'Hear this, O priests, and attend, you house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king, for the judgment pertains to you' — Ephraim's harlotry is known, Judah stumbles with them; He has withdrawn Himself from them: 'I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their trouble they will seek Me earnestly.'
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Hear this, O you priests, And attend, you house of Israel, And give ear, O house of the king, For to you pertains the judgment; For you have been a snare on Mizpah, And a net spread upon Tabor.
verse value 6515
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "hear·this" (שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֨את, 7 letters). 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "hear·this" (שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֨את), "the·priests" (הַכֹּהֲנִ֜ים), "and·attend" (וְהַקְשִׁ֣יבוּ). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "you·were" (root היה, 28x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
"For yours is the judgment." The judgment of affliction is upon you, O House of the King of Israel, for you were a snare upon Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor. Upon these two mountains they stationed watchmen to guard, so that Israel would not go up on pilgrimage to the Temple.
Ibn Ezra
"Hear this, you priests" – also "listen, House of Israel, to your rebuke," or the "House of Israel" refers to the Sanhedrin.
"And the house of the king, hearken" – for they are all judges.
"For you have become a snare to the watchtower" – meaning, do not allow the pilgrims to ascend to the House of the Lord.
Radak
“Hear!” Now he returns to reprove Judah and those who were worthy of being reproved by him, namely the priests of the Temple, who belonged to Judah’s portion. The royal house too was obligated to reprove Israel and to administer justice. He calls the tribe of Judah “the house of Israel,” for they are the essence of the house of Israel. And some commentators explain that “the house of Israel” refers to the Sanhedrin, who are the judges of Israel.
For you were a snare to Mizpah and a net spread over Tabor. It was incumbent upon you to administer justice, yet you became a snare and a stumbling block to the people, for they see that you are performing evil deeds and learn from you. Thus, you are to them the opposite of what you ought to have been; you are to them like the snare and net in which animals and birds are caught—so too are they ensnared by your evil deeds, which they emulate. The text mentions Mizpah and Tabor, which are high mountains in the Land of Israel, upon which hunters spread their traps. Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated Mizpah from [the verse] “I have made you a watchtower” (Isaiah 21:8), rendering it: “You were a strong tower in your pride, and like a net spread over a high mountain.” And in the exposition of Rab, it is said: “To you belong the heights of Jerusalem.” What did Jeroboam do? He stationed two garrisons, one on Tabor and one on Mizpah. This is what Hosea said: “For you were a snare to Mizpah.”
Metzudat David
"Hear this": It refers back to what precedes, to say: "Hear the thing that I have said," etc.
"For to you belongs the judgment." This was said concerning the house of the kings of Israel: "Behold, upon you it is fitting that the judgment should come."
For a snare. Regarding the verse “For the kings of Israel set up watchers on Mount Mizpah and on Mount Tabor,” [this was done] so that they would not allow anyone to ascend for the pilgrimage festivals to the Holy Temple. Therefore, [the prophet] said, “You were a snare for Israel and a net to ensnare them in their sin.”
Malbim
“Hear this, you priests.” They are the priests of the calves, who incited the people not to go to Jerusalem. The House of Israel was seduced after them. And the House of the King listened [to them], for they set up guards on the roads and killed anyone who wished to ascend for the pilgrimage. And this is what is meant by: “For you have the judgment,” meaning that the judgment of the Lord will come upon you, because you are the cause of all this evil.
For you were a snare to Tzofeh: Tzofeh and Tavor were two mountains that people passed through on their way to Jerusalem, and they stationed guards there to prevent anyone from ascending for the pilgrimage. And the commentator explains that in Tzofeh there was a snare to catch the passersby, and at Tavor, which was a more spacious place, they spread a net all around the mountain to catch everyone who ascended there. And you, House of the King, were the snare and the net, for all of this was done by your command.
And they that fall away are gone deep in making slaughter; And I am rejected of them all.
verse value 1411
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "revolters" (שֵׂטִ֖ים, 4 letters) and the longest is "have·gone·deep" (הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·slaughter" (וְשַׁחֲטָ֥ה), "revolters" (שֵׂטִ֖ים), "discipline" (מוּסָ֥ר). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'have·gone·deep', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְשַׁחֲטָ֥ה [and·slaughter] (328) + שֵׂטִ֖ים [revolters] (359) + הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ [have·gone·deep] (231) + וַאֲנִ֖י [and·I] (67) + מוּסָ֥ר [discipline] (306) + לְכֻלָּֽם [to·all·of·them] (120) = 1411.
Rashi
"And they slaughtered" -- [meaning:] the extension of their waywardness, they went deep [in it]. I had said that anyone who does not go up for the pilgrimage transgresses a positive commandment, but they decreed that all who go up for the pilgrimage should be killed. Thus, they went deeper than I. "Slaughtering" is a term of gold, as it says: "gold that was beaten into plates" (1 Kings 10:16), which is interpreted as "beaten and stretched." And the Targum renders it as the language of the slaughter of sacrifices to idolatry.
And I will discipline all of them. And I too will discipline them with afflictions; thus I will discipline all of them.
Ibn Ezra
"ושחטה" – meaning, to slaughter it on the way.
Satim – they are the worshippers of Baal.
"He deepened" – they lowered the pit, those mentioned, so that passersby would not see it. And I punished them all for this evil that they did, for it was not hidden from Me that they had deepened it; therefore.
Radak
"And they slaughtered" — ["Shatim"] is an infinitive, for the shin is vocalized with a patach, and it is on the pattern of [the infinitive] "to love." He said: the "shatim" [stray ones] are the worshippers of idolatry, who stray from the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and from His service, just as a woman who is a sotah strays from her husband. "They deepened their straying" means to slaughter and to sacrifice to idolatry.
"And I will admonish them all." The prophet said: Do not say that no one will discipline them or reprove them; therefore they sin. For I am a man who admonishes them all, and day after day I discipline them, yet they do not heed Me.
"And I am a discipliner [of them all]." The word is deficient, lacking the word "ish" [man], like the phrase "And I am prayer," which means "And I am a man of prayer." And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "And I will be a burden to carry," etc.
Metzudat David
"and they slaughtered them": They, the people, deepened their rebellion. This means that the rebellious people deepened their evil by slaughtering sacrifices for idolatry, for the kings had restrained them from merely going to the Temple; but in their wicked choice, they added to the evil by slaughtering for idolatry. Therefore, I will prepare to bring afflictions upon all of them, upon the kings of Israel and upon the people.
Metzudat Zion
"and she shall slaughter it." The term is derived from the word for slaughter.
Shitim. The matter of "removing" from the good way, as it is said: "For you have played the harlot" (Numbers 5:20).
They delved deeply. The word is from the root "depth":
Musar. From the language of yissurin (afflictions):
Malbim
And they deepened the slaughter of the revolters: there were men who were careful not to transgress by crossing the mountains, but instead they diverted from the path and descended deeply into the valley, where the guards were not stationed. If they were captured on their way, they would slaughter them there. And you, because you are the king's household, you were the slaughterers, meaning the ones appointed to slaughter and murder. And I: the measure of the verse is, "I am a rebuke to them all." I knew that they would not return from their deeds to the Lord. The prophet says: I, the prophet, who am a rebuke to all, who am tasked to admonish with words of instruction to all the aforementioned groups and to bring them back in repentance, I knew that my instruction would not avail anything at this time, for
I, even I, know Ephraim, And Israel is not hid from Me; For now, O Ephraim, you have committed harlotry, Israel is defiled.
verse value 3635
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Israel" (וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 331: Ephraim, Ephraim. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "was·not·hidden" (לֹא־נִכְחַ֣ד), "you·have·committed·harlotry" (הִזְנֵ֣יתָ). The root אפרים appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea). First appearance of the root מן ("from·me") in Hosea. First appearance of the root טמא ("is·defiled") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֲנִי֙ [I] (61) + יָדַ֣עְתִּי [I·know] (494) + אֶפְרַ֔יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·Israel] (547) + לֹא־נִכְחַ֣ד [was·not·hidden] (113) + מִמֶּ֑נִּי [from·me] (140) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + הִזְנֵ֣יתָ [you·have·committed·harlotry] (472) + אֶפְרַ֔יִם [Ephraim] (331) + נִטְמָ֖א [is·defiled] (100) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 3635.
Rashi
"For now Ephraim has played the harlot." Until the time of Hoshea son of Elah, they attributed the calamity to their kings, who prevented them from ascending for the pilgrimage festivals. This one [Hoshea] abolished the watchmen, and they did not ascend; therefore they were exiled. "For now Ephraim has played the harlot," and they have no grounds to blame the king. So I learned in Seder Olam.
Ibn Ezra
"I" – Know that the wife of our father Jacob was Rachel, and Leah was concealed in her place. Also, Rachel gave her maidservant to him, and because of Leah’s jealousy, she too gave him the other maidservant. Therefore, when Rachel gave birth to Joseph, he said: "Send me away," and Jacob said to Ephraim and Manasseh: "My name shall be called in them." Hence, all Israel are called by the name of Ephraim. Yefet said: Perhaps the kingdom of Jehu was from Ephraim. And because it was found that "and the heights of Gilead belong to Gad," he was compelled to say that it is not the one written in the words of Jehu, and in the book of Amos I will explain that it is from Ephraim. And the correct view in my eyes is: When our forefathers entered the land of Canaan, behold, Judah stood on his border in the south, and the House of Joseph, which is the entire tribe of Ephraim and half the tribe of Manasseh, were in the north. Therefore, Judah and Ephraim are mentioned, and so it is in Jeremiah: "A beloved son to me is Ephraim," and there was no king in those days from Ephraim.
"זנית" – you have caused your own soul, as well as others, to stray.
Radak
"I knew Ephraim." This is said of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who was from the tribe of Ephraim, who made the calves and separated Israel from serving God in the Temple. He said, "I knew his heart," as it is stated, "And Jeroboam said in his heart, 'Now the people will return...'"
"And Israel was not hidden from Me." From what they conspired with the princes of Israel, it was not hidden from Me, for I knew, as it is written: "And the king took counsel, and made two golden calves" (1 Kings 12:28).
For now you have played the harlot, Ephraim. You, Jeroboam, played the harlot with the calves, and afterward Israel became defiled by idolatry. And "played the harlot" is either an intransitive verb, as we have written, or it is a transitive verb, meaning that you caused Israel to play the harlot after other masters. In the homiletical interpretation: "For you have played the harlot, Ephraim"—until Hoshea son of Elah, they used to attribute the corruption to their kings. But when Hoshea son of Elah reigned, he abolished the garrisons that Jeroboam had established, as it is said, "Only not like the kings of Israel who were before him." And even so, they did not ascend to Jerusalem. Therefore, their decree of exile was sealed against them. This is what is written: "I know that Ephraim has made himself known; Ephraim is displayed before me." Now it is seen that you have played the harlot, and you have no one to blame but your own king.
Metzudat David
"I have known Ephraim." I know what is in the heart of Ephraim, that he serves idolatry out of his own evil choice.
"And Israel..." The repetition of the matter is stated in the verse:
It has not been obliterated. It has not been withheld from me, the thoughts of their hearts:
"For now." This means that although initially she was somewhat coerced by the king, now, when King Hoshea son of Elah reigned and abolished the guards, she fornicated out of her own willful desire and defiled herself of her own accord. Thus our Sages of blessed memory stated.
Metzudat Zion
Nechhad. The matter of "prevention" is like "they did not hide it from their fathers" (Job 15:18).
Malbim
"I knew Ephraim, and Israel could not be hidden from Me; I knew well their nature and character, for now the rebuke that I speak to them will not avail, for now, since you, Ephraim, have committed harlotry—meaning that Ephraim, which is the royal house, incites the people to commit harlotry after the calves, and thereby Israel has become defiled, for the people have become defiled through him—thus I knew that now."
Their doings will not suffer them To return to their God; For the spirit of harlotry is within them, And they know not Hashem.
verse value 2487
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·their·God" (אֶל־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "shall·give" (יִתְּנוּ֙), "to·their·God" (אֶל־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם), "in·their·midst" (בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea). First appearance of the root קרב ("in·their·midst") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יִתְּנוּ֙ [shall·give] (466) + מַ֣עַלְלֵיהֶ֔ם [their·deeds] (225) + לָשׁ֖וּב [to·return] (338) + אֶל־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם [to·their·God] (122) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + ר֤וּחַ [spirit·of] (214) + זְנוּנִים֙ [adultery] (163) + בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם [in·their·midst] (344) + וְאֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [and·Hashem] (433) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָדָֽעוּ [they·know] (90) = 2487.
Rashi
"They shall not give over their deeds." This means they shall not abandon their evil ways, as it is written, "He gave forth His fragrance" (Song of Songs 2), and as it is written, "And they did not give over to do evil with me" (Genesis 31:7), and as it is written, "And Sihon did not give" (Numbers 21:23).
Ibn Ezra
"לא יתנו" – They shall not do deeds that will cause them to return [to God], or they shall not rest, in the manner of "Therefore I did not give you."
Radak
"They shall not give." Just as it is written, "And Sihon did not give," and "He did not restore my spirit," and similar verses, the matter concerns abandonment and relinquishment. The verse states that they will not leave their evil deeds in order to return to their God; that is to say, they sinned so excessively that no path to repentance remained for them until they received their punishment. Alternatively, it means that they are so attached to their evil deeds that even if they were to entertain the thought of repentance in their hearts even once, they would immediately regret it.
For a spirit of harlotry is within them. That deceives them:
"And they did not know the Lord." They did not inquire after Him even once; rather, they were constantly clinging to their evil deeds. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "And they did not know Him," etc.
Metzudat David
"They shall not give." They shall not abandon their deeds to return to God, for there is among them a spirit of harlotry of idolatry, and they do not wish to know God.
Metzudat Zion
They shall not give. They shall not leave. And similarly, “And Sihon did not give” (Numbers 21:23):
Their deeds. Their actions:
Malbim
They will not desist from their deeds to return to the Lord their God; namely, they will not abandon their evil deeds to return to the Lord, and my reproof will not avail to bring them to repentance. This is for two reasons: A) because a spirit of promiscuity is within them, for they are filled with the spirit of heresy and the desire for idolatry and sexual immorality; B) because they do not know the Lord. And thus, at this present time, I know that they will not desist from and abandon their evil deeds, and I will not avail through the reproof with which I have restrained them. Nevertheless, even though my reproof will not avail for them now, the time will come when they will heed this reproof, and that is at the time when:
But the pride of Israel shall testify to his face; And Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity, Judah also shall stumble with them.
verse value 2871
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "failed" (כָּשַׁ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "exaltation·Israel" (גְאֽוֹן־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "in·their·iniquity" (בַּעֲוֺנָ֔ם), "failed" (כָּשַׁ֥ל), "with" (עִמָּֽם). The root כשל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "and·Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "with" (root עם, 22x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְעָנָ֥ה [and·will·testify] (131) + גְאֽוֹן־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [exaltation·Israel] (601) + בְּפָנָ֑יו [in·his·face] (148) + וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל [and·Israel] (547) + וְאֶפְרַ֗יִם [and·Ephraim] (337) + יִכָּֽשְׁלוּ֙ [they·will·be·stumbled] (366) + בַּעֲוֺנָ֔ם [in·their·iniquity] (168) + כָּשַׁ֥ל [failed] (350) + גַּם־יְהוּדָ֖ה [also·Judah] (73) + עִמָּֽם [with] (150) = 2871.
Rashi
And he answered, "O glory of Israel." [The Targum renders:] "And the glory of Israel shall be brought low," just as (Exodus 10) "to afflict" is from the language of poverty and humility.
"Before him." And they, Chazan and Dunash ben Labrat, interpreted the term as an expression of testimony: when calamity comes upon them, their pride and haughtiness -- with which they were haughty and transgressed My will -- will testify against them, to their own faces.
Ibn Ezra
And he answered – Yefet said: “Just as [the phrase] ‘sons of Yeneh’ [is written].” And it has no [independent] meaning; rather, it is from the root ‘ani’ (afflicted/poor).
Radak
And the glory of Israel will answer before Him. Just as it is said, “Be a crown of glory to the drunkards of Ephraim,” it teaches that their glory will testify against them when they receive their punishment. And the Targum translates: “And Your mighty ones, O precious Israel,” and “they shall be shepherds.” He explained that “the glory of Israel” refers to their greatness, their preciousness, and their honor. And what is meant by “they shall be shepherds” is that while they are still in their land, before their exile, they will see themselves in their humility and lowliness, beneath the honor they originally possessed.
"And Israel and Ephraim." Ephraim said: "Because of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led them astray, and because of his tribe, which is the tribe of Ephraim." And Israel said: "Because of the rest of Israel, who followed him, they all will stumble because of the sin of the golden calf."
When Judah also stumbled with them. For even Judah, who had the Temple in his portion, abandoned the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, to serve other gods, and he too stumbled due to his sin.
Metzudat David
And he shall answer. The arrogance of Israel shall be humbled before Him; that is to say, in His eyes, the abasement and subjugation of its arrogance shall be seen.
They will stumble because of their iniquity. And a stumbling block will come upon them as the recompense for their iniquity:
"Also Judah..." – "At the time that their measure shall be filled."
Metzudat Zion
And he shall be humbled. A matter of humbling and abasement, as in “you refused to humble yourself before Me” (Exodus 10:3):
Ga’on. From the language of pride and exaltation:
Malbim
And the arrogance of Israel will answer before Him, at the time that its arrogance will be humbled and it will realize within itself that it is receiving punishment for its deeds, and at the time that Israel and Ephraim will stumble and fall, and they will know that it is because of their sin, and also Judah will stumble with them and receive its punishment, then at that time they will accept discipline, for then:
With their flocks and with their herds they shall go To seek Hashem, but they shall not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.
verse value 1855
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·their·cattle" (וּבִבְקָרָ֗ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "in·their·flock" (בְּצֹאנָ֣ם), "and·in·their·cattle" (וּבִבְקָרָ֗ם), "to·seek" (לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "from·them" (root הם, 31x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·find', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּצֹאנָ֣ם [in·their·flock] (183) + וּבִבְקָרָ֗ם [and·in·their·cattle] (350) + יֵ֥לְכ֛וּ [they·will·go] (66) + לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ [to·seek] (432) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יִמְצָ֑אוּ [they·will·find] (147) + חָלַ֖ץ [removed] (128) + מֵהֶֽם [from·them] (85) = 1855.
Rashi
"In their flocks and in their herds." [This teaches that they offered] their sacrifices:
chalatz. It means "slipped off," like (2 Samuel 2:21): "and take their chalitzatam from them," meaning garments that he would slip off from them.
Ibn Ezra
“Regarding their flocks” – this refers back to Judah alone, for the Temple stood in their inheritance.
He has removed His glory from them, as it is said: "I will go back to My place" (Hosea 5:15). Why has He removed His glory from them? Because they have been faithless to the Lord.
Radak
"With their flocks and with their herds shall they go." The tribe of Judah shall return to the service of God, blessed be He, in the Temple. This is the meaning of "with their flocks and with their herds shall they go," namely, to seek the LORD. And this occurred in the days of Josiah, when they burned the idols and returned to serve the Name (Hashem), and they performed the Passover, and it is said, "For there was not kept such a Passover as this," etc.
"And they shall not find a redeemer among them." They did not find Him when they sought Him, for the decree had already been issued, as it is written: "Yet the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, which was kindled against Judah" (2 Kings 19:28), and it says: "And I will remove Judah also from before My face, as I have removed Israel" (2 Kings 19:28).
"Chalatz." He separated from them and departed from them. It is an intransitive verb, and similarly: "He removed his shoe" (chalatz na'alo), "he was weaned from the breast" (chalatz shad).
Metzudat David
"In their flocks." Even though the sons of Judah go to the Temple to seek the face of the Lord, bringing sacrifices, nevertheless, it will not be found for them, for He has withdrawn from them and His Divine Presence has departed from among them.
Metzudat Zion
"Hallatz." The meaning is release and removal, as it is written: "The righteous is delivered from trouble" (Proverbs 11:8).
Malbim
In their flocks and in their herds they shall go to seek the Lord: then they will no longer appoint guards to prevent the people from going up to Jerusalem; on the contrary, they will go to seek the Lord in Jerusalem and bring with them flocks and herds to offer sacrifices in the Holy Temple. However, their seeking will then be of no avail to them, for they will no longer find Him, since He has already withdrawn from them and distanced Himself from them. (And the Radak also explains that the seeking of the Lord outside, through sacrifices, will not enable them to find Him, for the Lord is not found in His Temple, but rather within the heart of the nation and in the midst of their souls, where His dwelling place is when they sanctify themselves and walk in His commandments, as it is stated, “And I will dwell among them.” And since He has withdrawn from them and from within them, they will not find Him from the outside.)
They have dealt treacherously against Hashem, For they have begotten strange children; Now shall the new moon devour them with their portions.
verse value 1964
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "now" (עַתָּ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·their·portions" (אֶת־חֶלְקֵיהֶֽם, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "for·children" (כִּי־בָנִ֥ים), "they·have·borne" (יָלָ֑דוּ), "will·eat·them" (יֹאכְלֵ֥ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·children" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "against·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea). First appearance of the root זור ("strangers") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·have·borne', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּיהֹוָ֣ה [against·Hashem] (28) + בָּגָ֔דוּ [they·treacheried] (15) + כִּי־בָנִ֥ים [for·children] (132) + זָרִ֖ים [strangers] (257) + יָלָ֑דוּ [they·have·borne] (50) + עַתָּ֛ה [now] (475) + יֹאכְלֵ֥ם [will·eat·them] (101) + חֹ֖דֶשׁ [month] (312) + אֶת־חֶלְקֵיהֶֽם [with·their·portions] (594) = 1964.
Rashi
"Alien children they bore." This refers to those who intermarried with idolaters.
He shall eat them in the new month. The new month of Av:
Ibn Ezra
"Now they shall eat them" – these are the sons with their portions, a new evil, as it is said: "For the day of their slaughter is near." And Rabbi Yeshua says: The new month of Av. And Yefet said: For the new month is girded with a sword, as it is said: "And he was girded with a new sword."
Radak
“Because they have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have borne strange children.” According to its plain meaning, this refers to their intermarriage with idolaters and their participation in their idolatry; this is the treachery against the Lord, who commanded them, “You shall not intermarry with them, for they will turn away your son from following Me.” Jonathan rendered this in the Aramaic Targum with the phrase: “In the saying of the Lord, they are called ‘sons’ who stand firm against the nations.” One may also interpret “for they have borne strange children” as meaning that they adopted the customs of the idolaters. Similarly, it is stated elsewhere: “And they shall pour out their children among the strangers,” which Jonathan rendered as: “And they go according to the customs of the nations.”
"Now the month shall devour their portion." "Now" means soon; a month will come that will devour them and their portions, meaning their fields and vineyards, as in "and He devoured the portion," which is like a plot of land. And this month is the month of Tammuz, when the city was breached, and the month of Av, when it was destroyed. Alternatively, "month" means a short period of time, as in "a month," and similarly, "and I will destroy the three shepherds in one month." According to Jonathan, this means "month after month," that is, the enemy will always devour them, day by day and month by month. And so Jonathan translated: "Now, behold, upon them shall come my peoples, month after month, and they will plunder the fruit of their land."
Metzudat David
“they have dealt treacherously with the Lord”: They rebelled against the Lord, for they begot strange children, because they took daughters of idolaters, and the children follow the mother; thus, they begot strange children from them.
"Now" means in the near future; behold, the month prepared for them is the month of Av, in which they will eat them, and "their field's portion" means that in the days of this month they will receive their recompense.
Metzudat Zion
Their portions. Thus is the possession of the field called, as in “and it devoured the portion” (Amos 7:4):
Malbim
“With the Lord they have dealt treacherously”: Here the text recounts how the dynasty of Jehu could have come to an end, as it stated (in the previous section) that “Yet a little while, and I will punish the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu.” This occurred at the time when Zechariah, son of Jeroboam, reigned for six months. Shallum, son of Jabesh, conspired against him, struck him down before the people, and reigned for one month in Samaria (as stated in 2 Kings 15). This is what is meant by “With the Lord they have dealt treacherously, for strange children have they begotten”: this refers to Zechariah, who was a stranger in his deeds before the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, now “they shall be devoured by the month”: this refers to Shallum, son of Jabesh, who reigned for one month. He is the one who devoured them and destroyed their portion, meaning that within one month he consumed the entire house of Jehu.
Blow you the horn in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah; Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: ‘Behind you, O Benjamin! ’
verse value 3045
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Beth" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "Benjamin" (בִּנְיָמִֽין, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "blow!" (תִּקְע֤וּ), "horn" (שׁוֹפָר֙), "trumpet" (חֲצֹצְרָ֖ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Beth" (root בית, 21x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Ramah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: תִּקְע֤וּ [blow!] (576) + שׁוֹפָר֙ [horn] (586) + בַּגִּבְעָ֔ה [in·the·Gibeah] (82) + חֲצֹצְרָ֖ה [trumpet] (393) + בָּרָמָ֑ה [in·Ramah] (247) + הָרִ֙יעוּ֙ [shout] (291) + בֵּ֣ית [Beth] (412) + אָ֔וֶן [Aven] (57) + אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ [after·you] (239) + בִּנְיָמִֽין [Benjamin] (162) = 3045.
Rashi
"Blow the shofar." This teaches that they should be careful to guard themselves from the sword of the armies that will come upon them.
“Shout, O house of Awwn.” After you, the army goes; you, Benjamin. This is what “Shout, O house of Awwn” means. And the Targum renders it: “Blow the shofar, for the news of the sword has come because of the sin of having made Saul their king, who was from Gibeah, and because they did not hearken to the voice of Samuel, who was from Ramah. Their kings caused them to stray after others, such as Jeroboam and his companions. Therefore, shout upon them, Awwn, and great destruction.”
"After you, Benjamin." This refers to the fact that you lagged behind and turned back, failing to go up in pilgrimage to the Temple Mount, which is located in Benjamin’s portion.
"After you, Benjamin." [This refers] to your delay, O Benjamin:
Ibn Ezra
"Blow" – The meaning is: "Cause this to be heard, and let all know that it is Ephraim."
Radak
“Blow the shofar.” Just as they blow the shofar to warn the people and to gather the people and the livestock to the city, so too these places were for Benjamin and Beth-aven, which belonged to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim, adjacent to Benjamin, for the land of the portion of Benjamin was between Judah and the house of Joseph.
"After you, Benjamin." Behold, the enemy is after you, Benjamin, for he has already conquered the land of Ephraim. Jonathan rendered [this] as: "Prophets have arisen, etc."
Metzudat David
"Blow the shofar." To warn them of the sword of the invading armies that are coming.
Trumpet. It refers back to "sound" [in the phrase "sound the shofar"], to say: Sound [the shofar] with trumpets in Ramah, so that they may be saved from the sword.
"After you, Benjamin." This means that the enemy follows after you to fight against you.
Metzudat Zion
Trumpet. The name of a musical instrument:
"Shout for joy." The word is derived from "teruah" and raising the voice.
Malbim
“Blow the trumpet.” It has already been explained above (in section 1, letter 1, and in section 4, letter 15) that when Jeroboam son of Joash reigned, at which time Hosea began to prophesy, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were subjugated under the kingdom of Ephraim, ever since Joash conquered Amaziah, king of Judah. Likewise, in the days of Pekah son of Remaliah, the children of Israel fought against the children of Judah and subdued them under their rule. This occurred in the days of Ahaz (as mentioned in II Kings and in Isaiah chapter 7). The portion of Benjamin bordered on the portion of the children of Joseph, as stated in Joshua. At these times, this territory was under the dominion of the kingdom of Ephraim. The prophet commanded the children of Benjamin to blow the shofar in Geba, which belonged to Benjamin, and to blow the horn in Ramah, which also belonged to Benjamin, and to sound the alarm in Beth-aven, which was also in the lot of Benjamin (as it is written in Joshua regarding the portion of Benjamin, and its boundaries extended to the wilderness of Beth-aven). In all these places they were to sound the alarm and warn the people, saying: “Follow you, Benjamin,” so that they would not go after the kingdom of Ephraim, but rather follow you, Benjamin, who is connected to the kingdom of Judah, and thus separate themselves from the kingdom of Ephraim.
Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel do I make known that which shall surely be. .
verse value 3128
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "to·astonishment" (לְשַׁמָּ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "I·make·known" (הוֹדַ֖עְתִּי, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "to·astonishment" (לְשַׁמָּ֣ה), "it·will·be" (תִֽהְיֶ֔ה), "rebuke" (תּוֹכֵחָ֑ה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "it·will·be" (root היה, 28x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rebuke', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ [Ephraim] (331) + לְשַׁמָּ֣ה [to·astonishment] (375) + תִֽהְיֶ֔ה [it·will·be] (420) + בְּי֖וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + תּוֹכֵחָ֑ה [rebuke] (439) + בְּשִׁבְטֵי֙ [in·tribes·of] (323) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + הוֹדַ֖עְתִּי [I·make·known] (495) + נֶאֱמָנָֽה [sure] (146) = 3128.
Rashi
"It shall be a desolation on the day of rebuke. And when I come to argue with them, they will be silenced and will stand in bewilderment, with no answer on their lips. Why? Because among the tribes of Israel I made known a trustworthy Torah, and they transgressed it."
“Ephraim shall be a desolation, etc.” Regarding the tribes of Israel, I have made My truth known. Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Aha, son of Rabbi Hanina: He said, “On the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, will argue with them in judgment, they will have no opening of the mouth [to defend themselves], for in the tribes I have made known that the judgment is a judgment of truth.” You find that when the Ten Tribes went into exile, Judah and Benjamin did not go into exile. And the Ten Tribes were saying, “Because they are the princes of His household, He did not exile them; there is partiality in the matter.” Heaven forbid! There is no partiality, but rather their measure of iniquity had not yet been filled. Once they sinned, they too went into exile. Then the Ten Tribes heard that there was no answer in their mouths, and they said, “Behold, this God is mighty, behold, this God is just, for He did not show partiality even to the members of His own household,” to fulfill what is stated: “In the tribes of Israel I have made My truth known.”
Ibn Ezra
"My faithful message" – a faithful decree, like a decree and the like.
Radak
Ephraim, for its own sake, it shall be. The congregation of Ephraim:
On the day of rebuke to the tribes of Israel, I made My word known to them faithfully. When I rebuked them in the wilderness, when all the tribes were together, I made My word known to them faithfully, meaning: the truth of the matter is, “If you walk in My statutes, if you heed them, if you do not heed them.” And since they did not heed Me, I will lay waste their land and exile them from it, for thus I made My word known to them in truth. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “On the day of rebuke” as “on the day of the payment of debts.” And in the exposition, Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina: “On the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, argued with them in judgment.” You find that when the Ten Tribes were exiled, Judah and Benjamin were not exiled. And the Ten Tribes were saying, “Because they are of His royal household, He did not exile them.” Is there partiality in the matter? Heaven forbid that there is partiality. Rather, their measure of iniquity was not yet full. And once they sinned, they were exiled. Then the Ten Tribes heard that there was no answer in their mouths, and they said, “Behold, God is mighty; behold, He is just, for even to His own household He did not show favor,” to fulfill what is stated: “To the tribes of Israel, I made My word known faithfully” — I made My word known that I am trustworthy.
Metzudat David
"On the day of reproof." On the day that I will reprove them for the evil of their deeds:
"Concerning the tribes of Israel." Regarding the calamity that I will bring upon the tribes of Israel, through this I informed you: "the truthfulness of My words," Just as I said about them, so it was.
Metzudat Zion
Leshammah. From the language of desolation:
Reproof. The word is derived from "dispute":
Malbim
Ephraim: Here is the explanation of why the kingdoms of Ephraim will be separated. For Ephraim will be "for its name" on the day of reproof, meaning on the day appointed by the Lord to reprove them for their sins and to repay them their due. The tribes of Israel are mentioned below. And this is the measurement of the verse and its order.
The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water.
verse value 2099
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "were" (הָיוּ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·removers·of" (כְּמַסִּיגֵ֖י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "princes·of" (שָׂרֵ֣י), "like·removers·of" (כְּמַסִּיגֵ֖י), "border" (גְּב֑וּל). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "were" (root היה, 28x in Hosea); "upon·them" (root על, 28x in Hosea). First appearance of the root עבר ("My·wrath") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'border', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: הָיוּ֙ [were] (21) + שָׂרֵ֣י [princes·of] (510) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + כְּמַסִּיגֵ֖י [like·removers·of] (143) + גְּב֑וּל [border] (41) + עֲלֵיהֶ֕ם [upon·them] (155) + אֶשְׁפּ֥וֹךְ [I·will·pour] (407) + כַּמַּ֖יִם [as·the·water] (110) + עֶבְרָתִֽי [My·wrath] (682) = 2099.
Rashi
“Like those who remove a boundary marker.” Just as a person who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker, so did they hasten to seize the ways of Israel, their companions, the kings. Therefore, “upon them I will pour out...,” according to its plain meaning. They were stealing fields. But it is difficult in my eyes, for it should have written “those who remove a boundary marker” and not “like those who remove a boundary marker.”
Ibn Ezra
They were doing evil to those who were under their control.
As for those who transgress boundaries—secretly, therefore I will punish them.
Radak
The officials of Judah were like those who move a boundary marker. The same as “Cursed be he who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker” (Deuteronomy 27:17), and like “those who move the truth,” as in “As the oath that I swore to him that day, so it shall be” (Deuteronomy 32:40), and similar expressions. And it says that the officials of Judah were moving the boundary markers of their weak neighbors, who had an inheritance adjacent to their own inheritance, and they were moving their boundaries and taking from their inheritance, as it says in Ezekiel’s prophecy, “And the princes of My people shall no longer oppress My people to deprive them of their possession” (Ezekiel 22:29). And Rashi explained that just as a person who attaches himself to his neighbor’s boundary marker, so they hastened to seize the paths of their companions; therefore, “I will pour out...” (Micah 2:3). And Rabbi Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, explained that the officials of Judah were like those who move the boundary of the commandments, just as the officials of Ephraim moved the boundary of the commandments and transgressed the curses of the covenant, so too did they. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that the officials were like those who move a boundary marker, for the owners of the boundaries cried out before them that their companions were moving the boundaries of their fields, vineyards, or houses, and they did not heed their cries; and behold, the officials were like the boundary movers, who support their hands in moving the boundary. And the scholar Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that they were doing evil to those who were under their authority, like those who move a boundary marker in secret.
Metzudat David
They were the princes of Judah. Nevertheless, the princes of Judah did not take a lesson, and they clung to the ways of the Ten Tribes, just as one who encroaches upon his neighbor's boundary clings to his own; therefore, upon them too I will pour out My wrath like water.
Metzudat Zion
Like those who move a boundary marker. He speaks figuratively: "Like one who returns the marker into his fellow’s field in order to expand his boundary, as it is stated, 'You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary marker' (Deuteronomy 19:14):"
"My wrath." The word is from the root of "passing over" and "anger."
Malbim
Regarding the tribes of Israel, the princes of Judah were like those who transgressed the boundary; I have made known a faithful decree that I will pour out upon them the waters of my wrath. The meaning is: concerning the tribes of Israel, namely the Ten Tribes, who at that time were the princes of Judah—that is to say, they had become princes and rulers over Judah (and in this respect they were like those who transgressed the boundary of the Kingdom of the House of David, for Judah belongs to the Kingdom of the House of David, which the Lord promised to grant to his sons for all days, as long as there would be a staff [of rule] for him, as stated in I Kings 9). Concerning these tribes of Israel, I have made known a faithful decree (that is, a firm and determined decree) that I will pour out upon them the waters of my wrath (as stated in Isaiah 7:8: “Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken, so that it shall be no longer a people”). And the meaning of “transgressing” (overah) is that He punishes in His anger even the innocent together with the guilty. For the primary guilty party was the tribe of Ephraim, which was the royal house, for they made the calves. The tribes of Israel, who were the people from the remaining tribes, were seduced after them and were like those coerced and led astray. Nevertheless, due to the burning anger that I have against the tribe of Ephraim, a general transgression (overah) will occur, to punish even the other tribes, like waters that are poured out, which spread and extend in every direction.
Oppressed is Ephraim, crushed in his right; Because he willingly walked after filth.
verse value 2074
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "after·filth" (אַחֲרֵי־צָֽו, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "oppressed" (עָשׁ֥וּק), "crushed" (רְצ֣וּץ), "he·undertook" (הוֹאִ֔יל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·because" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "went" (root הלך, 22x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: עָשׁ֥וּק [oppressed] (476) + אֶפְרַ֖יִם [Ephraim] (331) + רְצ֣וּץ [crushed] (386) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [judgment] (429) + כִּ֣י [and·because] (30) + הוֹאִ֔יל [he·undertook] (52) + הָלַ֖ךְ [went] (55) + אַחֲרֵי־צָֽו [after·filth] (315) = 2074.
Rashi
"Afflicted is Ephraim." By the hand of the idolatrous nations:
"Crushed is justice." He is afflicted with suffering; and why is all this so? Because he willed it and followed the new decrees of the prophets of Baal.
Ibn Ezra
"Oppressed is Ephraim" – Their kings oppressed them and deceived them.
“Ki hu’il halakh” – two past-tense verbs, like: “The rain passed, he went away.” For “hu’il” means that he went after the commandments of men, and it is a command, like: “commandment upon commandment.” And Yefet said: For Ephraim will be oppressed by the nations.
Radak
“Ephraim is oppressed.” By the hand of the nations that oppressed him and crushed him with harsh decrees. And why did all this come upon him? Because he willingly went after the commandment, since he desired to follow the ordinances of Jeroboam son of Nebat. “Willingly went” means that he went of his own free will, for he had not deviated from his evil way for many years, and he greatly delighted in that evil matter.
Tzav. "Tzav" is a noun like "mitzvah," and likewise "tzav ... tzav" is on the pattern of [the noun] "kav." And even though "Jeroboam" is omitted -- he is not mentioned after "tzav" -- such is the custom of Scripture in places, to omit [words] where the matter is understood and well known, for they were not following in that generation after the commandments of God, but only after the commandments of Yeravam. Therefore, to their discredit, Scripture changed and said "tzav" instead of "mitzvah." And Jonathan translated: "the afflictions of the House of Ephraim," etc.
Metzudat David
“Oppressed.” Behold, they saw that Ephraim was oppressed by the hand of the enemy and shattered by the judgment of calamities, because he desired to follow that decree of Jeroboam concerning the golden calves. And it was not that he did so under compulsion, but rather he also desired this. And although Judah saw the sin and the retribution, he did not take a lesson.
Metzudat Zion
"Oppressed." The subject of extortion and robbery:
"Crushed." The meaning is breaking and grinding, as it is written: "Oppressed and crushed" (ibid. 28).
Huvil. The matter of "ratson" (willingness/pleasure) is like "vayoyal Moshe" (and Moses was willing) (Exodus 2:21):
Tzav. From the language of command:
Malbim
“Afflicted is Ephraim” means that the tribes will be destroyed only by the general punishment, not by judicial decree; but the tribe of Ephraim itself, which caused the many to sin, will be crushed by judicial decree, not on account of the general punishment but on account of judgment and law, since it was the one that began with the transgression first and followed the command of Jeroboam, who was from its tribe, and they supported him in the matter of the calves, to cause the many to sin.
Therefore am I to Ephraim as a moth, And to the house of Judah as rottenness.
verse value 1618
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "like·the·moth" (כָעָ֖שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Ephraim" (לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "like·the·moth" (כָעָ֖שׁ), "and·as·the·rottenness" (וְכָרָקָ֖ב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "to·house·of" (root בית, 21x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַאֲנִ֥י [and·I] (67) + כָעָ֖שׁ [like·the·moth] (390) + לְאֶפְרָ֑יִם [to·Ephraim] (361) + וְכָרָקָ֖ב [and·as·the·rottenness] (328) + לְבֵ֥ית [to·house·of] (442) + יְהוּדָֽה [Judah] (30) = 1618.
Rashi
"and the worm." The worm that eats the wood and gnaws it.
Ibn Ezra
And I – the meaning is that I ate them.
Radak
“And I am like a moth to Ephraim.” Thus I shall be to Ephraim and to Judah, like the moth that consumes garments.
"And as for the worm." One who eats the bone and the wood, meaning: thus it consumed them.
Metzudat David
And I am like a moth. Therefore, just as I will be like a worm to Ephraim, to consume him and to destroy him, so too will I be like rot to the House of Judah.
Metzudat Zion
Like the moth: it is the worm that eats garments, as it is said, “Like a garment they shall be consumed by moths” (Isaiah 51:8).
And "kerakav." A worm that grows in a rotting tree:
Malbim
“And I am like a moth to Ephraim,” meaning that the matter which consumes and destroys Ephraim and Judah is not a natural occurrence, but rather one of Divine providence. For I am the One who destroys them like a moth and like rot, which consume and make tender all things. And He compares the Lord to being like a moth to Ephraim and like rot to the House of Judah, for the moth comes to the object from the outside, whereas the rot comes from within the object itself, which has rotted and become soft. In accordance with this, He depicts the Lord as coming to Ephraim from the outside to destroy it, because He does not dwell in Ephraim, for His Divine Presence is in Zion, and He comes from Zion to devour and consume it like a moth that enters from the outside. But in Judah, where He dwells, it is like rot, for the cause of the decay is found within it.
And when Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria, And sent to King Contentious; But he is not able to heal you, Neither shall he cure you of your wound.
verse value 4244
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "and·Judah" (וִֽיהוּדָה֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·he·will·cure" (וְלֹא־יִגְהֶ֥ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 331: Ephraim, Ephraim. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·saw" (וַיַּ֨רְא), "his·sickness" (אֶת־חׇלְי֗וֹ), "his·wound" (אֶת־מְזֹר֔וֹ). The root אפרים appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "and·went" (root הלך, 22x in Hosea). First appearance of the root ראה ("and·saw") in Hosea. First appearance of the root אשור ("to·Assyria") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Contentious', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
"His malady." A term denoting illness:
“And Ephraim went to Assyria.” This refers to Hoshea, son of Elah, who had been a slave, and he sat and rebelled (II Kings 17:1).
And he sent. Judah:
“Al melekh yirav.” This refers to Ahaz, who gave a bribe to Tiglath-Pileser to assist him against Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah (II Kings 16:7).
"And he shall not be able to heal you." From the many bands of Philistines and Arabs who came against Ahaz, as is explained in Chronicles (2 Chronicles 28:21): "For Ahaz broke up the vessels of the house of the Lord, and gave them to the king of Assyria, and did not help him."
"And no plague shall linger among you." This means that no pain shall depart from you. And I say that it is from the group of reversed words, as in the case of "hugah" in "from the path" (2 Samuel 20:13), "horigu" in "and they have taught" (Isaiah 59:13), and "hagu" in "they have dross from silver" (Proverbs 25:4).
Ibn Ezra
And he saw his sore: a wound that requires it to be bandaged.
And he sent - Judah, for thus [it is written] after him.
Yarib – a place name in Assyria.
יגהה - like "he will improve the appearance of the matter."
Radak
And he saw, from His wound. Like His strike, for the strike is called a "wound" according to the manner in which He wounds it. He said: When Ephraim and Judah saw that the enemies were constantly coming upon them and plundering them, they sought help from the king of Assyria, and they did not return to Me, nor did they seek help from Me, but rather from flesh and blood, who cannot help them if it is not My will.
"And he sent." This means that Judah sent, for both had already been mentioned; in this verse, Ephraim is mentioned explicitly and Judah implicitly, since Judah had already been mentioned in the preceding context.
“And Ephraim went” – this refers to the messengers whom he sent. Alternatively, the phrase “and he went” is said of Menachem, who went to Pul, king of Assyria, when he came against the land, and Menachem gave to Pul, king of Assyria, a thousand talents of silver, etc. Yet this accomplished nothing permanent, but only for the moment, for it was the king of Assyria who ultimately destroyed the land. And other kings who sent [gifts] to him, the king of Assyria did not help them. Similarly, Ahaz, king of Judah, sent to the king of Assyria, and the text says “and he gave to the king of Assyria,” indicating that it was not for the sake of assistance to him.
Yarib. This is the name of a city in the land of Assyria, and in this book it is mentioned twice. It is possible that Assyria had two names:
"He shall not be able to heal." Since the verse compared the affliction to an illness, it said "to heal."
"And he shall not linger." This means: and he shall not heal. Similarly, "A cheerful heart is good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22); the word "medicine" (גהה) denotes healing. Even if one of you were to heal, he would not heal. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "And Ephraim saw..."
Metzudat David
And he saw. And when Ephraim sees in his time the affliction of his troubles, and Judah in his time the stroke of his pain:
"And Ephraim went" (Vayelekh Efrayim). This refers to Hoshea, the son of Elah, who sent to the king of Assyria to become his servant.
"And he sent." This refers to Judah, who is mentioned, for Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to assist him against Rezin and Pekah, as it is stated (in II Kings 16).
"He shall not be able to heal." This means that it shall not be of assistance to you.
"And He will not delay." "He will not heal your wound" means: He will not save you from evil.
Metzudat Zion
"mazoro." So is the wound called, after the dust of healing spices that are sprinkled upon it; and similarly, "They set a wound under you" (Obadiah 1:7).
Yarib. He is Ashur, and he was called by both names. And similarly: “An offering to the king Yarib” (infra 10).
יגהה. The meaning is healing, like the phrase "he will make well" in Proverbs 17:
Malbim
And Ephraim saw his illness, but they did not comprehend that the Lord is the One striking them and destroying them. Rather, they thought it was an illness and a natural wound requiring the seeking of natural remedies to remove the sickness and heal the body. Therefore, he sent to the king of Assyria, so that he would heal the illness of the general nation in its host and in its camp. By this, he alluded to what Menachem ben Gadi sent—thousand talents of silver—to Pul, king of Assyria, to strengthen the kingdom in his hand (as stated in II Kings 15:19). And Ahaz sent him a bribe and a gift to strengthen his hand against Pekah ben Remaliah and Rezin, king of Aram, who fought against him, as mentioned there (ibid. 16).
The text depicts that Ephraim saw his illness (choli) and Judah saw his wound (mazor), for there is a difference between an illness and a wound: the illness is the sickness that comes from within, due to the corruption of the temperament and its weakness; whereas the wound is that which comes through a blow struck from the outside, upon which dust of spices is sprinkled from the outside.
For Ephraim sent to the king of Assyria so that he would strengthen the kingdom in his hand against the rebellion that had arisen within, which is similar to an internal illness. And Judah sent to him so that he would save him from the hands of the kings fighting against him and striking him from the outside, which is similar to a wound and a blow coming from the outside. Thus, Ephraim went to Assyria so that he would quiet the internal rebellion and heal the illness, and he sent. And Judah sent to the king of Yerev, meaning that he sent envoys to the king of Assyria so that he would dry up (yarov) his strife against Pekah and Rezin, who rose up against him, which is the wound from the outside.
Neither of them achieved their hope. Regarding what Ephraim went to him to heal the internal illness, it says, "And He will not be able to heal you," as stated regarding Menachem ben Gadi, "And he did not remain there in the land." And regarding what Judah sent to him to delay his external wound, it says, "And He will not delay your wound from you," as stated regarding Ahaz (II Chronicles 28), "And it distressed him, and he was not strengthened."
For I will be to Ephraim as a lion, And as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away, I will take away, and there shall be none to deliver.
verse value 2646
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 2646 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Ephraim" (לְאֶפְרַ֔יִם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, even·I. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "as·the·lion" (כַשַּׁ֙חַל֙), "and·as·the·young·lion" (וְכַכְּפִ֖יר), "I·will·tear" (אֶטְרֹף֙). The root אני appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "to·Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "and·I·will·go" (root הלך, 22x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אָנֹכִ֤י [I] (81) + כַשַּׁ֙חַל֙ [as·the·lion] (358) + לְאֶפְרַ֔יִם [to·Ephraim] (361) + וְכַכְּפִ֖יר [and·as·the·young·lion] (336) + לְבֵ֣ית [to·house·of] (442) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + אֲנִ֨י [I] (61) + אֲנִ֤י [even·I] (61) + אֶטְרֹף֙ [I·will·tear] (290) + וְאֵלֵ֔ךְ [and·I·will·go] (57) + אֶשָּׂ֖א [I·will·lift] (302) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + מַצִּֽיל [delivering] (170) = 2646.
Rashi
“I will lift up, and there is no one who can rescue.” “I will lift up the prey.”
Ibn Ezra
For - at first He said: "And I am like a moth within the body, and now that it has come to the outside, who can heal you?"
Radak
"For I am He." How can the king of Assyria benefit you, even if he wishes to? For I am He who is your protector when you are in distress, and there is no one to save from My hand.
"I, I" – the repetition is to strengthen the matter. And likewise: "See now that I, I am He."
Metzudat David
"For I." For I will be [like a lion] when it prowls against Ephraim, etc., and I will tear them apart and go away with the prey, and I will carry them off, and there is no one to rescue [them] from My hand. That is to say, If I desire their evil, what help can Assyria provide for them?
Metzudat Zion
Ka-shachal. And ke-khefir — these are names of the lion:
Malbim
For I am like a lion to Ephraim, for it is not a natural illness or wound that a person can heal and save, for I am the one who strikes them like a lion and like a young lion. And it has already been mentioned in natural histories that the lion, while still young in days, when it is called by the name "young lion," does not go outside its den to tear its prey; rather, it sits in its den, lying in wait to tear apart only those who approach its dwelling. But when it reaches the status of a lion, the "shachal," which is the old lion, then it goes outside to tear its prey and bring it to its cubs. And this is what is said: "For I am like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the House of Judah." For Ephraim is likened to a "shachal" that comes from another place to tear its prey; so too, the Lord came upon them from Zion, where His den and dwelling are. But the House of Judah is likened to a "kefir" that tears apart in the place where it dwells, for His dwelling is in Judah. (And this is the same as what is stated: "For I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like a rot to the House of Judah.")
"I, I" means: however it may be, their evil is not a natural or accidental matter, but rather one of Divine Providence, for "I, I" am the devourer. Whether in Ephraim, where "I will devour and go," meaning that I will go with the devoured one to lead him to my place, like the hyena that devours and carries its prey far away; or in Judah, where "I will devour in my den," meaning "I will carry but not go," for my place is there, like the lion. And in these two types of devouring, no one can rescue from My hand, and Assyria will not help you.
I will go and return to My place, Till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face; In their trouble they will seek Me earnestly:
verse value 3073
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֥ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·they·acknowledge·guilt" (אֲשֶֽׁר־יֶאְשְׁמ֖וּ, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "these" (אֵלֵ֤ךְ), "I·will·return" (אָשׁ֙וּבָה֙), "to·my·place" (אֶל־מְקוֹמִ֔י). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·them" (root הם, 31x in Hosea); "these" (root הלך, 22x in Hosea); "I·will·return" (root שוב, 21x in Hosea). First appearance of the root שחר ("they·will·seek·me") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵלֵ֤ךְ [these] (51) + אָשׁ֙וּבָה֙ [I·will·return] (314) + אֶל־מְקוֹמִ֔י [to·my·place] (227) + עַ֥ד [until] (74) + אֲשֶֽׁר־יֶאְשְׁמ֖וּ [that·they·acknowledge·guilt] (858) + וּבִקְשׁ֣וּ [and·they·seek] (414) + פָנָ֑י [my·face] (140) + בַּצַּ֥ר [in·the·distress] (292) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + יְשַׁחֲרֻֽנְנִי [they·will·seek·me] (628) = 3073.
Rashi
I will go. I will withdraw from them and return to the heavens:
Until they shall be guilty. They will consider themselves as guilty in order to confess their guilt.
They will seek me. They will seek me:
Ibn Ezra
"I will go" – meaning, I will go by myself without anyone pursuing me, or I will go along with the prey, and it is proper that I slaughter them and then depart, as it is written subsequently.
"I will go until they are found guilty" – meaning, until they confess their guilt; or, according to the sense of "Samaria shall become desolate" (Hosea 13:16). And the word "ha'adamah" (the land) is spelled defectively, lacking the letter aleph.
"יִשְׁחָרֻנִּי" – They will seek me out like the dawn, and they will say to one another, "Come." He said: "טרף" (prey) in place of "ככפיר" (like a lion cub).
Radak
“I will return to My place.” This means: I will remove My Divine Presence from them and return to Myself in heaven, which is the place of My honor, for they have diminished My honor, and My glory shall not dwell among them.
"Until they shall be guilty." The aleph and the shin are vocalized with a shva, and its meaning is: until they shall make themselves guilty. And so did Jonathan render it: "Until they shall know that they have sinned."
“Yeshachernani.” They will seek Me and they will search for Me, like “If you will seek God” and similar verses, and the first nun is like the nun of “Yishma’u” (they will hear), which is sometimes added to the plural future tense.
Metzudat David
"I will go up." I will ascend from them, My Divine Presence, and return to My place in the heavens.
“Until they are held guilty.” This means that they will recognize in themselves that they are guilty and will seek My face to forgive them.
In distress. Behold, in the time when they are in distress, they will seek Me, and they will not strengthen their heart.
Metzudat Zion
They will seek Me. A matter of seeking, as in “he who seeks good” (ibid. 11):
Malbim
"I will go" – this adds to what is stated, "I will devour and I will go," by further declaring: Not only will I go from Ephraim to Jerusalem, but I will also return to my place, meaning that I will distance myself from Zion as well, and I will return to the heavens to distance myself from them completely, until they are guilty. This will continue until the time when they return in repentance of their own accord, through being guilty and seeking My face – that is, when they recognize their guilt, seek My face, and return in repentance. Or, if they do not recognize their guilt on their own, at least when they are in distress, they will seek Me; they will find many evils and afflictions, and then they will seek Me through the intensity of the afflictions.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim