Hosea 5:9 Study Bible: Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel, I have made known that which will surely be.

◄ Hosea 5:9 ►

Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain.

Ephraim
In the context of Hosea, "Ephraim" often represents the Northern Kingdom of Israel as a whole. Ephraim was the largest and most influential tribe in the northern kingdom, and its name is frequently used as a metonym for the entire nation. Historically, Ephraim was known for its strength and leadership, but here it is a symbol of the nation's spiritual and moral decline. The use of "Ephraim" underscores the personal and collective accountability of the people who have turned away from God.

will be laid waste
This phrase indicates a future judgment and desolation. The Hebrew root word here can be associated with destruction or devastation. It reflects the consequences of Israel's persistent idolatry and rebellion against God. The imagery of being "laid waste" serves as a stark warning of the physical and spiritual ruin that results from forsaking the covenant with God.

on the day of rebuke
The "day of rebuke" refers to a specific time of divine judgment. In the prophetic literature, such a "day" often signifies a moment when God intervenes to correct or punish His people. This phrase emphasizes the certainty and imminence of God's judgment. It serves as a reminder that God's patience has limits, and a time will come when He will address the sins of His people.

among the tribes of Israel
This phrase highlights the collective nature of the message. While Ephraim is singled out, the warning is applicable to all the tribes of Israel. It underscores the unity and shared responsibility of the nation. Historically, the tribes of Israel were bound by a common covenant with God, and their fate was interconnected. This serves as a call for national introspection and repentance.

I proclaim
The use of "I" here refers to God speaking through the prophet Hosea. It emphasizes the authority and divine origin of the message. The act of proclaiming is not just a declaration but an authoritative announcement that demands attention and response. It is a reminder that the words of the prophets are not merely human opinions but divinely inspired truths.

what is certain
This phrase underscores the assuredness and inevitability of God's pronouncement. The Hebrew root conveys a sense of firmness and reliability. In a world of uncertainty, God's word stands as a beacon of truth. This certainty is both a comfort and a warning: comfort for those who remain faithful and a warning for those who persist in disobedience. It calls believers to trust in the unchanging nature of God's promises and judgments.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Ephraim
A prominent tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used to represent the entire Northern Kingdom. Known for its significant role in Israel's history and its eventual downfall due to idolatry and disobedience.

2. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, consisting of ten tribes, which frequently fell into idolatry and was eventually conquered by Assyria.

3. Day of Rebuke
A prophetic term indicating a time of judgment and correction from God due to the people's persistent sin and rebellion.

4. Prophet Hosea
A prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to Israel, emphasizing God's love and the consequences of unfaithfulness.

5. Assyria
The empire that conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, serving as an instrument of God's judgment.

Teaching Points

The Certainty of God's Word
God's declarations through His prophets are sure and will come to pass. Believers should trust in the reliability of God's Word.

Consequences of Disobedience
Persistent sin and rebellion against God lead to judgment. This serves as a warning to live in obedience and faithfulness.

God's Justice and Mercy
While God is just and must punish sin, His ultimate desire is for repentance and restoration. Believers should seek God's mercy and strive for a repentant heart.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets are God's messengers, calling people back to Him. We should heed the warnings and teachings found in Scripture.

National and Personal Accountability
Just as nations are accountable to God, so are individuals. We must examine our lives and align them with God's standards.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the prophecy against Ephraim in Hosea 5:9 reflect the broader theme of judgment in the book of Hosea?

2. In what ways can the certainty of God's Word, as seen in Hosea 5:9, provide comfort and assurance in your personal life?

3. How can the downfall of Ephraim serve as a warning for modern believers and the church today?

4. What steps can you take to ensure that you are living in obedience to God, avoiding the pitfalls of disobedience seen in Israel?

5. How can the message of Hosea 5:9 inspire you to be more attentive to the warnings and teachings found in Scripture?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Isaiah 7:8
This verse also speaks of Ephraim's downfall, reinforcing the theme of judgment due to disobedience.

Amos 5:2
Amos, like Hosea, prophesies the fall of Israel, highlighting the certainty of God's judgment.

2 Kings 17:6
Describes the historical fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy when the Assyrians captured Samaria and exiled the Israelites.

Sermons

The Lord's Anger	Joseph Parker, D. D.	Hosea 5:9
National Sin and Punishment	C. Jerdan	Hosea 5:1-10
Ephraim and Judah	J. Orr	Hosea 5:8-12

People

Benjamin, Hosea, Israelites, Jareb

Places

Assyria, Beth-aven, Gibeah, Mizpah, Ramah, Tabor

Topics

Declare, Desolate, Desolation, Ephraim, E'phraim, Laid, Proclaim, Punishment, Rebuke, Reckoning, Reproof, Sure, Surely, Tribes, Waste

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Hosea 5:9

5979 waste

Library

'Physicians of no Value'
'When Ephralm saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither shall he cure you of your wound.'--HOSEA v. 13 (R.V.). The long tragedy which ended in the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyrian invasion was already beginning to develop in Hosea's time. The mistaken politics of the kings of Israel led them to seek an ally where they should have dreaded an enemy. As Hosea puts it in figurative fashion, Ephraim's …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

An Obscured vision
(Preached at the opening of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.) TEXT: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."--Proverbs 29:18. It is not altogether an easy matter to secure a text for such an occasion as this; not because the texts are so few in number but rather because they are so many, for one has only to turn over the pages of the Bible in the most casual way to find them facing him at every reading. Feeling the need of advice for such a time as this, I asked a number of my friends who …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Call and Feast of Levi
"And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the place of toll, and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. And it came to pass, that He was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with the …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

That None Should Enter on a Place of Government who Practise not in Life what they have Learnt by Study.
There are some also who investigate spiritual precepts with cunning care, but what they penetrate with their understanding they trample on in their lives: all at once they teach the things which not by practice but by study they have learnt; and what in words they preach by their manners they impugn. Whence it comes to pass that when the shepherd walks through steep places, the flock follows to the precipice. Hence it is that the Lord through the prophet complains of the contemptible knowledge …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Ramah. Ramathaim Zophim. Gibeah.
There was a certain Ramah, in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25, and that within sight of Jerusalem, as it seems, Judges 19:13; where it is named with Gibeah:--and elsewhere, Hosea 5:8; which towns were not much distant. See 1 Samuel 22:6; "Saul sat in Gibeah, under a grove in Ramah." Here the Gemarists trifle: "Whence is it (say they) that Ramah is placed near Gibea? To hint to you, that the speech of Samuel of Ramah was the cause, why Saul remained two years and a half in Gibeah." They blindly …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Ripe for Gathering
'Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. 2. And He said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon My people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. 3. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. 4. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

That the Employing Of, and Associating with the Malignant Party, According as is Contained in the Public Resolutions, is Sinful and Unlawful.
That The Employing Of, And Associating With The Malignant Party, According As Is Contained In The Public Resolutions, Is Sinful And Unlawful. If there be in the land a malignant party of power and policy, and the exceptions contained in the Act of Levy do comprehend but few of that party, then there need be no more difficulty to prove, that the present public resolutions and proceedings do import an association and conjunction with a malignant party, than to gather a conclusion from clear premises. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Arguments Usually Alleged in Support of Free Will Refuted.
1. Absurd fictions of opponents first refuted, and then certain passages of Scripture explained. Answer by a negative. Confirmation of the answer. 2. Another absurdity of Aristotle and Pelagius. Answer by a distinction. Answer fortified by passages from Augustine, and supported by the authority of an Apostle. 3. Third absurdity borrowed from the words of Chrysostom. Answer by a negative. 4. Fourth absurdity urged of old by the Pelagians. Answer from the works of Augustine. Illustrated by the testimony …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

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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