◄ Hosea 12:14 ►
Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for his contempt.
Study Bible
Ephraim
This term refers to the largest and most influential tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used as a synecdoche for the entire kingdom. Historically, Ephraim was known for its strength and leadership, but also for its rebellion against God. The name itself means "fruitful," which is ironic given the spiritual barrenness that Hosea addresses. The tribe's actions are a reflection of the nation's collective disobedience and idolatry.

has provoked bitter anger
The Hebrew root for "provoked" (כעס, ka'as) implies a deliberate action that incites wrath. This phrase indicates that Ephraim's actions were not accidental but intentional, leading to God's righteous indignation. The "bitter anger" suggests a deep-seated, intense emotional response from God, highlighting the severity of their sin. Historically, this reflects the period of moral and spiritual decline in Israel, where idolatry and injustice were rampant.

so his Lord
The term "Lord" here is a translation of the Hebrew "Adonai," emphasizing God's sovereign authority over Israel. Despite Israel's rebellion, God remains their rightful ruler. This phrase underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where God is both a loving protector and a just judge.

will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed
The phrase "leave upon him" suggests a deliberate decision by God to allow the consequences of sin to remain. "Bloodshed" (דמים, damim) refers to violence and injustice, particularly the shedding of innocent blood. This highlights the moral corruption in Israel, where societal violence was prevalent. Theologically, it reflects the principle of divine justice, where sin carries inherent consequences.

and repay him for his contempt
The word "repay" (שׁוּב, shuv) in Hebrew often means to return or restore, but in this context, it implies retribution. "Contempt" (בּוּז, buz) indicates a deep disrespect and disregard for God and His commandments. This phrase emphasizes the principle of sowing and reaping, where Israel's disdain for God results in divine recompense. Historically, this is a warning of impending judgment, fulfilled through the Assyrian conquest and exile.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ephraim
Represents the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used as a synonym for Israel in the prophetic books. Ephraim was the largest tribe and held significant influence.

2. The Lord (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is portrayed as both just and merciful. In this context, He is the one who will bring judgment upon Ephraim for their sins.

3. Bloodshed
Refers to the violence and injustice prevalent in Israel, which has provoked God's anger.

4. Contempt
The attitude of disregard and disrespect that Ephraim has shown towards God and His commandments.

5. Prophet Hosea
A prophet in the 8th century BC, whose ministry was primarily to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He used his own life as a symbolic representation of God's relationship with Israel.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Sin
Sin provokes God's anger and leads to judgment. Ephraim's example serves as a warning to us about the seriousness of sin and its consequences.

God's Justice
God is just and will repay according to one's deeds. This underscores the importance of living righteously and in accordance with God's will.

Repentance and Restoration
While judgment is certain for unrepentant sin, God's desire is for repentance and restoration. We should seek to turn back to God and align our lives with His commandments.

The Danger of Contempt
Contempt for God and His ways leads to spiritual downfall. We must guard our hearts against attitudes of disrespect and disregard for God's authority.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets like Hosea are sent to call people back to God. We should heed the warnings and teachings of Scripture as God's message to us today.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the example of Ephraim's sin and its consequences challenge you to examine areas of your life where you might be provoking God's anger?

2. In what ways can you ensure that you are not showing contempt for God in your daily actions and decisions?

3. How does understanding God's justice and mercy influence your view of repentance and forgiveness?

4. What lessons can we learn from the role of prophets like Hosea in calling people back to God, and how can we apply these lessons in our community today?

5. How do the connections to other scriptures enhance your understanding of God's character and His expectations for His people?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 1:4
This verse also speaks of a rebellious nation that has forsaken the Lord, similar to Ephraim's contempt.

Jeremiah 2:19
Highlights the consequences of forsaking the Lord and the bitterness that comes from such actions.

Amos 3:2
Emphasizes the special relationship and accountability Israel has with God, which is why their sins are met with judgment.

2 Kings 17:7-23
Provides historical context for the fall of the Northern Kingdom due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience.

Romans 1:18-32
Describes the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, paralleling the judgment on Ephraim.
Sermons
The Blood-Figure: Sin and Guilt Left Upon the SinnerJeremiah Burroughs.Hosea 12:14
Three Painful ContrastsC. Jerdan Hosea 12:7-14
Preserved by a ProphetJ. Orr Hosea 12:12-14
People
Aram, Assyrians, Hosea, Jacob
Places
Aram, Assyria, Bethel, Egypt, Gilead, Gilgal
Topics
Anger, Bitter, Bitterly, Blood, Bloodguilt, Bloodshed, Bring, Cast, Contempt, Ephraim, E'phraim, Guilt, Leave, Leaveth, Moved, Provocation, Provoked, Recompense, Repay, Reproach, Reproaches, Return, Shame, Turn, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Hosea 12:14

     1025   God, anger of
     1135   God, suffering of
     5896   irreverence
     6218   provoking God

Hosea 12:13-14

     6173   guilt, and God

Library
Everybody's Sermon
Now it struck me that God is every day preaching to us by similitudes. When Christ was on earth he preached in parables, and, though he is in heaven now, he is preaching in parables to-day. Providence is God's sermon. The things which we see about us are God's thoughts and God's words to us; and if we were but wise there is not a step that we take, which me should not find to be full of mighty instruction. O ye sons of men! God warns you every day by his own word; he speaks to you by the lips of …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

The Pilgrim's Progress
FROM THIS WORLD TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME. THE SECOND PART. DELIVERED UNDER THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM. WHEREIN IS SET FORTH THE MANNER OF THE SETTING OUT OF CHRISTIAN'S WIFE AND CHILDREN, THEIR DANGEROUS JOURNEY, AND SAFE ARRIVAL AT THE DESIRED COUNTRY. By JOHN BUNYAN. 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Nathaniel Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, near the Church, 1684. THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF SENDING FORTH HIS SECOND PART OF THE PILGRIM. Go now, my little book, to every …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Twofold Wrestle --God's with Jacob and Jacob's with God
'And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Unity of the Divine Essence in Three Persons Taught, in Scripture, from the Foundation of the World.
1. Scripture, in teaching that the essence of God is immense and spiritual, refutes not only idolaters and the foolish wisdom of the world, but also the Manichees and Anthropomorphites. These latter briefly refuted. 2. In this one essence are three persons, yet so that neither is there a triple God, nor is the simple essence of God divided. Meaning of the word Person in this discussion. Three hypostases in God, or the essence of God. 3. Objection of those who, in this discussion, reject the use of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Concerning Worship.
Concerning Worship. [780] All true and acceptable worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving and drawing of his own Spirit which is neither limited to places times, nor persons. For though we are to worship him always, and continually to fear before him; [781] yet as to the outward signification thereof, in prayers, praises, or preachings, we ought not to do it in our own will, where and when we will; but where and when we are moved thereunto by the stirring and secret inspiration …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

The Wonderful.
Isaiah ix:6. HIS name shall be called "Wonderful" (Isaiah ix:6). And long before Isaiah had uttered this divine prediction the angel of the Lord had announced his name to be Wonderful. As such He appeared to Manoah. And Manoah said unto the angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honor. And the angel of Jehovah said unto Him "why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is Wonderful" (margin, Judges xiii:17-18). This angel of Jehovah, the Person who …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

"But if we Walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have Fellowship one with Another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His
1 John i. 7.--"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Art is the imitation of nature, and true religion is a divine art, that consists in the imitation of God himself, the author of nature. Therefore it is a more high and transcendent thing, of a sublimer nature than all the arts and sciences among men. Those reach but to some resemblance of the wisdom of God, expressed in his works, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Motives to Holy Mourning
Let me exhort Christians to holy mourning. I now persuade to such a mourning as will prepare the soul for blessedness. Oh that our hearts were spiritual limbecs, distilling the water of holy tears! Christ's doves weep. They that escape shall be like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity' (Ezekiel 7:16). There are several divine motives to holy mourning: 1 Tears cannot be put to a better use. If you weep for outward losses, you lose your tears. It is like a shower …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Tenth Commandment
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.' Exod 20: 17. THIS commandment forbids covetousness in general, Thou shalt not covet;' and in particular, Thy neighbour's house, thy neighbour's wife, &c. I. It forbids covetousness in general. Thou shalt not covet.' It is lawful to use the world, yea, and to desire so much of it as may keep us from the temptation …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Hosea
The book of Hosea divides naturally into two parts: i.-iii. and iv.-xiv., the former relatively clear and connected, the latter unusually disjointed and obscure. The difference is so unmistakable that i.-iii. have usually been assigned to the period before the death of Jeroboam II, and iv.-xiv. to the anarchic period which succeeded. Certainly Hosea's prophetic career began before the end of Jeroboam's reign, as he predicts the fall of the reigning dynasty, i. 4, which practically ended with Jeroboam's …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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