'Set the horn to your mouth — as a vulture he comes against the house of Hashem': they have set up kings, but not from Me; the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces; 'for they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind'; Israel is swallowed up among the nations as a vessel wherein is no value.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Set the horn to your mouth. As a vulture he comes against the house of Hashem; Because they have transgressed My covenant, And trespassed against My law.
verse value 4375
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "horn" (שֹׁפָ֔ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·against·My·law" (וְעַל־תּוֹרָתִ֖י, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "to·your·mouth" (אֶל־חִכְּךָ֣), "horn" (שֹׁפָ֔ר), "like·the·eagle" (כַּנֶּ֖שֶׁר). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "against·house·of" (root בית, 21x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: אֶל־חִכְּךָ֣ [to·your·mouth] (79) + שֹׁפָ֔ר [horn] (580) + כַּנֶּ֖שֶׁר [like·the·eagle] (570) + עַל־בֵּ֣ית [against·house·of] (512) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + יַ֚עַן [because] (130) + עָבְר֣וּ [they·transgressed] (278) + בְרִיתִ֔י [my·covenant] (622) + וְעַל־תּוֹרָתִ֖י [and·against·My·law] (1122) + פָּשָֽׁעוּ [they·rebeled] (456) = 4375.
Rashi
“Al chachach shofar.” The Divine Presence says to the prophet: “Hear the voice of chachach and cry out like a shofar, and say: ‘Fly and hasten, O enemies, as the eagle soars,’ and come to the House of the Lord. ‘Al chachach shofar’—as if the shofar were placed upon chachach.”
Ibn Ezra
"El" – The words of the Lord to the prophet: "Set your horn like a ram’s horn and swoop like an eagle against the House of the Lord." Yefet said: "Set your horn like a ram’s horn, for the enemy will cry out like an eagle against the House of the Lord." And this is the correct interpretation, due to the word "ye'en" (because).
Radak
“Blow the trumpet at the roof.” This is like what is stated above, “Blow the trumpet in Gibeah” (Hosea 5:8), and when addressing the people, he sometimes speaks in the singular and sometimes in the plural. He said, “Blow the trumpet at the roof,” for behold, the enemy has spread his wings like an eagle over the House of the Lord. That is to say, he will come upon the entire land and also upon the House of the Lord to destroy it, because they have transgressed My covenant; they abandoned Him first, and therefore I will abandon them and deliver them into the hands of strangers. And the trumpet is placed against the roof [of the mouth], and the trumpet is placed at the mouth, because the sound passes through the roof [of the mouth] after it has exited the throat. And the Targum translates: “Prophesy at your roof,” etc.
Metzudat David
“Al chachach shofar.” R”L: Raise a loud cry, as if a shofar were placed at your throat and you were blowing it, saying: “Behold, the enemy soars like an eagle to come against the House of the Lord to destroy it.”
And they transgressed My Torah. They rebelled against the words of the Torah:
Metzudat Zion
חכך. The word is derived from "חיך" (palate), which is the roof of the mouth above the tongue.
Malbim
“Blow the trumpet with might,” the Lord says to the prophet: place the shofar to your mouth and hasten like an eagle to take your stand at the House of the Lord, where you shall blow the shofar. For it was with regard to a great matter and a widespread proclamation that they would blow the shofar in the House of the Lord. He commanded him to stand at the House at a height so that the sound of the shofar would be heard in all the corners of the land. He shall blow the shofar and announce that all the evil has come upon them because they transgressed My covenant and because they violated My Torah. Furthermore, He commanded that the shofar be blown in the House of the Lord so that Judah as well would hear and return to the Lord in the days of Hezekiah, when the king of Assyria also came against them, and the Lord hastened like an eagle to save His nest, as it is stated: “As birds hovering, so the Lord of Hosts will protect Jerusalem; He will protect and deliver it, He will spare and rescue it” (Isaiah 31:5).
Will they cry to Me: ‘My God, we Israel know You’?
verse value 980
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "we·knew·you" (יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "they·will·cry" (יִזְעָ֑קוּ), "we·knew·you" (יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "my·God" (root אלהים, 21x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·cry', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: לִ֖י [to·me] (40) + יִזְעָ֑קוּ [they·will·cry] (193) + אֱלֹהַ֥י [my·God] (46) + יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָ [we·knew·you] (160) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 980.
Rashi
"To Me they will cry out." When calamity will come upon them:
"O God, we know You" – Are we not with You? They reversed the order of the words and interpreted them: "Israel will cry out to Me, 'O God, we know You,' and I will not hear them, because..."
Ibn Ezra
"Li" – Just as it is written, "The children of Israel shall cry out to Me," or alternatively, the phrase is elliptical for "the house of Israel."
Radak
"They shall cry out to Me." It was incumbent upon the Israelites to cry out to Me in their time of distress, saying:
"God, we know You." That is to say, we know that there is no savior besides You. And Israel, though mentioned later, is judged to be earlier, as it says, "Afterward they will cry out to Me." And there are many similar instances in Scripture where the later is mentioned before the earlier, such as "the place where He buried him together," "I will go," "until I pass over," and their like, as we have written in the book Mikhlol, in the section of grammar thereof.
Metzudat David
"They shall cry out to Me, etc." The verse is deficient; it ought to read: "Israel shall cry out to Me, etc." That is to say, it was fitting for Israel to cry out to Me and say, "Our God, we know You as One who watches over and has compassion."
Malbim
"They shall cry out against what is written, 'And they did not cry out to Me with their heart.' Tell them: Let Israel cry out to Me, and they shall say, 'Our God, we know You; we know You that the evil comes from You, by providence, as a punishment for our transgressions against You.'"
Israel has cast off that which is good; the enemy shall pursue him.
verse value 942
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "has·cast·off" (זָנַ֥ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "enemy" (אוֹיֵ֖ב), "will·pursue·him" (יִרְדְּפֽוֹ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: זָנַ֥ח [has·cast·off] (65) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + ט֑וֹב [good] (17) + אוֹיֵ֖ב [enemy] (19) + יִרְדְּפֽוֹ [will·pursue·him] (300) = 942.
Rashi
"Israel has forsaken that which is good." Therefore, "an enemy shall pursue them."
Ibn Ezra
“Abandoned, good” – this is the Exalted Name, which was good for Him.
"ירדפו" – like: "Those who call upon the Lord, our righteousness."
Radak
“Israel has forsaken that which is good.” This refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, for there is no good other than Him, without any deficiency. Therefore, “an enemy will pursue them.” And the appellation comes with the standalone vav, like “and this is His name by which they will call Him.”
Metzudat David
"Abandoned." This means that they did not act in this manner, for all of Israel had forsaken that which was good for them, and Judah acted in the same way as the Ten Tribes had acted, for he too did not turn to Me; therefore, the enemy will pursue him.
Metzudat Zion
"זנח" – The meaning is abandonment, as in: "Why have You forsaken me?" (Psalms 43:2).
Malbim
"Abandoned" — as long as they say in their cry, "We know that because God has abandoned Israel, the enemy pursues them; and this is not a mere coincidence, but rather a punishment from God."
They have set up kings, but not from Me, they have made princes, and I knew it not; of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
verse value 3128
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·set-up·kings" (הִמְלִ֙יכוּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "they·set-up·kings" (הִמְלִ֙יכוּ֙), "they·made·princes" (הֵשִׂ֖ירוּ), "their·silver" (כַּסְפָּ֣ם). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "abundance" (root הם, 31x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·knew', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: הֵ֤ם [abundance] (45) + הִמְלִ֙יכוּ֙ [they·set-up·kings] (111) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + מִמֶּ֔נִּי [from·me] (140) + הֵשִׂ֖ירוּ [they·made·princes] (521) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יָדָ֑עְתִּי [I·knew] (494) + כַּסְפָּ֣ם [their·silver] (200) + וּזְהָבָ֗ם [and·their·gold] (60) + עָשׂ֤וּ [they·did] (376) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + עֲצַבִּ֔ים [idols] (212) + לְמַ֖עַן [so·that] (190) + יִכָּרֵֽת [shall·be·cut·off] (630) = 3128.
Rashi
“They appointed princes.” They made princes. Alternatively: “Remove this one from kingship and make this one king.” And the book of the Masorah proves this, for the Masorete wrote the letters shin and sin, and read them as samekh, and its interpretation is samekh.
"למען יכרת" (That He may cut off): The word "למען" (that) implies "because," for they had abundant gold, and this caused their wealth to be cut off from them.
Ibn Ezra
"They" – because they did not ask God to anoint Jeroboam as king, and it is written: "whom the Lord your God will choose, even him shall you make king over Israel."
“Heshiru” – from the hollow verbs (with an elided middle radical), which can mean “to rule” or “to be a prince,” and the meaning is double. R. Yefet said: It is like the letter samekh, as in “my oxen,” and the meaning is reversed: whether they made him king or whether they made him a prince. And the meaning of “so that it may be cut off” is “in order that it may be cut off from them, the silver and the gold.”
Radak
"They anointed him." They anointed Jeroboam, and they did not inquire of the mouth of the Lord. And even though Jeroboam’s kingship was from God, blessed be He, as Ahijah the Shilonite said to him, nevertheless, at the time they anointed him, they did not inquire of the mouth of the Lord. And the prophet Ahijah did not tell them to anoint him; rather, he told Jeroboam what would befall him. Furthermore, since they saw that he prevented them from ascending to Jerusalem before the Lord and made for them the calves, they should have removed him from the kingship, for the prophet Ahijah had spoken to him regarding the matter of the kingship conditionally: if you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. And likewise, the other kings of Israel were not anointed by the word of the Lord, except for Jehu son of Nimshi.
“They have made princes, but not through Me.” They appointed princes and leaders over them, and it was not within my knowledge that they were causing them to stumble, and I was aiding the hands of the wicked.
Their silver and their gold. As it is stated at the beginning of the book: "And I gave her much silver and gold, and they made it for Baal."
"For the sake of cutting off." "For the sake of cutting off" means that they shall be cut off and exiled from their land, or that the silver and gold shall be cut off from them, measure for measure: since they devoted it to idolatry, it shall be cut off from them.
Metzudat David
"They anointed kings." Behold, the Ten Tribes appointed kings without consulting Me, for all the kings were anointed according to their own will, except for Jeroboam and Jehu.
“He appointed princes.” They appointed princes without My knowledge.
“Make for them”: As if the silver and the gold themselves made the graven images. That is to say, because they were abundant in silver and gold, they rebelled against the Lord and made idols; thus, the silver and the gold were the causes of the graven images.
"For the purpose of cutting off." The idols will be the cause that the silver and gold will be cut off from them, for the enemy will take them.
Metzudat Zion
“They appointed princes.” From the word “sar” (prince):
"Atzabim" [idols]. Thus are idols called:
Malbim
"They established kingship for themselves, not through Me"—the kings whom they chose, they established them on their own authority, not through a prophet by the command of the Lord. And afterward, "they removed them"—they deposed them from kingship. And I do not know [of this], for even this was against the will of the Lord. And it appears that two kings were removed from kingship because they upheld the worship of the golden calves. They were Shallum, son of Jabesh, concerning whom it is not written "and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord," as is written concerning all the kings of Israel. For even regarding Zimri, who reigned only seven days, it is written: "And he died for his sin, which he sinned by walking in the way of Jeroboam." And all the more so should this have been written concerning Shallum, who reigned one month of days. It is clear that he did not walk in the way of Jeroboam. And there was found a faction in Israel that supported him in this matter, and an opposing faction that desired to strengthen the worship of the golden calves; these were the ones who supported the hands of Menachem, son of Gadi, who rose against him and killed him. Therefore, Menachem was compelled to give a thousand talents of silver to Pul, king of Assyria, to strengthen the kingdom in his hand, for the faction that had been with Shallum to abolish the calves were opposed to him. And similarly, concerning Hoshea, son of Elah, it is written: "And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like the kings of Israel who were before him." It is clear that he did not serve the calves. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated that he abolished the guards whom Jeroboam had stationed on the roads so that Israel would not go up for the pilgrimage festivals. And the faction that inclined after the sin of Jeroboam disputed with him on account of this, and they informed against him to the king of Assyria, and he imprisoned him in the house of detention. Thus, the removal of these two kings was not by the knowledge of the Lord, meaning, against His will.
Their silver and their gold they made for themselves idols: While the kings supported the worship of the calf, the kings used to make the idols from the royal treasury. But when King Shallum, son of Jabesh, and Hoshea, son of Elah, who did not support the worship of the calf and the idols, reigned, then the people made for themselves idols from their own silver and their own gold, in order to cut off the king whom they had first anointed, for they made idols to strengthen the bond of the supporters of the calf worship, who had conspired to cut off the king.
Your calf, O Samaria, is cast off; mine anger is kindled against them; how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
verse value 1967
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Samaria" (שֹׁמְר֔וֹן, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "your·calf" (עֶגְלֵ֣ךְ), "was·hot" (חָרָ֥ה), "until·when" (עַד־מָתַ֕י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea). First appearance of the root עגל ("your·calf") in Hosea. First appearance of the root אף ("my·anger") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: זָנַח֙ [has·cast·off] (65) + עֶגְלֵ֣ךְ [your·calf] (123) + שֹׁמְר֔וֹן [Samaria] (596) + חָרָ֥ה [was·hot] (213) + אַפִּ֖י [my·anger] (91) + בָּ֑ם [in·them] (42) + עַד־מָתַ֕י [until·when] (524) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יוּכְל֖וּ [they·will·be·able] (72) + נִקָּיֹֽן [innocence] (210) = 1967.
Rashi
"Abandoned." The Holy One, blessed be He, has rejected you, children of Samaria: "Because of the sin of the calves in Bethel, which the kings of Samaria worshipped there."
Until when will they not be able to direct their hearts to cleanse themselves from that filth?
Ibn Ezra
"Abandoned, Samaria" – this is a double expression, as if it were written: "You have abandoned your calf, you have abandoned Samaria," implying that He has loathed you, for the city will be destroyed and its inhabitants will go into exile.
"My wrath was kindled against them" — against the calf and against Shomron.
"Until when will My anger burn against them?"—until they become pure.
"And they could not cleanse themselves" – that they would have from it.
Radak
"Abandon your calf, Samaria." Although the calf was not in Samaria but in Bethel, since the capital of the kingdom of the kings of Israel was Samaria from Ahab onward, and the kings were those who upheld the worship of the calves, as it is stated regarding each of them, "He walked in the sin of Jeroboam," "He did not depart from the sin of Jeroboam," therefore the calf was attributed to Samaria. And similarly it said, "The calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces." And the meaning of "abandon" is "distanced," like "The Lord has abandoned His altar." He says to Samaria, "Your calf has distanced you," meaning that because of it you were distanced from your land. And "Samaria" refers to the people of Samaria. Or perhaps "abandon" is an intransitive verb, and its meaning is "distances," like "You have abandoned the peace of my soul." He says to Samaria, "Your calf distances you from you," because it was exiled, for when the king of Assyria captured Samaria and the cities of Israel, he broke the calves and took the gold.
"My wrath was kindled against them." [This refers] to the two calves; or alternatively, "against them" refers to the Israelites who worshipped them.
“Until when will they not be able to be pure?”—that is to say, until when will they not be able to be pure from this sin? In other words, until when will the time be prolonged such that they will not be able to be pure?
Metzudat David
"Abandoned, etc." You, Samaria, behold, the calf that you served has abandoned you and did not help you in the time of My anger against her inhabitants.
Until when. It is as if saying: Have they not seen that there is no substance in it, and until when will they not be able to cleanse themselves from the filth of the calf, so that they may detest it?
Metzudat Zion
Purity. The word is derived from "clean and clear":
Malbim
“Abandoned is your calf, O Samaria”: This means, so that the king who abandoned your calf—namely, the one who left the calf of Samaria and did not wish to worship it—may be cut off. “My anger was kindled against them”: This means, behold, until now, when the calves were made by the decree of the kings, the primary wrath was directed at the kings. But now, since the king abandoned the calf and the people made it from their own silver, from now on the wrath will be against them, the people. “How long will they not be pure?”: Until when will this sin of the calves remain with them, and they will not be able to purify themselves from this sin? Behold, now they are not compelled to worship the calves, and they have the freedom to serve the Lord.
For from Israel is even this: The craftsman made it, and it is no God; indeed, the calf of Samaria shall be broken in shivers.
verse value 2766
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "and·it" (וְה֔וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "indeed·splinters" (כִּֽי־שְׁבָבִ֣ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, it·will·be. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "from·Israel" (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙), "craftsman" (חָרָ֣שׁ), "he·made·it" (עָשָׂ֔הוּ). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "from·Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea). First appearance of the root חרש ("craftsman") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙ [from·Israel] (581) + וְה֔וּא [and·it] (18) + חָרָ֣שׁ [craftsman] (508) + עָשָׂ֔הוּ [he·made·it] (381) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + ה֑וּא [it] (12) + כִּֽי־שְׁבָבִ֣ים [indeed·splinters] (384) + יִֽהְיֶ֔ה [it·will·be] (30) + עֵ֖גֶל [calf] (103) + שֹׁמְרֽוֹן [Samaria] (596) = 2766.
Rashi
“For from Israel, and he.” From the silver and gold of each and every one is it collected, and the deaf one made it. The vav of “and he” is superfluous, and there are many vavs similar to it (Ezekiel 46:18): “When he goes out, and his guards,” implying that they will not be healed. So too here: “For from Israel” was its preparation and arrangement, and “he” made it. And one could interpret this vav thus: “For from Israel, and he”—even this calf came from them, like the first calf.
Shavvim. [They are] sawed into boards, and it is Aramaic terminology, from the phrase meaning a splinter from a beam (Sanhedrin 7b).
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – it was by the counsel of Israel and by the counsel of the king who had made him king that the calf of Samaria was made.
"Ki shavvim" – like "shavvim." And Yefet said: "For the calf of Samaria shall be made for Israel to be a rebel." And this is not correct.
Radak
"Ki mi-Yisrael" – This calf was from Israel. That is to say, they did not learn this form of worship from the idolaters, as other idolaters had learned from them; rather, it originated from the Israelites themselves, from the calf they made in the wilderness, as we explained in the Book of Kings.
“And it — a craftsman made it.” And it is the calf. It said: Do not think that it is God and that there is power in it, for a craftsman made it. How could it be a work of power over the One who made it?
"For the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces. Now you will see if it has the power to save those who worship it, for even itself it will not be able to save."
"Ki shavvim" – like "shaverim," meaning that they would break it and carry it to the goldsmith, not for the benefit that is in it while it is still in the form of a calf.
Shavvim. Like shaverim and chatichot, like splinters from a beam — an expression found in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. And so they said, “And Moses brought the words of the people to the Lord” – words that shavvim the heart of a person, meaning that they shatter. And Yonatan translated: “to break the tablets.”
Metzudat David
"for from Israel." This calf was made from Israel, from a human being, and not from the angels of heaven.
And he. This calf was made by a craftsman, and no miracles were performed in its creation; therefore, it is not God, but rather it is like any other created thing.
"ki shavvim." That is to say, from the end of the matter it will appear that there is no substance in them, for the enemy will break them into splinters to take the gold foil from them.
Metzudat Zion
A craftsman. An artisan:
“Shevavim.” Thin wood chips; and in the language of our Sages, “a splinter from a beam” (Sanhedrin 5).
Malbim
"for the calf of Samaria is of Israel": This means that until now, the calf was not made from the people’s silver, but only from the king’s silver. And it was not they who made it, but the king. But now, behold, it is from Israel, for they gave the silver for this, as it is stated, "Their silver and their gold they made for themselves idols." And a craftsman made it, and Israel is also the artisan who made the calf, not the king. The interpretation of the verse is: "For the calf of Samaria is of Israel, and a craftsman made it, and it is not God; for it shall be broken in pieces." This means that they do not worship it on the grounds that it is God, but rather on the grounds that it shall be broken in pieces. For Israel desires to be rebels, and they are pleased with licentiousness; therefore, they make the calves, for this was for them a sign of licentiousness and the casting off of the yoke of Torah and commandments, and to be rebels doing whatever their heart desires. Therefore, they made the calves, knowing themselves that they are not God.
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind; it has no stalk, the bud that shall yield no meal; if so be it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.
verse value 3267
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·yield·flour" (יַעֲשֶׂה־קֶּ֔מַח, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "they·will·sow" (יִזְרָ֖עוּ), "and·the·whirlwind" (וְסוּפָ֣תָה), "shall·reap" (יִקְצֹ֑רוּ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 48x in Hosea). First appearance of the root קצר ("shall·reap") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·reap', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: כִּ֛י [for] (30) + ר֥וּחַ [wind] (214) + יִזְרָ֖עוּ [they·will·sow] (293) + וְסוּפָ֣תָה [and·the·whirlwind] (557) + יִקְצֹ֑רוּ [shall·reap] (406) + קָמָ֣ה [stood·up] (145) + אֵֽין־ל֗וֹ [it·has·no] (97) + צֶ֚מַח [bud] (138) + בְּלִ֣י [without] (42) + יַעֲשֶׂה־קֶּ֔מַח [will·yield·flour] (533) + אוּלַ֣י [perhaps] (47) + יַעֲשֶׂ֔ה [will·do] (385) + זָרִ֖ים [strangers] (257) + יִבְלָעֻֽהוּ [they·will·swallow·it] (123) = 3267.
Rashi
"Kumah" has no standing grain for them. Regarding their seed, i.e., they will not succeed in their deeds:
Perhaps he will do so. Even if he does make flour:
"Aliens will devour him." Even if they succeed in their possessions, ultimately they will fall into the hands of aliens.
Ibn Ezra
"Ki" – its final tav is an added letter, similar to "imatah."
Perhaps – And if you say, "Perhaps He will do it," know that strangers will devour it.
Radak
“For they shall sow the wind.” That is to say, they labored in vain in this service, as if a person were sowing wind, which has no substance, so that he would reap nothing but wind, or even less than that. That is to say, they will not derive any benefit at all, but rather harm. And the storm is more severe than the wind in general, for “storm” is like “tempest,” as it says, “In storm and tempest is His way.” And “storm” is written with a vav, like “His salvation” is written with a vav, and the doubling is to strengthen the matter.
“Kumah ein lo.” Since He compared their deeds to one who sows wind, He added further to the matter and said, “Kumah ein lo.” This means that it will not come to a time when there is kumah, for kumah is called the grain when it stands ready for reaping, so that the sowers might anticipate benefit from it in the near future after the reaping, when they will make it into flour. Yet even they will not have a time when they can anticipate benefit from their deeds. And He further said, “Tzemach beli y’aseh kamach,” meaning that even if the seed sprouts after being sown—and the parable is that they will succeed somewhat in their deeds after they have begun to do evil—this good will not stand, nor will it come to complete benefit, just as the sprout does not come to the stage of reaping and grinding.
Perhaps he will do [something such that] strangers will devour it. Lest he do [something] once that will lead him to a state of "flour," meaning that he will succeed in his assets until he attains a small benefit at the outset; [but then] strangers will come and devour it, and the benefit will not be fulfilled for them.
Metzudat David
"For they shall sow the wind." And from the end of the matter it will appear as though the wind sowed and the storm harvested; that is to say, just as one reaps what one sows, so too they will receive recompense according to their deed. And since the deed was wind and a thing that has no substance, so too will the recompense be.
“קמה אין לו” – They will not have standing crops. Their sowing will not come to the stage of standing crops, and the small amount that does grow will not be made into flour. And even if it is made into flour, what of it? The strangers will devour it, but they themselves will not benefit from their sowing. That is to say, they will not succeed in their endeavors, and even the small measure of success they have in gathering some wealth, it will not remain in their hands, for the enemy will take it.
Metzudat Zion
And its storm. A storm wind and a tempest:
Kamah. Thus is called the gathering of the ears of grain, while it still stands in the ground; and likewise, "from the stack to the standing grain" (Judges 15).
Perhaps. Its meaning is like "if," and similarly, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing" (Genesis 24:5).
"Strangers." Non-Jews:
"they shall swallow him up." The language of swallowing:
Malbim
For they sow the wind; therefore they receive their reward according to the work of their hands: as they sowed wind, so shall they reap whirlwind, which is greater than wind. "No standing crop" means that from the seed they sowed, there will be no standing crop for them; that is to say, they will not reap the fruit of their labor. And yet, "a shoot" [will appear], but it will not make flour; strangers will swallow it up. Perhaps it will make [flour]? This means that even a matter that begins to sprout from their toil, even though it is not destined to produce flour ever, because it is a thin shoot withered by the east wind, in all this, strangers will swallow it up and destroy it immediately, due to the suspicion that they will suspect that perhaps it will produce flour after it grows. Therefore, they will not allow it to grow at all, but will swallow it up immediately while it is still in its chaff. And he explains the parable.
Israel is swallowed up; now are they become among the nations as a vessel wherein is no value.
verse value 1577
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "no·delight" (אֵֽין־חֵ֥פֶץ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "was·swallowed·down" (נִבְלַ֖ע), "as·vessel" (כִּכְלִ֖י), "no·delight" (אֵֽין־חֵ֥פֶץ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea); "were" (root היה, 28x in Hosea). First appearance of the root גוי ("among·the·nations") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: נִבְלַ֖ע [was·swallowed·down] (152) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + הָי֣וּ [were] (21) + בַגּוֹיִ֔ם [among·the·nations] (61) + כִּכְלִ֖י [as·vessel] (80) + אֵֽין־חֵ֥פֶץ [no·delight] (239) + בּֽוֹ [in·it] (8) = 1577.
Ibn Ezra
Nivla – The reason [for the accentuation]: “They shall swallow up your harvest” – just as “they shall swallow up” [your harvest], so too “they shall swallow up” those who sow.
Like a vessel in which there is no desire—meaning that a person would cast it out of his house.
Radak
"Swallowed up." That the idolaters will swallow it up and consume all its goodness.
"Now they were among the nations." In the eyes of the nations, they should go to seek help from them, and they are despised in their eyes, and the nations considered them like a vessel that is unwanted and is thrown away, as it said above, "This is their mockery in the land of Egypt." Or the explanation is: "They were among the nations" means that they went into exile.
Metzudat David
"Israel is swallowed up." Behold, Israel is ruined, and now they have become a byword among the nations, like a vessel that has no use.
Metzudat Zion
Nivla. The meaning is destruction, as in “The Lord has swallowed up” (Lamentations 2:2).
חפץ. The meaning is "need," as in "If there is no need for the vessel" (Jeremiah 22:28).
Malbim
“Nivla,” for so too was Israel swallowed up, in that strangers swallowed Him. Even though at present He was among the nations like a vessel that no one desires, and He was a sprout that had not yet been made into flour, nevertheless they swallowed Him up on the grounds that perhaps He would be made into flour in the future.
For they are gone up to Assyria, like a wild ass alone by himself; Ephraim has hired lovers.
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "by·himself" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "by·himself" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·they" (כִּי־הֵ֙מָּה֙, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "for·they" (כִּי־הֵ֙מָּה֙), "they·went·up" (עָל֣וּ), "wild·ass" (פֶּ֖רֶא). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·they" (root כי, 48x in Hosea); "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'by·himself', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּי־הֵ֙מָּה֙ [for·they] (80) + עָל֣וּ [they·went·up] (106) + אַשּׁ֔וּר [Assyria] (507) + פֶּ֖רֶא [wild·ass] (281) + בּוֹדֵ֣ד [alone] (16) + ל֑וֹ [by·himself] (36) + אֶפְרַ֖יִם [Ephraim] (331) + הִתְנ֥וּ [they·hired] (461) + אֲהָבִֽים [loves] (58) = 1876.
Rashi
"Wild ox." It became like a wild donkey that goes alone by itself, breathing air from place to place, to wander.
“Hitnu ahavim” [they have hired lovers]. Targum Jonathan renders it as an expression of “tannim” (jackals), like the wild ass that goes about in the wildernesses, of which it is said, “they snuff up the wind like jackals” (Jeremiah 14:6) — [that is,] to acquire for themselves lovers, strange paramours. “Hitnu” is “aidgroniot” in the vernacular. And one may explain it as an expression of “etnan” (a harlot’s hire).
Ibn Ezra
"Ki, perah" – like "perah" in the phrase "perah adam" (a wild man).
And the meaning of “lonely” is that their counsel was not united.
And the word "hatenu" is from the root of "etnan" (fee), as each one used to bring freewill offerings to the princes of the nations.
Radak
“for they went up to Ashur.” It says “went up,” and if it is a descent from the Land of Israel to Ashur, then the meaning of “went up” is that they departed from their land and went to Ashur, like “and he went up from the land.” Or, if you say that “he went up from the land” implies an actual ascent, namely to the land from which they came, which is the Land of Canaan, behold, similar to this is the language of departure and cessation, like “the sheets of the leaf” [or “the leaf’s coverings”], “as the heap goes up in its season,” “in the midst of the day do not take me up.” And the Gaon Rabbi Saadia interpreted “went up” like “came,” translating “they came” as “they went up.” And it is possible to interpret “went up to Ashur” as an actual ascent, and this is when Pul, king of Ashur, came to the Land of Israel in the days of Menachem son of Gadi, and Menachem gave him a thousand talents of silver, and Menachem went up to him to the place where Pul was, for in the Land of Israel itself there is a place higher than another, like Jerusalem, which is higher than all the Land of Israel.
"A wild ass accustomed to the desert" – for himself. He said: Behold, he is like the wild ass that goes alone, panting for the wind in the wilderness; so too, he goes according to the counsel of his own soul, seeking help here and there, from Egypt and from Assyria. And so did Jonathan render it: "They were exiled to Assyria because of their walking in the evil of their hearts, like a wild ass accustomed to the desert."
"Ephraim has traded away affections" – the term "traded away" (התנו) is in the sense of a conditional exchange, similar to "I will give them" (אתנה) as in "the wages of a harlot" (אתנן זונה). This teaches that Ephraim entered into alliances of affection with Egypt and Assyria, giving them bribes to remain in their covenant and friendship. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "They have sold themselves into the hand of..." etc.
Metzudat David
“Go up to Ashur.” To seek help from them.
Parah. “They are like a wild ass going alone, solitary, with a soul devoid of counsel and without a leader.”
“Give gifts.” They gave the King of Assyria gifts as a gesture of affection, so that he might assist him.
Metzudat Zion
Parah. It is the wild donkey:
Boded. The word is related to *bedad* and *yachidi*, as in “How she sits alone” (Lamentations 1:1):
"Hitnu." From the word "etnan zonah" (a harlot’s hire), and it is said in a derogatory way.
Malbim
For he explains what was the cause of this, namely that this was because they had submitted themselves to the kings of Assyria, and afterward they broke their covenant and sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, to form an alliance with them against Assyria, and this aroused the wrath of the king of Assyria (as stated above, 7:11). And this is what it says: “For they have gone up to Assyria,” and they accepted his sovereignty. And afterward, Ephraim sought lovers; afterward, he gave wages to the king of Egypt. This is like a harlot who has a husband, yet she gives wages to other lovers, seeking from them affection in order to leave her husband and rebel against him.
And it says: “A wild donkey accustomed to the desert.” This means that even a wild donkey accustomed to the desert, which goes out and distances itself from its place, as it is stated (Jeremiah 2:24): “A wild donkey accustomed to the desert, sniffing the wind in her desire,” nevertheless, although it moves from its place, its way is to go alone, and it hates love and companionship, so as not to have many friends. Not so is Ephraim, who resembles a wild donkey in his deeds; just like it, he loved to move from his place. They sought many friends and gave wages to seek lovers.
Indeed, though they hire among the nations, now will I gather them up; and they begin to be minished by reason of the burden of king and princes.
verse value 2508
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֛ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "though·they·hire" (כִּֽי־יִתְנ֥וּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "though·they·hire" (כִּֽי־יִתְנ֥וּ), "I·will·gather·them" (אֲקַבְּצֵ֑ם), "and·they·began" (וַיָּחֵ֣לּוּ). 10 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·gather·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: גַּ֛ם [also] (43) + כִּֽי־יִתְנ֥וּ [though·they·hire] (496) + בַגּוֹיִ֖ם [among·the·nations] (61) + עַתָּ֣ה [now] (475) + אֲקַבְּצֵ֑ם [I·will·gather·them] (233) + וַיָּחֵ֣לּוּ [and·they·began] (60) + מְּעָ֔ט [littleness] (119) + מִמַּשָּׂ֖א [because·of·burden] (381) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + שָׂרִֽים [princes] (550) = 2508.
Rashi
Even when they are scattered among the nations. Although they did this, that they placed their trust in the love of the nations:
"Now I will gather them": When the time of their redemption comes, I will not delay it.
And they began to lighten somewhat the burden of the King of Kings. And they humbled themselves somewhat in exile in Babylon out of fear of the burden of the King of Kings, the oppression of the nations that were among them.
Ibn Ezra
"GAM" – The meaning is that I will gather them in Egypt; then they will begin to complain and grumble a little, due to the heavy burden of the king of Egypt and Assyria and their officers. And grammatically, "veyichlu" (and they will begin) can only be understood like "umimikdashi techelu" (from My sanctuary you shall begin).
Radak
“Even if they give.” “Give” is also a matter of condition, like “they imposed,” but this is from the light [side] and that from the heavy [side]. He said: What benefit is there to them in that they imposed [taxes] on the nations? For now, soon, I will gather the nations against them to exile them. Only that initially they will complain and rage at the burden of the King of Kings, as it is written in the Book of Kings that the kings of the nations imposed upon them a punitive tax, and this is little compared to the exile.
And they began a little. The matter of "beginning":
"Malkh Sarim" (King of Princes). The word is lacking a vav, and it is as if it were written "Malkh ve-Sarim" (King and Princes), just as in the cases of "Shemesh Yareach" (Sun and Moon), "Reuven Shimon" (Reuben and Simeon), and many similar instances. And the meaning of "Sarim" (Princes) is the princes of the nations. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "Even if they should equalize..." etc.
Metzudat David
“Even though they give...” – Even though they give a hire to the nations, nevertheless, now, in the near future, I will gather those nations to come against them in battle, and the hire will not avail them.
And they began to tremble a little. This means that in a short time, soon, they will begin to tremble and quake from the burden of the king of Assyria and his officials.
Metzudat Zion
"Yitnu." From the word "etnan" (hire/wage).
And they shall writhe in dismay. The language of "chil" (strength) and "chalchal" (to be dismayed).
"King of princes." Just as it is written "king and princes," where the vav is omitted; so too, "like a swift, a crane" (Isaiah 38:6).
Malbim
“Even so,” and despite all this, even though now they will give to the nations, even though they will give a bribe to the nations to seek from them love and the making of a covenant, despite all this there is still hope that now I will gather them from the places to which they were exiled, and I will restore their exile. If the king and princes will tremble slightly from the burden, if the king and their princes will tremble and be shaken slightly by the words of the burden that the prophets bore upon them—the burden and prophecy of calamity—if they will tremble slightly from the words of the prophets and return to the Lord, I will gather them even now.
For Ephraim has multiplied altars to sin, indeed, altars have been to him to sin. .
verse value 1652
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "to·sin" (לַחֲטֹ֑א, 4 letters) and the longest is "for·he·multiplied" (כִּי־הִרְבָּ֥ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 463: altar, altars. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "for·he·multiplied" (כִּי־הִרְבָּ֥ה), "have·been·to·him" (הָיוּ־ל֥וֹ). The root מזבח appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Ephraim" (root אפרים, 37x in Hosea); "have·been·to·him" (root היה, 28x in Hosea). First appearance of the root מזבח ("altar") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·sin', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּי־הִרְבָּ֥ה [for·he·multiplied] (242) + אֶפְרַ֛יִם [Ephraim] (331) + מִזְבְּח֖וֹת [altar] (463) + לַחֲטֹ֑א [to·sin] (48) + הָיוּ־ל֥וֹ [have·been·to·him] (57) + מִזְבְּח֖וֹת [altars] (463) + לַחֲטֹֽא [to·sin] (48) = 1652.
Rashi
"For Ephraim has multiplied himself; therefore I will remove him from the burden of the king of princes."
Ibn Ezra
"For he had many" – the meaning is that he had altars for the purpose of sinning; he already had inherited [altars] from his fathers, so why did he add more?
Radak
“for there were many altars.” Both [instances of the word] are with a shva under the bet, and they come in the manner of a construct chain (smikhut). It is possible that the noun in construct state is missing, [namely] “altars of the calves” or “of the Asherim,” and others of the types of idolatry. We find it [elsewhere] with a shva and with the definite article: “many [to] the altars.” And it says “many” regarding what their fathers did, like Ahab, who added Baal and the Asherah. What need did he have to multiply and add, since he already had them? Rather, he added to his sin. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated the first [instance] as “to sin” (le-cheta) and the second as “to guilt” (le-takla). And he explained this well.
Metzudat David
"For he made many altars..." This means that he constructed many altars in order to sin by offering sacrifices upon them for idolatrous worship. Indeed, these altars were intended for him to sin upon them, for it was upon them that he offered sacrifices to idols, and he did not repent of his intent.
Malbim
For, rather, they were not burdened by the burden of the word of the Lord, for Ephraim made for himself many altars for sin; in that they entered into covenants with the nations, they did not give them a fee solely for the purpose of concluding political treaties, but they also participated with them in serving their idols and multiplied for themselves altars to offer upon them to the gods of the nations. These were altars for sin according to Ephraim’s understanding: the altars that he multiplied for idolatry were not considered sin, but rather the altars that he originally had for Heaven were, in his view, altars for sin. And it explains which are the altars that he originally had.
Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are accounted as a stranger’s.
verse value 2963
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "be or become great" ((רבו), 3 letters) and the longest is "I·write·for·him" (אֶ֨כְתׇּב־ל֔וֹ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "I·will·write" ((אכתוב)), "I·write·for·him" (אֶ֨כְתׇּב־ל֔וֹ), "be or become great" ((רבו)). The root כתב appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·law', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: (אכתוב) [I·will·write] (429) + אֶ֨כְתׇּב־ל֔וֹ [I·write·for·him] (459) + (רבו) [be or become great] (208) + רֻבֵּ֖י [multitude·of] (212) + תּוֹרָתִ֑י [my·law] (1016) + כְּמוֹ־זָ֖ר [like·stranger] (273) + נֶחְשָֽׁבוּ [were·counted] (366) = 2963.
Rashi
“I will write to him.” I always admonish him through the prophets, and I write to him the bulk of My Torah, and they were regarded as strangers.
Ibn Ezra
"I will write" – And I have proved it, and its statutes were written for him.
Radak
"I will write to him." It is written with a vav, but read without a vav, with a chataf qamats under the tav, due to its adjacency to a short word.
"Many." It is written with a vav and read with a yod, with a tsere under the bet. The meaning of the written text is: "The commandments that were numerous in My Torah." The meaning of the vocalized reading is: "Great and weighty [commandments] I have written for him, yet they are counted for him as a stranger, so that he does not turn to them." This is like the days of King Josiah, when there was a novel matter for them, the Book of the Torah, when it was found.
"I will write": Just as it says, "I have written," and it says, "I will write," as if I am writing them for them every day and every day. For the prophets that I send to them will admonish them regarding the words of the Torah and remind them of them, and it is not the same for them.
Rabbi. From the verse “All the great and mighty men of his house” (Esther 1:8), which is explained as “great and honored,” and Jonathan rendered: “He wrote for them their decrees, etc.”
Metzudat David
"I will write [them down]..." The meaning is: through the prophets whom I send to them every day to warn them concerning the great and weighty matters of My Torah, as if I were writing them to them so that they would not forget them. However, in their eyes, they regard them as the words of a stranger whom they have never known, for they hasten to forget.
Metzudat Zion
"Rav." The matter of growth and exaltation, as it is written: "As they were multiplied, so they sinned against Me" (above, 4).
Malbim
I will write for him the abundance of My Torah: the altars that I wrote to him in my Torah are the altars that were made to offer upon them sacrifices to Heaven, namely the altar that was in the Temple, which was made according to the Torah. These altars were considered by them as if they were a stranger’s [altars]; whoever ascended to offer [a sacrifice] on the altar in the Temple was put to death. Likewise, whoever made an altar to offer upon it to Heaven, it was considered for him as a sin, and they would put him to death, for they said that the altars that they had previously [used] for Heaven were considered a sin in their eyes.
As for the sacrifices that are made by fire to Me, let them sacrifice flesh and eat it, For Hashem accepts them not. Now will He remember their iniquity, and punish their sins; They shall return to Egypt.
verse value 3342
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·ate" (וַיֹּאכֵ֔לוּ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "My·gifts" (הַבְהָבַ֗י), "flesh" (בָשָׂר֙), "and·ate" (וַיֹּאכֵ֔לוּ). The root זבח appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 49x in Hosea); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Hosea); "abundance" (root הם, 31x in Hosea). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'He·accepted·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Zevachei ha’behavi.” My sacrifices of burnt-offerings, which are glowing before Me in the fire upon My altar.
"They shall slaughter their flesh and eat it." Why do I need this? To bring them to slaughter, so that they may have flesh for their food, and they shall eat it, for I do not desire them.
Ibn Ezra
Zevachim – Rabbi Moses the Cohen said: "Ha'bahavi" – according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "And it did not flash." And Yefet said: It is from the root of "ha'hab" (to flash), and the yod is added, like "Shaddai." And this is the correct view.
"He will remember their iniquity" – that they will return to Egypt despite His saying, "You shall not return by this way again."
Radak
“Zevachei ha’ba’avi” – He first said that they had offered many sacrifices to the idols, and now He says that what they will sacrifice in the Temple is not acceptable, because they do not return from their sin, and their sacrifice is only for their own eating, like the peace-offerings, which the owners used to eat. And the meaning of “ha’ba’avi” is “My gifts,” and it is a doubling of the ayin and the lamed from “yihav,” meaning the gifts that they think they are giving to Me. And Jonathan translated: “The sacrifices that they offer from themselves.” And some say that “ha’ba’avi” refers to the roasting of the meat, from the word “kafala,” and not from “ha’ba’ah” from “ha’bo’im” in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. And Rashi explained: Those sacrifices that are brought before the altar – what to Me that they bring them before Me? Let them sacrifice them for themselves and eat them, for I do not desire them. And his explanation would have been good, were it not for the fact that the reading according to his explanation would be “ve’ya’chalu” with a shva under the vav, whereas it is actually with a patach.
"Now He will remember." Now, in the near future, He will remember their iniquity when they return to Egypt with Johanan ben Kareah and transgress His words. Then I will visit their iniquity, more than I visited it during the destruction of the land and their exile, as it is stated in Jeremiah: "And all who are in the land of Egypt shall perish by the sword and by famine; they shall perish, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; they shall die."
Metzudat David
"Sacrifices of the beasts." Now He speaks against Judah, who had adopted the ways of the Ten Tribes, relying on the sacrifices they offered in the Temple. He said to them: "Behold, regarding the sacrifices that you are kindling and burning before Me, it would be better for them to slaughter the flesh for themselves and eat it, for the Lord does not accept them with favor."
"Now." This means that in the near future, the Omnipresent will remember their iniquity against them to repay them their due recompense.
And He took a census. The duplication of the matter is stated in the words:
"They shall return to Egypt." When they are exiled from their land, they will flee to return to Egypt to dwell there.
Metzudat Zion
הבהבי. The matter concerns burning and scorching, and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, "It was folded and did not flare up" (Shabbat 28a):
Ratzam. From the language of ratzon (will/desire):
Malbim
"Zevachei ha'bahavim" – the burnt offerings that were consecrated to Heaven to be brought entirely upon the flame – they shall take them out to profane status and sacrifice the flesh and eat it; they shall make of them profane sacrifices and eat the flesh. They say this because the Lord did not desire them, meaning that the Lord does not desire sacrifices, for in their view the Lord will not attend to the deeds of human beings, nor even to accept sacrifices from them. Therefore, they shall offer sacrifices to the Baalim and to the stars of the heavens and their constellations, and the offering brought to the Lord is considered by them as a sin. All of this is explained by what is written: "Ki lo chal," which does not mean that the words of the prophets have ceased in truth. Moreover, not only this, but even now, when their iniquity is remembered and their sin is visited upon them, and He punished them through the king of Assyria, nevertheless, "lo chal" – they did not cease from the punishments of the Lord to return to Him. Rather, they turn to Egypt; they went to Egypt, and it appears as though they are returning to Egypt. That is to say, as though the Lord did not redeem them to be His people, but rather they return to what they were initially in Egypt: idolaters who did not accept the Torah and commandments.
For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And built palaces, And Judah has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send a fire upon his cities, And it shall devour the castles thereof.
verse value 5583
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "and·Judah" (וִיהוּדָ֕ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·built" (וַיִּ֙בֶן֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send·fire" (וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Hosea. Unique to this verse in Hosea (hapax): "and·forgot" (וַיִּשְׁכַּ֨ח), "his·Maker" (אֶת־עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ), "palaces" (הֵיכָל֔וֹת). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 39x in Hosea). First appearance of the root עיר ("cities") in Hosea. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fortified', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁכַּ֨ח [and·forgot] (344) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל [Israel] (541) + אֶת־עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ [his·Maker] (782) + וַיִּ֙בֶן֙ [and·he·built] (68) + הֵיכָל֔וֹת [palaces] (471) + וִיהוּדָ֕ה [and·Judah] (36) + הִרְבָּ֖ה [be or become great] (212) + עָרִ֣ים [cities] (320) + בְּצֻר֑וֹת [fortified] (698) + וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵ֣שׁ [and·I·will·send·fire] (1055) + בְּעָרָ֔יו [in·his·cities] (288) + וְאָכְלָ֖ה [and·it·shall·consume] (62) + אַרְמְנֹתֶֽיהָ [her·palaces] (706) = 5583.
Ibn Ezra
And he forgot, the temples – to fortify them.
"And it shall devour its palaces" – every city and city.
Radak
“And Israel forgot Him who made him.” Just as it says, “He who made you,” meaning He who raised you up, so too “who made Moses and Aaron” [1 Samuel 12:6]. It states that Israel forgot the One who raised him up and multiplied him, and he built temples to serve foreign gods in them. And so Jonathan the Prophet rendered it in the Targum: “And they built temples for error.” It is also possible to interpret “and he built temples” as meaning to fortify them against the enemy, just as it says, “And Judah had many fortified cities”. That is to say, they forgot their God who was their Savior, and they trusted in their temples and their fortresses, but they did not help them. For I will send fire into its palaces, meaning that the enemy will come upon them by My will, to burn its palaces and its royal residences with fire, as it is written, “And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of the great men; all of them he burned with fire” [2 Kings 25:9]. And similarly he did to the cities of Judah. And so it says in the prophecy of Isaiah, “Your cities are burned with fire.” Or perhaps the meaning of “fire” is destruction, which will be so great as if the cities and the palaces were burned with fire.
Metzudat David
“And they forgot” etc. The meaning is: Just as Israel forgot the Lord, who had exalted and magnified them, and built temples for idol worship, so too Judah forgot in the Lord, and they multiplied fortified cities to rely upon them, yet they did not trust in the Lord. Therefore, I will send fire into the fortified cities of Judah, just as the fire consumed and burned the palaces of the congregation of Israel, which they had made for idol worship.
Metzudat Zion
He made it. The one who raises it up and exalts it, just as He said: "He made you" (Deuteronomy 32:6).
And he built. From the language of building:
In strongholds. The word is derived from "fortress":
"Her palaces." The term "palaces" refers to a palace and a temple.
Malbim
And Israel forgot their Maker, and in Egypt they forgot the Lord who had made them a people. They built temples, like the Egyptians who used to build for each star a special temple to worship there the worship of that particular star, as is known. And Judah, although they served the Lord in the Temple, [they had] many fortified cities and trusted in the strength of their fortresses, but did not trust in the Lord. Therefore, "I will send fire among their cities, and it shall devour their palaces."
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim