Hosea 10:8 Study Bible: The high places also of Beth Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle will grow on their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us," and to the hills, "Cover us."

◄ Hosea 10:8 ►

The high places of Aven will be destroyed--it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall on us!"

Study Bible

The high places of Aven
The term "high places" refers to elevated sites where the Israelites engaged in idolatrous worship, often involving altars and idols. "Aven" means "wickedness" or "vanity" in Hebrew, and it is likely a derogatory term for Bethel, a significant site of idol worship in Israel. Historically, these high places were centers of pagan worship, which God repeatedly condemned through His prophets. The destruction of these sites signifies God's judgment against idolatry and a call for Israel to return to true worship.

will be destroyed
This phrase indicates a definitive action by God against the idolatrous practices of Israel. The Hebrew root for "destroyed" conveys a sense of complete annihilation. This destruction is both a literal and symbolic act, representing the end of false worship and the consequences of turning away from God. It serves as a warning and a call to repentance, emphasizing God's sovereignty and justice.

it is the sin of Israel
The phrase highlights the core issue: idolatry is not just a cultural or social problem but a sin against God. The Hebrew word for "sin" here implies a breach of covenant, a deliberate turning away from God's commandments. This sin is collective, implicating the entire nation of Israel. It underscores the seriousness of idolatry and the need for national repentance and restoration of the covenant relationship with God.

thorns and thistles will grow over their altars
This imagery of "thorns and thistles" growing over altars symbolizes desolation and abandonment. In the ancient Near East, altars were central to worship, and their overgrowth with weeds signifies neglect and divine judgment. The Hebrew words for "thorns" and "thistles" evoke the curse of the ground in Genesis 3:18, linking Israel's idolatry to the broader theme of sin and its consequences. It serves as a visual reminder of the futility of idol worship and the need to return to God.

Then they will say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'
This expression of despair and fear reflects the people's realization of impending judgment. The plea to the mountains and hills to cover them is a metaphor for seeking escape from God's wrath. It echoes similar language in Revelation 6:16, where people seek to hide from the face of God during the end times. This phrase underscores the inevitability of divine judgment and the futility of trying to escape it. It serves as a sobering reminder of the need for repentance and the hope of redemption through God's mercy.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Hosea
A prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope.

2. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, often criticized by Hosea for its idolatry and unfaithfulness to God.

3. Aven
A term meaning "wickedness" or "iniquity," often associated with idolatrous worship sites.

4. High Places
Elevated sites where Israelites engaged in idol worship, contrary to God's commands.

5. Thorns and Thistles
Symbols of desolation and judgment, representing the consequences of Israel's sin.

Teaching Points

Idolatry's Consequences
The destruction of high places and the growth of thorns and thistles illustrate the inevitable consequences of turning away from God.

Symbolism of Desolation
Thorns and thistles symbolize the spiritual barrenness that results from sin and idolatry.

Urgency of Repentance
The plea for mountains to cover them highlights the desperation and urgency for repentance before judgment.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
The fulfillment of God's judgment on Israel's idolatry underscores His sovereignty and justice.

Hope in Restoration
While the verse speaks of judgment, it also points to the need for restoration and return to God.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the destruction of the high places in Hosea 10:8 reflect the broader theme of idolatry in the book of Hosea?

2. In what ways do the thorns and thistles in this verse symbolize the spiritual state of Israel, and how can this symbolism apply to our lives today?

3. How does the plea for the mountains and hills to cover the people relate to the human tendency to hide from God's judgment?

4. What other biblical passages echo the themes of judgment and repentance found in Hosea 10:8, and how do they enhance our understanding of this verse?

5. How can we apply the lessons from Hosea 10:8 to avoid spiritual desolation in our own lives and communities?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 3:18
The mention of thorns and thistles connects to the curse on the ground after the Fall, symbolizing the consequences of sin.

Luke 23:30
Jesus references people calling to the mountains and hills to cover them, echoing the judgment imagery in Hosea.

Revelation 6:16
The plea for mountains and hills to fall on people is repeated in the context of end-times judgment.

Sermons

Degeneration		Hosea 10:8
Despair	J.R. Thomson	Hosea 10:8
Redeeming Qualities Gone	Joseph Parker, D. D.	Hosea 10:8
The Calves and the Kings	C. Jerdan	Hosea 10:1-8
The End of Calf-Worship	J. Orr	Hosea 10:4-8

People

Hosea, Jacob, Jareb, Shalman

Places

Assyria, Aven, Beth-arbel, Beth-aven, Bethel, Gibeah, Gilgal, Samaria

Topics

Altars, Aven, Bramble, Cover, Destroyed, Destruction, Fall, Grow, Heights, Hills, Mountains, Places, Plants, Sin, Thistle, Thistles, Thorn, Thorns, Waste, Wickedness

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Hosea 10:8

     4520   thorns
     5067   suicide
     5225   barrenness
     7241   Jerusalem, significance
     7442   shrine

Hosea 10:5-8

7233 Israel, northern kingdom

Library

'Fruit which is Death'
'Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. 2. Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: He shall break down their altars, He shall spoil their images. 3. For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us? 4. They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Divided Heart
I intend, however, to take the text this morning specially with reference to our individual condition. We shall look at the separate individual heart of each man. If divisions in the great main body--if separation among the distinct classes of that body should each promote disasters, how much more disastrous must be a division in that better kingdom--the heart of man. If there be civil tumult in the town of Mansoul, even when no enemy attacks its walls, it will be in a sufficiently dangerous position. …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

How to Promote a Revival.
Text.--Break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.--Hosea x. 12. THE Jews were a nation of farmers, and it is therefore a common thing in the Scriptures to refer for illustrations to their occupation, and to the scenes with which farmers and shepherds are familiar. The prophet Hosea addresses them as a nation of backsliders, and reproves them for their idolatry, and threatens them with the judgments of God. I have showed you in my first …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

The Books of the Old Testament as a Whole. 1 the Province of Particular Introduction is to Consider the Books of the Bible Separately...
CHAPTER XVIII. THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AS A WHOLE. 1. The province of Particular Introduction is to consider the books of the Bible separately, in respect to their authorship, date, contents, and the place which each of them holds in the system of divine truth. Here it is above all things important that we begin with the idea of the unity of divine revelation--that all the parts of the Bible constitute a gloriously perfect whole, of which God and not man is the author. No amount of study devoted …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Arbel. Shezor. Tarnegola the Upper.
"Arbel a city of Galilee."--There is mention of it in Hosea 10:14. But there are authors which do very differently interpret that place, viz. the Chaldee paraphrast, R. Solomon, Kimchi: consult them. It was between Zippor and Tiberias. Hence Nittai the Arbelite, who was president with Josua Ben Perahiah. The valley of Arbel is mentioned by the Talmudists. So also "The Arbelite Bushel." "Near Zephath in Upper Galilee was a town named Shezor, whence was R. Simeon Shezori: there he was buried. There …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Letter Xli to Thomas of St. Omer, after He had Broken his Promise of Adopting a Change of Life.
To Thomas of St. Omer, After He Had Broken His Promise of Adopting a Change of Life. He urges him to leave his studies and enter religion, and sets before him the miserable end of Thomas of Beverley. To his dearly beloved son, Thomas, Brother Bernard, called Abbot of Clairvaux, that he may walk in the fear of the Lord. 1. You do well in acknowledging the debt of your promise, and in not denying your guilt in deferring its performance. But I beg you not to think simply of what you promised, but to …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Of Love to God
I proceed to the second general branch of the text. The persons interested in this privilege. They are lovers of God. "All things work together for good, to them that love God." Despisers and haters of God have no lot or part in this privilege. It is children's bread, it belongs only to them that love God. Because love is the very heart and spirit of religion, I shall the more fully treat upon this; and for the further discussion of it, let us notice these five things concerning love to God. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

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 Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly
DO not mistake me, I do not say that of their own nature the worst things are good, for they are a fruit of the curse; but though they are naturally evil, yet the wise overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them, they are morally good. As the elements, though of contrary qualities, yet God has so tempered them, that they all work in a harmonious manner for the good of the universe. Or as in a watch, the wheels seem to move contrary one to another, but all carry on the motions of the watch: …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Barren Fig-Tree;
OR, THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR: SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN. BY JOHN BUNYAN 'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'--Hebrews 11:4 London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688. This Title has a broad Black Border. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn, searching, awful treatise, was published by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Directions to Awakened Sinners.
Acts ix. 6. Acts ix. 6. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. THESE are the words of Saul, who also is called Paul, (Acts xiii. 9,) when he was stricken to the ground as he was going to Damascus; and any one who had looked upon him in his present circumstances and knew nothing more of him than that view, in comparison with his past life, could have given, would have imagined him one of the most miserable creatures that ever lived upon earth, and would have expected …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

"There is Therefore Now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. "
Rom. viii. 1.--"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." There are three things which concur to make man miserable,--sin, condemnation, and affliction. Every one may observe that "man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward," that his days here are few and evil. He possesses "months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed" for him. Job v. 6, 7, vii. 3. He "is of few days and full of trouble," Job xiv. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

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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