell in the wilderness, but rather in settled places where they find seeds, fruits, and the blossoms of trees. Or we may say that “the birds of the heavens” is an expression of hyperbole to emphasize the matter, similar to what is stated in the prophecy of Jeremiah: “From the birds of the heavens to the beasts, they have fled and gone.” This too can be explained according to one of the two aspects. In the words of our Sages of blessed memory: Rabbi Yehuda says, “For fifty-two years no person passed through Judah, as it is stated, ‘Upon the mountains… from the birds of the heavens to the beasts, they have fled and gone.’” The numerical value of the word “beasts” (בהמה) is fifty-two. Rabbi Yosi says, “For seven years sulfur and salt and burning were fulfilled in it, throughout all its land.” And the letter bet in “beasts” (בחית) and “birds” (בעוף) means that even they will be subject to destruction.
“And also the fish of the sea will be gathered.” This implies that they could die out. And what is meant by “the fish of the sea” is that they are not included in the general destruction of the land, for they dwell in the sea. Yet it is stated that the curse also extended to the sea, as it is said, “It shall not sow, nor shall it bring forth, nor shall any herb grow in it.” Similarly, in the sea, no vegetation shall grow upon the rocks in the sea, nor upon the seabed; it is from such vegetation and plants that the fish feed. This refers to the sea of the Land of Israel, where the curse of the Lord, blessed be He, fell upon the land due to the sin of its inhabitants, affecting both the dry land and the sea. And Jonathan the Aramaic translator rendered it: “And even the fish of the sea, etc.”
Metzudat David
"And the land shall be desolate." The land shall be ruined, and all that dwells in it shall be cut off, including the beasts, etc. The cutting off shall apply, and even the fish of the sea shall perish; nothing shall remain of what is on the land. This is a matter of exaggeration and hyperbole.
Metzudat Zion
Te’eval. A matter of destruction, as in “the earth mourns and withers” (Isaiah 24:4):
And it shall languish. The matter is one of cutting off, as it is said, "For I am wretched" (Psalms 6:3).
"and they shall gather" – the meaning is destruction and ruin, as it is written: "I will gather them" (Jeremiah 8:13).
Malbim
(3-4) “Therefore the land shall mourn, and every one who dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea; they shall be cut off.” Yet a man shall not contend, for the Lord will contend His own cause and will lay waste the land, until the land mourns, and its inhabitants are cut off, until even the mute, non-speaking beasts are cut off, and the fish of the sea are gathered up. All this the Lord will do in His contention, but only that a man shall not contend the Lord’s contention, and a man shall not reprove the people. All this is the words of the people to the prophets (meaning that it is more agreeable to them that the land be laid waste than that they hear the reproof of the prophets). And Amos says to the children of Israel: “You are like adversaries of a priest,” meaning not only that they do not wish to hear reproof, but on the contrary, they are like those who engage in strife with the priest who instructs them in the law; they say to the priest:
Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; For your people are as they that strive with the priest.
verse value 1460
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·reprove" (וְאַל־יוֹכַ֣ח, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "do·not·strive" (אַל־יָרֵ֖ב), "and·do·not·reprove" (וְאַל־יוֹכַ֣ח), "and·your·people" (וְעַמְּךָ֖). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·your·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). First appearance of the root כהן ("priest") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֥ךְ [indeed] (21) + אִ֛ישׁ [man] (311) + אַל־יָרֵ֖ב [do·not·strive] (243) + וְאַל־יוֹכַ֣ח [and·do·not·reprove] (81) + אִ֑ישׁ [man] (311) + וְעַמְּךָ֖ [and·your·people] (136) + כִּמְרִיבֵ֥י [as·strivers·of] (282) + כֹהֵֽן [priest] (75) = 1460.
Rashi
"Only let no man contend." You are warning the true prophets not to contend with you and not to reprove you, as it is stated in Amos (Amos 7:10), where Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, said to him, "Do not prophesy against the house of Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac." And this occurred in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, during whose time Hosea prophesied.
"And your people are as those who strive with the priest." The Targum renders: "They contended with their teachers," for the priests were the ones who gave instruction, as it is stated, "They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:10).
Ibn Ezra
"Only" – there is no man who will dispute with another or rebuke him, and it was the duty of the priests to rebuke Israel, but now they have turned to rebuke the priest, for he too is evil in his deeds, as will be explained, and this is what is meant by "and your people are like the disputers of the priest."
Radak
"But let no man strive, nor let a man contend with his fellow." "But" here does not serve to exclude, but rather to affirm the matter, as in "But I myself and my flesh, You are; but I have kept [myself] for falsehood," and "But good is God to Israel." "Let no man strive, nor let a man contend with his fellow over his wickedness, for it will not benefit him, for he too does evil like him."
“And Your people are like the contentious of a priest.” The letter kaf in “like the contentious” serves to affirm the matter, similar to the kaf in “Swear to me this day,” “as I attain the border,” and similar cases. The priest was obligated to instruct, contend, and admonish the people, as it is stated, “They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob,” and “You shall come to the priest.” But in this time, the people contend with the priest, for not only do they not accept his admonition, but they contend with and admonish him, in the manner of what they said: “A generation that judges its judges.” Alternatively, the interpretation is that the priest is wicked like them, and if he admonishes them, they in turn will admonish him. And there are those who explain “like the contentious of a priest” as referring to the congregation of Korah, who challenged and contended regarding the priesthood. And Jonathan rendered it: “But concerning this they say, etc.”
Metzudat David
"Only a man..." – In truth, no man should contend with his fellow nor reprove him, for they are all doing evil; what right have they to reprove others?
“And Your people.” This is the Omnipresent speaking to the prophet: “Behold, the children of your people are like the congregation of Korah, who were contending with Aaron the priest and saying, ‘Why do you exalt yourselves…’” And they did evil.
Metzudat Zion
“Akh.” Targum Jonathan renders it “beram,” meaning “indeed”; and similarly, “surely you are my bone and my flesh” (Genesis 29:14):
Yirav. From the language of quarreling:
Therefore shall you stumble in the day, And the prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother.
verse value 2015
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. Verse gematria: 2015 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "with" (עִמְּךָ֖, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·prophet" (גַּם־נָבִ֛יא, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: day, your·mother. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·you·will·stumble" (וְכָשַׁלְתָּ֣), "day" (הַיּ֔וֹם), "and·will·stumble" (וְכָשַׁ֧ל). The root כשל appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "day" (root יום, 28x in Hosea); "with" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). First appearance of the root כשל ("and·you·will·stumble") in Hosea. First appearance of the root בוא ("also·prophet") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'night', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְכָשַׁלְתָּ֣ [and·you·will·stumble] (756) + הַיּ֔וֹם [day] (61) + וְכָשַׁ֧ל [and·will·stumble] (356) + גַּם־נָבִ֛יא [also·prophet] (106) + עִמְּךָ֖ [with] (130) + לָ֑יְלָה [night] (75) + וְדָמִ֖יתִי [and·I·will·be·like] (470) + אִמֶּֽךָ [your·mother] (61) = 2015.
Rashi
"And you shall stumble in the day, etc." The Targum renders: "And you shall stumble in the daytime, and the false prophets of your people shall stumble, just as they stumble at night; and I shall cause your assembly to be put to shame, and I shall cause your congregation to be put to shame."
"Prophets of your people." Prophets who are with you:
And I have likened. Like [the verse states]: “My people have been humbled, as one who sits and is bewildered, and there is no answer in his mouth.”
Ibn Ezra
And when he stumbled—this refers to the High Priest who was in the days of this prophet, with whom he spoke and prophesied concerning him.
"And if you stumble in the day" — the sense of "day" is that it is light, as if it were at night, you and the false prophet who seduces you; and this is what is meant by "and if also a prophet among you stumbles at night."
And I will liken - And I will cut off.
Radak
"And you shall stumble in the day." This refers to Israel: because of your deeds, you shall stumble and fall.
“Today”: This means that at this time, your downfall will come soon. Similarly, “My anger will be kindled against him on that day,” “On that day the root of Jesse,” and similar expressions, their meaning is “time” and “season.”
And when a prophet also stumbles with you at night. The false prophet who misleads you will stumble with you, like a person who stumbles in the darkness of night, and so did Jonathan translate:
"And I have likened your mother." And I have severed your entrance, meaning that you will not remain in Israel as a congregation, for they will be scattered in exile, some here and some there. And we have already explained that the congregation is called "mother."
And I likened. The matter of cutting (the covenant), as it is said, “For all the people of Canaan were cut off” (Joshua 10:40); “were cut off” – the King of Israel was cut off, and those similar to him.
Metzudat David
"And you shall stumble in the day." Therefore, you will stumble in the light of day, and also the false prophet destined for you, who speaks good, will stumble together with you, just as one stumbles in the darkness of night; and I will cut off your entire congregation.
Metzudat Zion
And I will cut off. A matter of cutting off, as in “Ar of Moab is laid waste” (Isaiah 15:1):
"Your mother": The congregation.
Malbim
And when you stumble today, are you not the priest who instructs, stumbling in corrupted ways on the day before the sun in public?
And when even the prophet who admonishes your people to commit transgressions stumbles at night in secret, then, since you, the priest and the prophet who instruct and admonish, have stumbled to do evil, I have likened myself to you. Thus, I am like you; I am your mother. I am the nation and the congregation, which is your mother (for individual men are the children of the nation, and it is their mother). I have likened myself to you and learned from you to do according to your deeds, and according to your abominations (in these matters they contend with the priest).
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to Me; Seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
verse value 4930
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·reject·you" (וְאֶמְאָֽסְךָ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 479: knowledge, knowledge. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "perish" (נִדְמ֥וּ), "for·lack·of" (מִבְּלִ֣י), "because·you" (כִּי־אַתָּ֞ה). The root דעת appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea); "your·God" (root אלהים, 21x in Hosea). First appearance of the root בלי ("for·lack·of") in Hosea. First appearance of the root דעת ("knowledge") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 13 words.
Rashi
“I will forget your children.” This refers to those who stood at Mount Sinai, whose descendants became guarantors for their forefathers to observe the Torah.
Ibn Ezra
“Your people have become mute, without knowledge” – this refers to the word “nadmu.” If it were derived from the root *damah* (to resemble), it would be followed by the preposition *el* with three dots (i.e., spelled fully as *el*), as in “To whom have I likened myself?” Or, if the word *el* were omitted due to ellipsis, as in “And I have likened your mother,” the meaning would be that you shall not bear children anymore, after there will be a priest in your place, and you will stumble quickly. Also, your sons will die. The word “nadmu” says to the priest: “Your people have been cut off due to your lack of knowledge.”
"For you have rejected knowledge, and I will reject you from being a priest to Me; and since you have forgotten the teaching of your God" — the meaning is twofold: "For you have rejected knowledge," for the Torah was given to the priests. And furthermore: "For you have forgotten the teaching of your God," for they are the judges, for "the lips of the priest shall guard knowledge."
"I will forget your children" – Heaven forbid that the Divine Name should forget; rather, the meaning is that the priest's children will stumble and go to their destruction.
Radak
“Be still, my people.” This too is a matter of cutting off [the nations]. And the Targum translates: “They were cut off.”
Without knowledge. For there is no one to inform them and guide them on the good path:
“Because you have rejected knowledge.” This is said in opposition to the priest who was in that generation: “You have rejected knowledge for yourself and for teaching it to the people; therefore, I will reject you from being a priest for Me.” Since you do not perform the duty of the priesthood, which is to teach the Torah, I will reject you so that you will not be a priest in My house. And how could it be said, “Because of the lack of knowledge they were ruined,” when they had at all times true prophets who taught them the Torah and rebuked them daily for their evil deeds? It is stated that since the priests, who were obligated to teach the Torah, were straying from the path of truth just like the people, the people relied on them, and they were uncertain about the true prophets because of the false prophets who taught them the opposite of the truth; therefore, the people were ruined and corrupted.
“ואמאסך” – It is written with an extra aleph between the samekh and the kaf, and we do not know the reason why it was written there.
“And you have forgotten the Torah of your God.” For it was given to the priests in order to instruct them, as it is written, “And Moses wrote this Torah and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi” (Deuteronomy 31:9), and it is written, “They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:10). And you have forgotten it, namely, to teach it and to instruct others in it.
"I will forget your sons" — I too will forget your sons, because you will die, for I have rejected you from serving as My priest; I will also forget your sons and despise them, so that they will not stand in your place and they will not have the honor of the priesthood; either they will die or they will be exiled. The meaning of "I will forget" is metaphorical, like a person who forgets something and does not pay attention to it. In this same sense, "God has forgotten the tabernacle of Shiloh and has not forgotten the covenant of Your fathers."
Metzudat David
"Be silent, my people." Behold, my people have been cut off, because they do not know Me.
“Because you.” It is incumbent upon the priest to study, as it is written: “For the lips of a priest shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek the Torah from his mouth” (Malachi 2:7). Therefore, it says: Since you, the priest, have despised knowledge and have not taught the people, therefore I too will despise you and prevent you from serving as a priest to Me.
"And you shall be forgotten": Because you have forgotten the Torah, I too shall forget your children and will not save them.
Malbim
“Be silent, my people” (the statement of the Lord to the priest): “Behold, my people have become like you, without realizing that they lack wisdom just as you do, for you have despised wisdom. And thus they have become like you in also despising wisdom, for they learned this from you. Therefore, ‘I will despise you from being a priest for Me,’ for ‘the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction from his mouth’—and this is the essence of the priesthood. And since you have despised wisdom, you are no longer fit for the priesthood. Moreover, ‘you have forgotten the Torah of your God’—that you have also forgotten the Torah that you initially knew, and afterward you forgot it completely. ‘I will forget your children as well.’ For initially, when you remembered the Torah, even though you had forgotten the knowledge of God, nevertheless I did not forget you, for I had hope that your children would walk in My Torah, as it is stated, ‘Oh, that they had forsaken Me and kept My Torah!’ For through their engagement with it, the light within it would bring them back to goodness. But now that you have forgotten even the Torah, I too will forget your children, for there is no hope that a righteous shoot will sprout from them.”
The more they were increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.
verse value 907
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·sinned·against·me" (חָטְאוּ־לִ֑י, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "as·their·increasing" (כְּרֻבָּ֖ם), "they·sinned·against·me" (חָטְאוּ־לִ֑י), "in·shame" (בְּקָל֥וֹן). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root חטא ("they·sinned·against·me") in Hosea. First appearance of the root כבוד ("their·glory") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·sinned·against·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כְּרֻבָּ֖ם [as·their·increasing] (262) + כֵּ֣ן [so] (70) + חָטְאוּ־לִ֑י [they·sinned·against·me] (64) + כְּבוֹדָ֖ם [their·glory] (72) + בְּקָל֥וֹן [in·shame] (188) + אָמִֽיר [top] (251) = 907.
Rashi
"As the majority, so did they sin." When they increased and grew numerous, so too did they increase in sinning. "So did they sin" is a Hebrew expression; "so" in many places means "as." For example, "As they afflicted him, so he multiplied" (Exodus 1:12); "They called to them, so they went away from before them" (Hosea 11:2)—meaning, however much the prophets called to them to admonish them, so much did they flee from before them.
As they increased, so they sinned. Therefore, I will exchange their honor for disgrace.
Ibn Ezra
"Ke-rubam" [as their increase]: “I have multiplied your children.”
Just as they sinned against Me—many sins—therefore, I will exchange their honor for disgrace.
Radak
As their honor, so their sin against Me. Aaron the priest, their father, had the Torah of truth in his mouth; but now that his sons have multiplied and transgressed, they have sinned against Me and forgotten My Torah. Just as I did good to them, they have done evil. Therefore, He said: "Their honor shall be in disgrace." [This means:] I made them leaders over the people and high priests; but if they do not guard My Torah, I will bring their honor into disgrace, and the people will despise them and treat them with contempt.
Amir. I will exchange, as it is written, "And if he will exchange" (Vayikra 27:10). And there is an interpretation in the manner of the Rabbis, that just as they increased in wealth and property, so did they sin against Me, following the path of "And Israel waxed fat and kicked" (Devarim 32:15). And in this manner did Jonathan render the Targum.
Metzudat David
As for “the majority of them” (כרובם): Just as I increase in raising them up, so do they increase in sinning against Me; therefore, I will exchange their honor for disgrace. That is to say: In exchange for the honor, I will give them disgrace.
Metzudat Zion
As they increased. The matter is one of greatness, as it is said, “For it is great” (Esther 1:20).
“Baklon.” From the term for “lightness” and contempt:
Amir (I will exchange). From the language of exchange and substitution:
Malbim
Like the majority, for your children will increase in number; according as they increase and grow strong, so will they sin against Me, so will they continue to sin, until their honor is turned into disgrace. For the honor of the priesthood is that which the Lord gave them as a gift, the heave-offerings, to eat the fat portions of the sacrifice from the table of the Lord. They were worthy, sitting in the first place in the kingdom, who always eat at the king’s table, and the priests eat and the owners are atoned for. But this honor of theirs will be changed into disgrace, for...
They feed on the sin of My people, And set their heart on their iniquity.
verse value 1561
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "my·people" (עַמִּ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·their·perversity" (וְאֶל־עֲוֺנָ֖ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·to·their·perversity" (וְאֶל־עֲוֺנָ֖ם), "they·will·lift" (יִשְׂא֥וּ), "his·soul" (נַפְשֽׁוֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). First appearance of the root חטאה ("purgation·offering·of") in Hosea. First appearance of the root עון ("and·to·their·perversity") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: חַטַּ֥את [purgation·offering·of] (418) + עַמִּ֖י [my·people] (120) + יֹאכֵ֑לוּ [eat] (67) + וְאֶל־עֲוֺנָ֖ם [and·to·their·perversity] (203) + יִשְׂא֥וּ [they·will·lift] (317) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 1561.
Rashi
"The sin-offering of My people." Every instance of chatat in the Book of the Twelve Prophets is vocalized with a patach, because they are all in the construct state, except for one: "The beginning of the transgression is the daughter of Zion" (Micah 1:13). The sin-offerings of My people—these are consumed by the false prophets, as stated above (Hosea 4:5): "the prophet also shall stumble with you." They became priests of the high places, and they ate what was fitting for the [true] priests to eat.
“and for their transgression.” The prophet shall lift up his soul for the transgression of Israel; and the prophet himself expects that they will bring him money and sacrifices for atonement.
Ibn Ezra
"The iniquity of My people they shall eat" – the sons of the priest; "and the soul of My people they shall bear for their iniquity," as stated nearby: "to make atonement for the sin," in the manner of "and he shall bear his soul," and this is a great sin. Therefore, evil shall come upon the priest and upon the people, and it shall not be an elevation for the priest over Israel.
Radak
"The iniquity of My people they shall eat." They are not priests [whose role is] to teach the Torah and the straight path, but [rather, their function is] to eat the sin-offerings and guilt-offerings that the people bring.
“And they shall bear their iniquity.” The priests shall bear the iniquity of the people, each one his own soul. They say: When will they sin and bring a sin-offering and a guilt-offering, and we shall eat them? And this is in accordance with the matter of “and he shall bear his iniquity.” And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: “The priests hastened to eat,” etc. And there is an explanation that “the sin-offering of my people they shall eat” is in the manner of the sons of Eli, who were eating the sin-offering before the sprinkling of the blood and the burning of the fat portions, and when the owners said to them, “What is this that you are doing?”
“Regarding their guilt, they shall bear their souls.” They say to them, “Do not worry, for your guilt is upon our souls, for our eating also serves as atonement.” But they are mistaken. For when it says, “And they shall eat them, which makes atonement for them,” it teaches that the priests eat and the owners are atoned for. This is only when their eating is according to the Torah, after the sprinkling of the blood and the burning of the fat portions.
Metzudat David
"The sin-offering of My people they shall eat." This means that they do not grasp the law of the priesthood to teach the people, but rather they grasp the priesthood only to eat the flesh of the sin-offering of My people.
"And they shall bear their iniquity upon their soul." Each one of the priests longs for it—meaning, he awaits the transgression of the people, saying, "When will they sin so that they may bring a sin-offering?"
Metzudat Zion
"they shall lift up his soul." This language is used of one who awaits something, and likewise, "who lift up their souls" (Jeremiah 22:27):
Malbim
"The iniquity of My people shall eat them up" — they do not eat from the sins of the Lord, nor from the transgression of all, nor from the iniquity of all; rather, they eat only "the iniquity of My people." And this is either because the sinner is not atoned for through their service, which is not acceptable before Him, or because they themselves are the ones enticing the people to sin, so that they may bring sacrifices and there will be something for them to eat. And not only do they cause the people to sin unintentionally, but they also bear responsibility for the people's guilt, leading them to commit sins intentionally, by teaching them from the ways of the priests who intentionally do evil. And he explains.
And it is like people, like priest; And I will punish him for his ways, And will recompense him his doings.
verse value 1748
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·deeds" (וּמַעֲלָלָ֖יו, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "like·the·people" (כָעָ֖ם), "as·the·priest" (כַּכֹּהֵ֑ן), "his·ways" (דְּרָכָ֔יו). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 28x in Hosea); "upon·him" (root על, 28x in Hosea); "like·the·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). First appearance of the root מעלל ("and·his·deeds") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כָעָ֖ם [like·the·people] (130) + כַּכֹּהֵ֑ן [as·the·priest] (95) + וּפָקַדְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·punish] (600) + עָלָיו֙ [upon·him] (116) + דְּרָכָ֔יו [his·ways] (240) + וּמַעֲלָלָ֖יו [and·his·deeds] (192) + אָשִׁ֥יב [I·will·repay] (313) + לֽוֹ [to·him] (36) = 1748.
Rashi
"And it shall be like a people, like priests": I will make the people contemptible, like the priests who defiled themselves, so that they are no longer considered priests for them; therefore, I will also defile the people through idolatry. So too does the Targum translate.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be" – I have already stated that the path of the letter kaf is a short path, and the people were like the priest, and the priest like the people; and similar to this is "as your people, so my people."
And I will take account of it upon him—upon each one of them.
Radak
“And it shall be like a people like a priest.” This is according to the analogy, in the concise manner, and the meaning is: the people are like the priest, and the priest is like the people. And so is the way of Scripture, as in “like you like Pharaoh,” “like a lender like a borrower,” and similar expressions. The sense is: just as the people and the priest are equal in their sin, so shall they be equal in their punishment.
“And I will recompense him for his ways.” For each of them individually. And Jonathan rendered it: “And it shall be as if He had fashioned,” etc.
"And they shall eat." Since they are eating in a manner that is not in accordance with the law, their eating shall not be considered a blessing.
Metzudat David
"And it shall be." Therefore, it shall be like a people, like priests: both shall be equal in their calamity, since even the priests have corrupted themselves.
“And I will remember against him.” For each individual, I will recall his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will remember." The matter of remembrance:
And his deeds. His actions:
Malbim
“And it shall be like a people, like a priest”—that the people will commit sins intentionally, because the people will be like the priest, learning to be like him and to act according to his evil deeds; therefore, “I will visit upon him his ways”—I will punish the priest for his evil ways, and I will repay him with a measure-for-measure recompense.
And they shall eat, and not have enough, They shall commit harlotry, and shall not increase; Because they have left off to take heed to Hashem.
verse value 2091
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "because·Hashem" (כִּֽי־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "shall·be·sated" (יִשְׂבָּ֔עוּ), "will·overflow" (יִפְרֹ֑צוּ), "because·Hashem" (כִּֽי־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "because·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea). First appearance of the root שבע ("shall·be·sated") in Hosea. First appearance of the root שמר ("to·keep") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·overflow', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאָֽכְלוּ֙ [and·they·shall·eat] (63) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִשְׂבָּ֔עוּ [shall·be·sated] (388) + הִזְנ֖וּ [shall·commit·harlotry] (68) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִפְרֹ֑צוּ [will·overflow] (386) + כִּֽי־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה [because·Hashem] (457) + עָזְב֖וּ [they·forsook] (85) + לִשְׁמֹֽר [to·keep] (570) = 2091.
Rashi
"And they shall not break forth." This means they shall not raise up children.
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall eat" – this is the charge.
The promiscuous – their souls also others, and they do not multiply, as it says: "And the man broke out."
"For they have forsaken the Lord" – meaning, to observe His ways or His Torah.
Radak
"And they shall eat, but not be satisfied." Likewise, their lying with women, since it is through prostitution, they shall not break forth and not multiply, for they shall have no children from them; and if they do have children, they shall die from the womb. This is what we said: "They practiced prostitution, but did not break forth." "They practiced prostitution" is an intransitive verb, like "the feeding, they fed," and similarly, "You have practiced prostitution, O Ephraim."
"They have forsaken the Lord." [This is interpreted as:] "To guard His ways," for they do not desire Him and His ways; [thus,] "guard His ways," [they] have forsaken. And our Master Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, joined this phrase with the following verse: "They have forsaken the Lord to guard."
Metzudat David
"And they shall not be sated." For the curse enters the intestines.
“harlotry.” He calls every act of intercourse with them “harlotry,” since they are in a state of evil thought, not for the sake of fulfilling the commandment of the Lord.
"And they shall not break forth." This means they shall not multiply in sons and daughters.
To guard. From the root "to guard":
Metzudat Zion
They shall break forth. The matter is one of strengthening the multitude; and likewise, "they broke forth in great numbers" (1 Chronicles 4:38).
Malbim
(10-11) “They shall eat, but not be satisfied.” In place of the seven [days] when the priests were righteous, blessing would come into their stomachs, and with the small amount they ate of the offerings of the Lord, they would be satisfied, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. Now, “because the sin of My people, they shall eat, they shall eat, but not be satisfied.” Moreover, since they caused the people to pursue after harlotry, therefore they shall not break through [in strength] nor shall they increase in sons and daughters, for they have forsaken the Lord, to guard harlotry, wine, and new wine, which take the heart. Instead of the priest being commanded to guard the charge of the Lord and to be holy to his God—whether by abstaining from harlotry, as it is stated, “A harlot and a profaned woman he shall not take,” or by abstaining from wine and strong drink, as it is stated, “Wine and strong drink do not drink when you go into the Tent of Meeting”—for harlotry and wine take the heart and incline it away from the path of Torah and holiness. They, however, forsook guarding the charge of the Lord, and instead guarded harlotry and wine, which for them served as a “charge” in place of the charge of the Lord, even though this “charge” takes their heart and leads them astray.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "harlotry" (זְנ֛וּת, 4 letters) and the longest is "wine" (וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·wine" (וְיַ֥יִן), "takes·away·heart" (יִֽקַּֽח־לֵֽב). 4 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יין ("and·wine") in Hosea. Full calculation: זְנ֛וּת [harlotry] (463) + וְיַ֥יִן [and·wine] (76) + וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ [wine] (922) + יִֽקַּֽח־לֵֽב [takes·away·heart] (150) = 1611.
Rashi
"Prostitution, wine, and new wine." For they are occupied with them, and they have taken their hearts away from [the service of] the Lord.
Ibn Ezra
Zonah – spelled with a defect, lacking the vav letters, like shemesh, yareach, amad, and zivlah; and the reason is that both harlotry and wine each seize the heart – and the seizing of the heart is as if one is left without a heart to understand.
Radak
"Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the heart." The prostitution with which they are occupied and the habitual drinking that they engage in take away their heart, so that they have no heart to understand which is the good path they should follow. And it mentions "new wine" after it has mentioned "wine," because new wine is fresh wine, and it takes away the heart and intoxicates quickly.
Metzudat David
Prostitution. The preoccupation with prostitution and with intoxication from both old and new wine—each of them will seize the heart of the priest; that is to say, it will distract his intellect, as if he were left without a heart to understand and to instruct the people.
My people ask counsel at their stock, And their staff declares to them; For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to err, And they have gone astray from under their God.
verse value 2779
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "adultery" (זְנוּנִים֙, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "in·his·tree" (בְּעֵצ֣וֹ), "will·ask" (יִשְׁאָ֔ל), "and·his·staff" (וּמַקְל֖וֹ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "my·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea); "their·God" (root אלהים, 21x in Hosea). First appearance of the root רוח ("spirit·of") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: עַמִּי֙ [my·people] (120) + בְּעֵצ֣וֹ [in·his·tree] (168) + יִשְׁאָ֔ל [will·ask] (341) + וּמַקְל֖וֹ [and·his·staff] (182) + יַגִּ֣יד [declares] (27) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + ר֤וּחַ [spirit·of] (214) + זְנוּנִים֙ [adultery] (163) + הִתְעָ֔ה [has·led·astray] (480) + וַיִּזְנ֖וּ [and·they·went·astray] (79) + מִתַּ֥חַת [from·under] (848) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·God] (91) = 2779.
Rashi
“Of his wood he shall inquire.” In the likeness that he made from the wood:
He will tell him. To their words he listens, which the prophets of Baal say to him in the name of the idolaters:
Ibn Ezra
"My people" – And the sign that they are without heart is that "my people" returned to ask counsel of the idol.
"For a spirit of harlotry has led him astray."
And they went astray—all of them under God, as He mentioned "My people."
Radak
"My people ask counsel of their wood, and their staff tells them." They are like a blind man whose staff shows him the way he walks; and their staff refers to the false prophets -- so interpreted my father and master, of blessed memory. And there are those who interpret "their wood" and "their staff" as referring to the idol, which is made of wood; and so did Targum Yonatan render it: "My people consult their wooden image," etc.
He led him astray. And this is the spirit of the false prophets, which is a spirit of promiscuity.
"Under their gods." Just as the harlot who commits harlotry under her husband.
Metzudat David
“Out of his wood he shall inquire.” He will inquire about the future from an image made of wood.
And his staff. The image fashioned from the staff, and the matter is repeated in what is stated:
“Spirit of harlotry.” The desire for harlotry and idolatry led them astray from the path of reason; therefore, they committed harlotry under their gods.
Metzudat Zion
“Be’atzvoh.” From the root of “etz” (tree):
And his staff. A wooden staff:
He led astray. From the language of "one who goes astray":
Malbim
"My people shall inquire of their wood" — that is, my people ask the wooden idol to obtain an answer from it, and it does not answer them; rather, another piece of wood will tell them the answer, namely, the rod prepared to strike them. It will tell them the answer, saying that the spirit of promiscuity led them astray from the path, and through this spirit they played the harlot beneath their God. The allusion is that through the rod that strikes them, they will know that they have gone astray from the path.
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, And offer upon the hills, Under oaks and poplars and terebinths, Because the shadow thereof is good; Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your daughters-in-law commit adultery. .
verse value 5361
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·the·hills" (וְעַל־הַגְּבָעוֹת֙, 9 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "upon·the·tops·of" (עַל־רָאשֵׁ֨י), "the·mountains" (הֶהָרִ֜ים), "and·upon·the·hills" (וְעַל־הַגְּבָעוֹת֙). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·because" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "therefore" (root על, 28x in Hosea). First appearance of the root גבעה ("and·upon·the·hills") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·shadow', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
Alon. In the language of the nations, it is called "Kaiyani," and it bears fruit that they call "Galnanets" in the language of the nations.
Lavanah. A tree whose bark is white:
"אלה" – this is a term from the vernacular (Old French) for a tree whose branches are numerous, and it is planted for its shade.
"Therefore your daughters will commit harlotry." Because you join yourselves to idolatry according to the laws of the ancient nations, and they join themselves to you, and you were marrying into them, your daughters born to you from their daughters follow the ways of their mothers and commit harlotry, as the Targum states.
Ibn Ezra
“On the heads” – the word “heads” means "in the open" (i.e., with the accent on the final syllable), and similarly, “on the hills they shall sacrifice” – they will say to the priests of Baal, “Let them sacrifice.” And because the men go out to burn offerings outside the cities, the daughters and brides will remain in the houses; therefore, they will commit harlotry.
Radak
“Upon the tops of the mountains they shall sacrifice.” From the dagesh, as in “Amon’s sacrifice to them, I will sacrifice,” and it is not transitive [does not take a third element/object], as the scholar Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra explained. But the dagesh indicates in these places and their like the abundance of the action, as we have written in the book Miklol in its grammatical section. And what he said, “upon the tops of the mountains and the hills,” is the way of idolaters, as it is written in the Torah: “upon the high mountains and upon the hills, and under every green tree.” And the top of the mountain is the high place therein.
"Under the oak." The Targum translates it as "balut," and so too is it called in Arabic. It is a tree that bears the fruit known in the foreign tongue as "galnats." Its branches are numerous; therefore, people choose to worship foreign gods beneath it, as it says, "for its shade is good." Similarly, "levanah" (poplar) and "elah" (terebinth): "levanah" is a tree whose derivation is "white," and "elah" is what they call in the foreign tongue "ulmo." Jonathan translated "for its shade is good" as "because its shade is pleasant from its branches," and similarly, "and the oaks are thick" [he translated] as "and the oaks are dense from their branches."
"Therefore your daughters will play the harlot." Because the men of the household go outside the city to the high mountains and under every green tree to serve there foreign gods, therefore they have an opportunity for their daughters to become destitute, to play the harlot, and to commit adultery. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered [in the Targum]: "Therefore they will cause [them] to play the harlot, etc."
Metzudat David
"They shall sacrifice." To idolatry:
"For its shade is good." For the shade of each one of them is good, because it is abundant in branches and it is good to stand beneath it.
Therefore. Since the men go out to the mountains to sacrifice to idolatry, the daughters and brides found an opportunity for prostitution, for there is no one watching.
Metzudat Zion
"Oak, poplar, and terebinth." These are the names of trees:
Malbim
“Upon the tops of the mountains they shall sacrifice”: For the sake of harlotry they engaged in idolatry beneath their gods. The verse depicts that the sacrifice offered to idolatry, which was a primary service and performed by a gang in the presence of a large multitude, was conducted on the tops of the mountains. The incense, which was not a primary service but rather something done individually and separately, they burned on the hills beneath the mountains, each man alone, beneath an oak and a terebinth. Furthermore, along with the sacrifice and the incense, they engaged in harlotry, for harlotry was connected with idolatry, as is well known. There were also two types of harlotry: harlotry in public on the mountains, and harlotry in secret on the hills, as will be explained in the following chapter.
Therefore, your daughters will commit harlotry, just as their fathers committed harlotry, as will be explained. Now, the daughters’ custom was to go out to their husbands, while the daughters-in-law remained in their homes (as stated in Judges 12). The daughters are described as committing harlotry, for harlotry indicates that one strays from under her husband’s authority, and they were regarded as harlots. But your daughters-in-law will commit adultery, for the daughters-in-law, who remain in their homes, and who have permitted harlotry and sexual immorality in public, do not consider this in their eyes as harlotry, but rather as adultery, which also encompasses the adultery of an unmarried woman.
I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; For they themselves consort with lewd women, And they sacrifice with harlots; And the people that is without understanding is distraught.
verse value 4837
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "when" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·your·daughters-in-law" (וְעַל־כַּלּֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: when, when. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "not·I·will·punish" (לֹא־אֶפְק֨וֹד), "upon·your·daughters" (עַל־בְּנוֹתֵיכֶ֜ם), "and·upon·your·daughters-in-law" (וְעַל־כַּלּֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙). The root כי appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "upon·your·daughters" (root על, 28x in Hosea); "and·people" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·sacrifice', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
"I will not visit upon your daughters." Furthermore, to examine them with the bitter waters when they commit adultery. Why? Because their husbands consort with harlots. And when a man is not cleansed from sin, the waters do not examine his wife.
“Yifradu.” The Targum renders it as “mistayyan,” from the language of “si’ah,” meaning that they join together with them to drink wine. And Menachem grouped it together with the word “perudot,” which are wine casks.
"And a people that does not understand shall stumble." Since you do not give your heart to understand, therefore you shall stumble and incur punishment. "Stumble" (yilbat) is the language of the toil of the journey and the weariness of a burden, *delshir* in the foreign tongue.
Ibn Ezra
"No— the reason is that there is no cause for wonder if the daughters commit harlotry, for when they ascend to the mountain tops to offer sacrifices, they eat and drink with the harlots and all of them commit harlotry."
And the word "yifradu" (they shall separate) – men are known to consort with a single prostitute.
And the word "yalbat" – in the language of Ishmael, it means to be confused, not knowing what to do. And similar to it is: "A fool of lips will stumble" (Proverbs 10:8). And behold, there is no meaning to "I will not punish" – that I will not punish them, but rather speak against the fathers, because they teach them to commit immorality and to do according to their deeds. Perhaps the daughters are young, therefore I will not punish.
Radak
"I will not visit." One should not attribute the sin of prostitution to them, for they learned it from the householders.
"For they shall be separated with the harlots." This means that they separate themselves from their wives and consort with harlots and with women dedicated to idolatry. When they go to slaughter their sacrifices, they speak with the harlots and the dedicated women, inviting them to come there to slaughter, and they lie with them there.
"Yipradu" (They shall separate). From the dagesh [in the root], and one may also explain that "yifridu" means that the women shall separate from their husbands to commit harlotry with them. My master and father, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the matter of "pered" (mule), namely, that they are steeped in sexual immorality, like the mule, for among animals there is none as steeped in lust as it. And there are those who explain further: "Yipradu" means they will perform with the harlots the act of a mule, which does not procreate; so too, they will lie with women in a manner that does not produce offspring, like Onan and Onan. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "Ari" (they shall go) as "if they go with harlots," and he translated "yizbachu" (they shall sacrifice) as "they eat and drink," meaning that they sacrifice a sacrifice in order to eat and drink with them.
And the people, who do not understand, will be confused. “Will be confused” means they will stumble, like the verse says, “A fool of lips will stumble” (Proverbs 18:2). And some say it means their understanding will be muddled, like a person who does not know what to do and becomes confused. This is also the meaning in Arabic. And so my master and father, of blessed memory, explained it. And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum: “And the people, the generation that did not contemplate the Torah, will be dismayed.”
Metzudat David
"I will not visit." I will not remember against your daughters, who commit harlotry, to recompense them with their due; and so too regarding your daughters-in-law. And the explanation is that they learn from their fathers, for they go with harlots and separate themselves from their husbands to be secluded with them.
"They shall sacrifice." Sacrifices of rejoicing, to eat with them.
"And a people that doth not understand shall stumble." This means: Since they are a people that do not understand, therefore they shall stumble and fall.
Metzudat Zion
They shall be separated. The meaning of the separation is like "Separate yourself from me" (Genesis 13:9):
The consecrated women. The harlots, as it is stated: “There shall be no harlot among the daughters of Israel” (Deuteronomy 23:18).
Yalevet. The meaning of "yalevet" is stumbling and weariness, as in: "The lips of a fool stumble" (Proverbs 10).
Malbim
No, and I will not punish your daughters for their harlotry, for the sin does not rest with the daughters, but with their fathers, from whom they learned to do this. For they shall be separated from the harlots, and with the sacred prostitutes they shall sacrifice. That is, with the sacred prostitutes who are prepared for harlotry, and who are harlots in public, with them they shall sacrifice, for the slaughter was done in public and before a large assembly, as it is stated, “Upon the tops of the mountains they shall sacrifice.” And they would commit harlotry with the sacred prostitutes, who were also prepared for idolatry (as is known that for idolatry they had sacred prostitutes, whose sexual intercourse was considered holy in their eyes, and whose hire was given to the treasury of the idol). And with the harlots, who are married women that commit harlotry under their husbands’ roofs in secret, they shall separate from the group on the mountain tops, to commit harlotry with them in the hills, in a hidden place. And all this explains what is stated, “His staff shall declare to him,” meaning that the spirit of harlotry has become sweet to him, for through the desire for harlotry they strayed from God to serve idolatry, and this the staff that strikes him shall declare to him. And regarding this he concluded, “Therefore he shall be tossed about with a people that understands not,” meaning that therefore he shall be struck with a staff of afflictions, and he shall not understand to return until he is struck and tossed about and wearied from the multitude of blows.
Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Yet let not Judah become guilty; And come not you to Gilgal, Neither go you up to Beth-aven, Nor swear: ‘As Hashem lives.’
verse value 3850
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 63 letters. Verse gematria: 3850 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "you" (אַתָּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·swear" (וְאַל־תִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "if·playing·harlot" (אִם־זֹנֶ֤ה), "you" (אַתָּה֙), "do·not·be·guilty" (אַל־יֶאְשַׁ֖ם). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "Beth" (root בית, 21x in Hosea). First appearance of the root גלגל ("the·Gilgal") in Hosea. First appearance of the root און ("Aven") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: אִם־זֹנֶ֤ה [if·playing·harlot] (103) + אַתָּה֙ [you] (406) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + אַל־יֶאְשַׁ֖ם [do·not·be·guilty] (382) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וְאַל־תָּבֹ֣אוּ [and·do·not·come] (446) + הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל [the·Gilgal] (71) + וְאַֽל־תַּעֲלוּ֙ [and·do·not·go·up] (543) + בֵּ֣ית [Beth] (412) + אָ֔וֶן [Aven] (57) + וְאַל־תִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ [and·do·not·swear] (815) + חַי־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem·lives] (44) = 3850.
Rashi
"If you are a harlot, O Israel." The children of Judah should not learn from their ways. Another interpretation: "If you are a harlot, O Israel," let Judah not be held guilty. If Israel is a harlot, the children of Judah are not obligated in this matter, and I do not hold them accountable, as stated above (Hosea 1:7): "But I will have mercy on the house of Judah."
And do not come to Galgal. The sons of Judah may go to Galgal, provided that the sons of Judah do not come to Galgal, for there the ten tribes serve idolatry, as it is stated, “All their wickedness is in Gilgal” (below, 9), and, “In Gilgal they multiplied to transgress” (Amos 4:4).
"And do not ascend to Beth-aven." This is Bethel, where Jeroboam set up the calves.
"And you shall not swear." With them, 'As the LORD lives' -- for even if they say 'As the LORD lives,' indeed they swear falsely (Jeremiah 5:2). When they were swearing falsely, they would mention the Name of Heaven; and when they were swearing truthfully, they would swear by the name of the idols' masters.
Ibn Ezra
"If Israel sinned with Jeroboam, who feared that the kingship would return to the House of David, therefore he made two calves at the two ends of the Land of Israel. Why should Judah be blamed for abandoning the Temple, which is in their portion, and going to a distant place to the idols of the nations? The prophet reproaches them: 'Let Judah not be blamed, and do not come to Gilgal, and do not ascend to Beth-Aven'—that is, Bethel, because of the calf that Jeroboam placed there. It is written in the Torah: 'By His name you shall swear,' and the meaning is: 'You shall fear the Lord your God'—so that you do not transgress a negative commandment, not because of fear of a king, or slander, or bodily harm, but only because of the fear of the Name, and 'Him you shall serve'—positive commandments, some with the mouth and some with action. And 'to Him you shall cleave'—with the thought of the heart, so that not a moment passes in all his ability that he does not contemplate in his heart the deeds of the Name and His wonders in the upper, middle, and lower realms, and in the signs of the prophets. And after he is cleaved to the Name, he is obligated to mention the Name in all his words and to swear by His name, so that all the created beings who hear from him will understand that he is cleaved to the love of the Name, and constantly His name and remembrance are on his lips and in his love for Him, and all the people will hear and learn from him love and fear. And so is the custom of the prophets, who swear, as did David, Elijah, and Elisha, and similarly is every expression of 'you shall swear.' And behold, the meaning of 'why do you go' is: since you are children of the Name, and you are going to Beth-Aven, it is better that you do not do this and that. Or its interpretation is in opposition to 'swearing [an oath]' and 'deceit,' which are written at the beginning of the chapter."
Radak
If you, Israel, are a harlot, let not Judah be held guilty. If you, Israel, are a harlot after the calves, let Judah, who has the Temple, not be held guilty. What business does he have to go after idolaters?
“And do not enter Gilgal.” This is because the Tabernacle was initially located at Gilgal when they entered the Land; therefore, when they went to serve foreign gods, they built altars there for the foreign gods. And what business did the tribe of Judah have entering Gilgal and abandoning the Temple in their city?
And do not go up to Beth-Aven. It is Bethel, where one of the calves was located. To diminish and disparage its name, the text calls it Beth-Aven, because our patriarch Jacob called the place Bethel due to the vision he saw there, and God was revealed there. But after Jeroboam placed the calf there, the prophets disparaged its name and called it Beth-Aven, because the calf was emptiness and vanity. And the reason it says “go up” is because Bethel was situated on a high place, as it says, “ascending to the mountain of God, Bethel.” Also, Beth-Aven was a place adjacent to Bethel and Ai, but the text does not refer to this except in regard to Bethel, where the calf was located. And so Jonathan ben Uzziel translated it: “And you shall not ascend to Bethel.”
"And do not swear by the living Lord." For you are idolaters who swear by the Name of God; this is a way of angering and insulting Him. And there are those who explain, "Do not swear by My name falsely," as it is stated in the Torah, "You shall not swear falsely by My name" (Leviticus 19:12). And so did Jonathan render it in the Targum: "You shall not swear by My name falsely." The Name is true. And so it says, "If the Lord lives," they shall say, "Therefore they swear falsely" (Jeremiah 4:2).
Metzudat David
“If a harlot, etc.”: If the Israelites had engaged in harlotry by turning to idolatry, there would be no blame upon the tribe of Judah, for by fighting with them, they prevented them from coming to the Temple, which was in the kingdom of Judah. Nevertheless, they did not lead them astray after idolatry.
"And do not come to Gilgal." This means: You should not have come to Gilgal, the place of idolatry, as it is stated below (9:15), "And all their evil is in Gilgal." It is as if saying: Did you come to Gilgal through the merit of Judah? You should have remained at home.
Beth-aven. It is Bethel, and there Jeroboam set up the calf; therefore, he called it by a derogatory name.
"And you shall not swear by My name." Since they do not serve the Lord, what do you have to do with swearing by His name? For only one who serves the Lord is fit to swear by His name, as it is stated, "Him you shall serve, and by His name you shall swear" (Deuteronomy 10:20). But one who does not serve Him and yet swears by Him, it is considered a desecration.
Metzudat Zion
Yashem. From the language of guilt:
Malbim
If [she is] a harlot: It has already been explained above (section 1, chapter 1) that when Hosea began to prophesy in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, the kingdom of Judah was then under the control of the kingdom of Israel (until the twenty-fourth year of Uzziah, who reigned independently). Judah was subjugated under the hand of the kingdom of Ephraim, and they would come to the cities of Israel. They were still serving the Lord in those days. Therefore, the prophet warns Judah not to enter the cities of Israel, where the calves and foreign worship were, lest they learn from their deeds. This is what he says: “If you, Israel, are a harlot”—meaning, since you, Israel, who are the kingdom of Ephraim, are a harlot, having been unfaithful to your God, surely you must be careful so that Judah will not be held guilty by learning from your deeds. Therefore, he commands the tribe of Judah: “Do not come to Beth-aven, and do not go up to Bethel.” In these two places they engaged in the worship of the calves, as it is stated: “Come to Bethel and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression” (Amos 4:4), and “At Gilgal they sacrificed oxen” (below, 12:12). These two places were adjacent to the inheritance of Judah, and the people of Judah would come there. He commands them to guard themselves from coming to these places, for then, “Do not swear, ‘As the Lord lives!’” because at Gilgal and Bethel they swear by the guilt of Samaria, and cease, for it is not to mention the name of the Lord; whereas you, Judah, swear “As the Lord lives.” Therefore, do not go there.
For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer; Now shall Hashem feed them as a lamb in a large place?
verse value 3216
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "like·a·heifer" (כְּפָרָ֣ה), "rebeling" (סֹרֵרָ֔ה), "rebeled" (סָרַ֖ר). The root סרר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea). First appearance of the root סרר ("rebeling") in Hosea. First appearance of the root רעה ("will·feed·them") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּ֚י [for] (30) + כְּפָרָ֣ה [like·a·heifer] (305) + סֹרֵרָ֔ה [rebeling] (465) + סָרַ֖ר [rebeled] (460) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + יִרְעֵ֣ם [will·feed·them] (320) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כְּכֶ֖בֶשׂ [as·lamb] (342) + בַּמֶּרְחָֽב [in·the·broad·place] (252) = 3216.
Rashi
"For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer." Just as an ox that is well-fed kicks, so too did Israel transgress due to excessive eating and drinking.
"Now He will feed them." From a limited pasture, like a lamb that grazes in an open area, and not like a fattened bull that is confined with barley and leeks.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – it is a rebellious one, that it departs from the path which He commanded not to walk upon. And behold, He likened Israel to a stubborn heifer, which a man cannot plow with. And the meaning of "now the Lord was shepherding them like a lamb in a broad place" is: had you not been rebellious; or the meaning is: now the Lord will shepherd them like a lone lamb in a broad place, and it is mistaken.
Radak
"For her rebellion is a rebellion." Just as a rebellious heifer twists and contorts herself under the yoke, so that a man cannot plow with her, so too Israel rebelled against their God, rejecting the yoke of the Torah and the commandments that they had accepted upon themselves. They twisted and contorted themselves under the yoke, and removed the yoke of the commandments from upon themselves.
"Now the Lord will roar like a ram in the open field." Were it not for the fact that they provoked Him, the Lord would have pastured them in abundance, like sheep in the open field, meaning, in a wide plain where they graze at their leisure. And similarly it is stated: "He will pasture His flock on that day, in a wide vineyard."
And a lamb. This is a general term for many lambs, like "And I had an ox and a donkey," and so my master and father, of blessed memory, explained. And some say: Now he will pasture them in their land like a single lamb in a wide place, which goes around crying to and fro, does not rest, and does not graze. And Jonathan translated: "For, like an ox," etc. And the matter of sorrah and sorer is the matter of crookedness and deviation from custom, and so too with a stubborn and rebellious son and those similar to him.
Metzudat David
"Kippur sorrah" – like the heifer that eats from the manger, which, due to an abundance of food, becomes unruly and rebellious and does not wish to pull the yoke; so too, Israel rebelled against the Lord due to an abundance of provisions and excessive influence.
"Now. Therefore, I will afflict her now like a shepherd who leads a sheep to a wide and quiet place, going here and there to seek grass for its food; that is to say, from now on I will restrict its influence."
Metzudat Zion
Sorrah. The matter of rebellion:
"ירעם" – the word is derived from the root "רעה" (to graze/pasture).
“bim’rachav.” In a spacious place:
Malbim
For — the sense of the verse is: “For now, when the Lord would pasture them like a lamb in a broad place, Israel was stubborn like a stubborn heifer.” For in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, the Lord showed compassion to Israel, whom the king of Aram had destroyed and laid them like dust to be trodden down, and He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah (2 Kings 14:25). Then the Lord pastured them upon a broad meadow, meaning that He expanded the borders of their land. And He thought that they would be like a lamb that follows its shepherd and does not separate from the flock to go upon wayward mountains. So He thought that thereby they would follow after Him and not rebel against Him. But they were then stubborn like a stubborn heifer, for if one leads her upon a broad meadow, she abandons the shepherd and turns aside and distances herself from him. So they then distanced themselves from the Lord, who was their shepherd and had expanded their borders. And it explains in what way they distanced themselves from Him: For.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. Verse gematria: 858 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "joined·to" (חֲב֧וּר, 4 letters) and the longest is "idols" (עֲצַבִּ֛ים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "joined·to" (חֲב֧וּר), "let·him·alone" (הַֽנַּֽח־לֽוֹ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea). First appearance of the root עצב ("idols") in Hosea. First appearance of the root אפרים ("Ephraim") in Hosea. Full calculation: חֲב֧וּר [joined·to] (216) + עֲצַבִּ֛ים [idols] (212) + אֶפְרָ֖יִם [Ephraim] (331) + הַֽנַּֽח־לֽוֹ [let·him·alone] (99) = 858.
Rashi
“Ephraim is bound to idols.” He has clung to the idolaters, and it is impossible for him to separate himself from them; therefore, leave him alone, you prophet, and do not prophesy to reprove him, for it will be of no avail.
Ibn Ezra
Chibur – some say:
"Ki atzavim" – like "u'chol atzaveichem." And the correct interpretation: like "the idolatrous images of Canaan were despised," and all are from the root of "atzavon" (grief/distress), for there is no benefit in their statues except for grief. And the meaning: they are attached to the statues; they are their companions.
"Leave him alone" – until he removes it; perhaps their eyes will be opened.
Radak
"Binding of nerves." A binding is a clinging to the nerves; the calves, Baal, and Asherah—so deeply was he bound to them that there was no remedy for him, and he would not heed words of reproof.
“Leave him alone.” This means that one should refrain from rebuking the prophet, for it will be of no avail. This is expressed in the manner of a rhetorical turning away, like a person who is angry with his fellow and, since the latter does not heed his rebuke, says to him: “Since you do not listen to me, I will leave you alone and cease from rebuking you forever.” Nevertheless, after some time has passed, he returns and rebukes him again.
Metzudat David
"Joining." Behold, Ephraim has become greatly joined to idols; therefore, leave him be and do not reprove him, for it is impossible to separate him from them.
Metzudat Zion
Atzabim (idols). Thus are idols called:
Malbim
“Joined to the sinews” refers to Ephraim, whose king (for the kingdom is named after Ephraim) is joined to the sinews and does not wish to separate from their company, as it is stated regarding Jeroboam son of Joash: “And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam” (II Kings 14:24). Therefore, I command you, Judah: Leave him alone, separate yourself from him, do not enter into the cycle [of punishment], and do not become entangled with him.
When their carouse is over, They take to harlotry; Her rulers deeply love dishonour.
verse value 819
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "deeply" (הֵב֛וּ) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 819 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "turned·aside" (סָ֖ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "her·shields" (מָגִנֶּֽיהָ, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "turned·aside" (סָ֖ר), "their·drink" (סׇבְאָ֑ם), "surely" (הַזְנֵ֣ה). The root זנה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: סָ֖ר [turned·aside] (260) + סׇבְאָ֑ם [their·drink] (103) + הַזְנֵ֣ה [surely] (67) + הִזְנ֔וּ [they·commit·harlotry] (68) + אָהֲב֥וּ [love] (14) + הֵב֛וּ [deeply] (13) + קָל֖וֹן [shame] (186) + מָגִנֶּֽיהָ [her·shields] (108) = 819.
Rashi
"Their carousing has turned aside." It is made from both of them a stranger. "Remove" is the language of "stranger," like (Jeremiah 2:21) "I removed the vine, it became foreign," meaning, it removed itself from its place and was transformed into something else.
Savam. Their drinking party, which they held with the harlots:
“They loved [to say], Give shame.” They invited them to shame; “give” is a term of invitation, like “Come, let us go down” (Genesis 11:7), “Come, let us build” (ibid.), “Come, let us be wise” (Exodus 1:10).
"Her shields." [These are] her princes and her kings.
Ibn Ezra
"Remove" – A calamity befell them, in that their liquor soured due to the deficiency of the new wine, yet they did not return from their evil ways. Only their kings seduced others on account of gifts, as they said: "Give." And the word "Give" comes like: "That which you bake, bake," and the root of "bake" is also "love."
“Give” – [this implies] also “give to yourselves” everything, as in: “Descend, go out, and change,” and the difference lies in it, due to the guttural letter.
"His shields" – these are the kings, as it is written: "For the Lord is the shield of the land of Israel" (Psalms 47:10), and the end of the verse proves this, for the meaning is double.
"and his shield" – this refers back to "the house of On."
Radak
"Sar seva'am." The Targum translates it as "ve-yivash" (and it was spoiled). They drink and become so intoxicated that the fire of their drink is in their mouths, and it is wine and strong drink, just as it says, "Your old age is mixed with water."
“Hazon, hazon.” And the majority of wine and strong drink consumption leads them to immorality. And likewise Isaiah reproved Ephraim for the excess of wine drinking, as it is stated: “Woe to the crown of their pride, the drunkards of Ephraim” (Isaiah 28:1), and the entire matter is as written there. And Jonathan rendered it: “Sar,” like “sar” with a shin, “their dominion has increased from their wine.”
“Love them, give them disgrace, their shields.” “Their shields” are their princes, for the princes are to the people like shields. He said that the princes love to say, “Give,” meaning they say, “Give us bribes, and we will remove the judgment from upon you,” and this is a disgrace for them. And the letter Heh in “their shields” is a nickname for the tribe of Ephraim and Jonathan. The Targum translates: “He loved the disgrace of their princes.”
Metzudat David
“Their wine has departed.” Immediately when the intoxication of wine departed from them, they engaged in the harlotry of idolatry, and all day long either they were intoxicated or they were serving idolatry.
“Love them, give shame to their shield.” Kings are called “shields” because they serve as a shield and protection for the people, as it is written, “For the Lord is our shield” (Psalms 89:19). This verse is a metathesis, and the proper order should be: “Their shield, love them; give shame.” The meaning is: The kings of Israel loved this shame, and they would bestow it upon the people. That is to say, they incited them to wine and idolatry, and they spoke shame and disgrace.
Metzudat Zion
"Remove." From the root meaning "removal":
Savam. Thus, intoxicating substances are called "savach," as in "your wine is mixed with water" (Isaiah 1:22).
“Give.” The matter of giving is akin to “Give my wages” (Zechariah 11:12):
Disgrace. A matter of contempt:
Her shields. Her kings:
Malbim
“Depart,” the measure of the verse, “from their shields!” “Depart, their old age has departed, their whoredom has whored,” he says to Judah: “Leave them be, and do not rely on their shields, which are the princes of Ephraim and their mighty men, who were shielding Judah at that time when they were humbled and weak. For the shields of the Kingdom of Ephraim have three deficiencies: 1) The deficiency of drunkenness, for their old age has departed and they have strayed from the customary path; 2) The deficiency of whoredom and idolatry, for not only do they commit whoredom themselves, but “their whoredom has whored,” meaning they entice others to whoredom and idolatry; 3) That they loved disgrace and brought disgrace upon themselves: they themselves love disgraceful matters, things of little worth and contemptible, and they bring disgrace upon those who cling to them.”
The wind has bound her up in her skirts; And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
verse value 2110
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "bound" (צָרַ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·their·sacrifices" (מִזִּבְחוֹתָֽם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "bound" (צָרַ֥ר), "her" (אוֹתָ֖הּ), "in·her·wings" (בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root בוש ("and·be·ashamed") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·her·wings', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: צָרַ֥ר [bound] (490) + ר֛וּחַ [wind] (214) + אוֹתָ֖הּ [her] (412) + בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ [in·her·wings] (167) + וְיֵבֹ֖שׁוּ [and·be·ashamed] (324) + מִזִּבְחוֹתָֽם [from·their·sacrifices] (503) = 2110.
Rashi
“Gather her spirit in her wings.” The spirit clings to her wings, like a bird that the wind does not allow to settle until it carries it far away; so too will the enemies come upon them and exile them to the land of exile.
“And then their altars shall be made desolate.” [These are] “altars of abominations,” to which they do not turn [in worship]. Just as it says “chata chatah” [sin, a sin], so too it says “zevach zevachah” [sacrifice, a sacrifice], [referring] to the places where they used to offer sacrifices. And so does the Targum: “from the abominations of their idolatrous shrines.” I found in the Midrash Tanchuma a homiletical expression: “As a person threatens a man who provokes him, saying, ‘As you live, I will bind you in your wings,’ so this verse threatens Israel: ‘My zeal is bound up, and My wrath to avenge in the end, and they shall be put to shame by their deeds.’”
Ibn Ezra
Tzorer – like a person who confines the wind in his wings so that it finds nothing, or in her wings, meaning the wings of the House of On.
"and they were ashamed" – the shields.
Their altars – in the house of On.
Radak
“Bind up her spirit in her wings.” Just as a person who binds up wind in his wings, and when he loosens his wings, he will find nothing at all; so too Ephraim clung to the worship of the calves, hoping that benefit would come to him from it, but he found nothing except harm and loss. Therefore, let them be ashamed because of their altars on which they sacrificed to the calves, for they offered those sacrifices in vain, for no good came to them from them, only evil. And behold, it is like the wind bound up in her wings. And He said “Bind up” in the masculine form, and “in her wings” in the feminine form, and “and they shall be ashamed” in the plural form. This is the way Scripture speaks regarding a people: in the masculine form and in the feminine form, for the people is called in the masculine form “am” (people) and in the feminine form “edah” (congregation) or “qehillah” (assembly). And likewise in the singular form and in the plural form: the singular form is used as a generalization, and the plural form as a specification.
Their sacrifices. The singular [form] is "zevachah" [sacrifice], on the pattern of "simlah" [garment], and the plural is "zevachotam" [their sacrifices], on the pattern of "simlotam" [their garments]. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained: "Tzoror ruach" [He will bind the spirit]—the word "ruach" [spirit] is bound by "tzoror" [He will bind], meaning that the tribe of Ephraim will be bound by its wings to lead it into exile, and then they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. And "ruach" [spirit] will be both masculine and feminine.
Metzudat David
"Bind up the spirit." This means that the spirit bound itself to the congregation with its wings, to lead them swiftly into exile. Then they would be ashamed of the sacrifices they had offered to idolatry, for they would find no help in them; rather, they would be a source of shame and disgrace.
Metzudat Zion
Tzoror. The meaning is binding, as in: “Who has bound the waters in a garment?” (Proverbs 30:4).
"b'k'nafeiha" – from the word "k'naaf" (wing), and it is compared to a bird that the wind carries.
Malbim
"Bind up the spirit," and this spirit, which is the spirit of drunkenness and the spirit of harlotry and the spirit of evil and contempt, shall bind this bird in its wings and carry it upward, to fly from its land to Assyria and Egypt, as it is stated below (7:12), "As a bird of the heavens, I will bring them down," and consequently they will be ashamed of their altars, upon which they sacrificed to the calves.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim