The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is stored up. The iniquity of EphraimThe term "iniquity" in Hebrew is "עָוֹן" (avon), which refers to guilt or the consequences of sin. Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom of Israel, is often used as a symbol of the entire nation due to its prominence. Historically, Ephraim was one of the largest and most influential tribes. The phrase suggests a collective moral failing, highlighting the persistent and unrepentant nature of their sin. This iniquity is not just a momentary lapse but a deep-seated rebellion against God’s covenant. is bound up
The Hebrew word for "bound up" is "צָרוּר" (tsarur), which conveys the idea of being tied or wrapped up securely. This imagery suggests that Ephraim's sins are not forgotten or overlooked; they are carefully recorded and preserved. In a historical context, this reflects the ancient practice of recording debts or offenses, which would later be brought to account. Spiritually, it underscores the certainty of divine judgment, as God keeps a meticulous record of unrepented sin. his sin
The word "sin" in Hebrew is "חַטָּאת" (chatta'ah), which refers to an offense or a missing of the mark. This term emphasizes the moral and spiritual failure of Ephraim in adhering to God’s laws. In the broader scriptural context, sin is what separates humanity from God, and without repentance, it leads to judgment. The use of "his" personalizes the sin, indicating that it is not just a communal issue but an individual one as well. is stored up
The phrase "stored up" comes from the Hebrew "צָפוּן" (tsafun), meaning hidden or treasured. This suggests that the sins of Ephraim are not only recorded but are kept in reserve for a future reckoning. Archaeologically, this can be likened to the storage of valuable items, which are kept safe until needed. In a spiritual sense, it serves as a warning that unrepented sin will eventually lead to divine retribution. The imagery here is one of inevitability; just as stored treasures are eventually used, so too will the consequences of sin be realized. Persons / Places / Events 1. EphraimEphraim was one of the tribes of Israel, often used to represent the Northern Kingdom as a whole. In Hosea, Ephraim symbolizes the collective sin and rebellion of Israel against God. 2. HoseaA prophet in the 8th century BC, Hosea was called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His life and prophecies illustrate God's steadfast love and the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness. 3. Israel's SinThe context of this verse is the persistent sin and idolatry of Israel. Despite numerous warnings, Israel continued in its rebellion, leading to God's judgment. Teaching Points The Seriousness of SinSin is not a trivial matter; it is recorded and has consequences. Just as Ephraim's sin was "bound up," our sins are known to God and require repentance. The Need for RepentanceThe imagery of sin being "stored up" serves as a warning to turn back to God. Repentance is crucial to breaking free from the bondage of sin. God's Patience and JusticeWhile God is patient, giving time for repentance, His justice will ultimately prevail. We must not take His patience for granted. Personal ReflectionConsider what sins in your life might be "bound up" and seek God's forgiveness and transformation. Community AccountabilityEncourage one another in the faith, helping each other to recognize and turn from sin, fostering a community of repentance and growth. Bible Study Questions 1. What does it mean for sin to be "bound up" and "stored up," and how does this imagery affect your understanding of God's view of sin? 2. How can the example of Ephraim's unrepentant sin serve as a warning for us today in our personal and communal lives? 3. In what ways can we ensure that we are not storing up sin in our lives, but rather living in a state of continual repentance? 4. How does the concept of God's patience and justice, as seen in Hosea 13:12, encourage you to live a life that honors Him? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of unrepentant sin. How did that experience shape your relationship with God and others? Connections to Other Scriptures Jeremiah 17:1This verse speaks of Judah's sin being engraved with an iron tool, similar to the idea of sin being "bound up" or recorded, indicating permanence and seriousness. Romans 2:5Paul speaks of storing up wrath for the day of judgment, paralleling the concept of sin being "stored up" in Hosea, emphasizing the consequences of unrepentant sin. Proverbs 5:22This verse describes how a wicked man's iniquities ensnare him, akin to Ephraim's sin being bound up, illustrating the entrapment of sin. People HoseaPlaces Egypt, SamariaTopics Bound, Ephraim, E'phraim, Guilt, Hid, Hidden, Iniquity, Kept, Laid, Record, Secret, Shut, Sin, Sins, Store, Stored, WrongdoingDictionary of Bible Themes Hosea 13:12 5558 storing
6173 guilt, and God Library Destruction and Help
'O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in Me is thine help.'--HOSEA xiii. 9 (A.V.). 'It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against Me, against thy Help' (R.V.). These words are obscure by reason of their brevity. Literally they might be rendered, 'Thy destruction for, in, or against Me; in, or against thy Help.' Obviously, some words must be supplied to bring out any sense. Our Authorised Version has chosen the supplement 'is,' which fails to observe the second occurrence with 'thy …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureLetter xxxvi (Circa A. D. 1131) to the Same Hildebert, who had not yet Acknowledged the Lord Innocent as Pope.
To the Same Hildebert, Who Had Not Yet Acknowledged the Lord Innocent as Pope. He exhorts him to recognise Innocent, now an exile in France, owing to the schism of Peter Leonis, as the rightful Pontiff. To the great prelate, most exalted in renown, Hildebert, by the grace of God Archbishop of Tours, Bernard, called Abbot of Clairvaux, sends greeting, and prays that he may walk in the Spirit, and spiritually discern all things. 1. To address you in the words of the prophet, Consolation is hid from …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux The Joyous Return
"When God's right arm is bared for war, And thunders clothe his cloudy car." e'en then he stays his uplifted hand, reins in the steeds of vengeance, and holds communion with grace; "for his mercy endureth for ever," and "judgment is his strange work." To use another figure: the whole book of Hosea is like a great trial wherein witnesses have appeared against the accused, and the arguments and excuses of the guilty have been answered and baffled. All has been heard for them, and much, very much against …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891 "For if Ye Live after the Flesh, Ye Shall Die; but if Ye through the Spirit do Mortify the Deeds of the Body, Ye Shall Live.
Rom. viii. s 13, 14.--"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." The life and being of many things consists in union,--separate them, and they remain not the same, or they lose their virtue. It is much more thus in Christianity, the power and life of it consists in the union of these things that God hath conjoined, so that if any man pretend to …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning How a Private Man must Begin the Morning with Piety.
As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after; but if thy heart be not, at thy first waking, filled with some meditations of God and his word, and dressed, like the lamp in the tabernacle …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety What the Scriptures Principally Teach: the Ruin and Recovery of Man. Faith and Love Towards Christ.
2 Tim. i. 13.--"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Here is the sum of religion. Here you have a compend of the doctrine of the Scriptures. All divine truths may be reduced to these two heads,--faith and love; what we ought to believe, and what we ought to do. This is all the Scriptures teach, and this is all we have to learn. What have we to know, but what God hath revealed of himself to us? And what have we to do, but what …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Thoughts Upon Striving to Enter at the Strait Gate.
AS certainly as we are here now, it is not long but we shall all be in another World, either in a World of Happiness, or else in a World of Misery, or if you will, either in Heaven or in Hell. For these are the two only places which all Mankind from the beginning of the World to the end of it, must live in for evermore, some in the one, some in the other, according to their carriage and behaviour here; and therefore it is worth the while to take a view and prospect now and then of both these places, …
William Beveridge—Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
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 Links Hosea 13:12 NIVHosea 13:12 NLTHosea 13:12 ESVHosea 13:12 NASBHosea 13:12 KJV
Hosea 13:12 Commentaries
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