Although he flourishes among his brothers, an east wind will come--a wind from the LORD rising up from the desert. His fountain will fail, and his spring will run dry. The wind will plunder his treasury of every precious article. Although he flourishes among his brothersThis phrase speaks to the temporary prosperity and apparent success of Ephraim, representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The Hebrew root for "flourishes" (פָּרָה, parah) conveys the idea of fruitfulness and abundance. Historically, Israel experienced periods of economic and military strength, often feeling secure among neighboring nations ("brothers"). However, this prosperity is superficial and fleeting, as it is not rooted in faithfulness to God. The imagery suggests that despite outward appearances, true security and blessing come only from obedience to the LORD. an east wind will come
The "east wind" (קָדִים, qadim) is a powerful and destructive force in the Hebrew Bible, often symbolizing judgment. In the geographical context of Israel, the east wind comes from the desert, bringing dryness and devastation. This metaphor indicates impending divine judgment. The east wind is not just a natural phenomenon but a tool in God's hand to execute His will, reminding the reader of God's sovereignty over creation and history. a wind from the LORD rising up from the desert
This phrase emphasizes that the coming judgment is not random but orchestrated by God Himself. The "wind from the LORD" signifies divine intervention. The desert (מִדְבָּר, midbar) is often a place of testing and judgment in Scripture. This imagery reinforces the idea that God is actively involved in the affairs of nations, using natural elements to fulfill His purposes. It serves as a warning that reliance on anything other than God is futile. His fountain will fail, and his spring will run dry
The "fountain" and "spring" symbolize sources of life and sustenance. In the arid climate of the Near East, water is a precious resource, essential for survival. The Hebrew words for "fountain" (מַעְיָן, ma'yan) and "spring" (מַקּוֹר, maqor) evoke images of life-giving water. The drying up of these sources signifies the withdrawal of God's blessing and the onset of hardship. Spiritually, it represents the emptiness that results from turning away from God, the true source of life. The treasury of every precious article will be plundered
This phrase foretells the loss of wealth and treasures, which were often stored in treasuries. The Hebrew word for "plundered" (בָּזַז, bazaz) implies violent seizure and destruction. Historically, this prophecy was fulfilled when Assyria invaded Israel, taking its riches and leading its people into exile. The "precious articles" symbolize not only material wealth but also the spiritual and cultural heritage of the nation. This serves as a sobering reminder that material wealth is transient and that true treasure is found in a relationship with God. Persons / Places / Events 1. EphraimRepresents the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used as a symbol of the entire nation due to its size and influence. 2. East WindSymbolizes destruction and judgment, often associated with harsh, dry winds from the desert that cause devastation. 3. The LORDThe covenant God of Israel, who is both the source of blessing and judgment. 4. WildernessRepresents a place of testing and desolation, often used in the Bible to signify a place where God’s judgment or purification occurs. 5. TreasurySymbolizes the wealth and resources of Israel, which will be plundered as a result of their disobedience. Teaching Points The Illusion of ProsperityMaterial success does not equate to spiritual health. Ephraim flourished outwardly but was spiritually bankrupt. God's Sovereignty in JudgmentThe east wind is from the LORD, emphasizing that God is in control of both blessing and judgment. The Consequences of DisobedienceDisobedience to God leads to the loss of His blessings and protection, as seen in the drying up of springs and looting of treasures. The Call to RepentanceEven in judgment, there is an implicit call to return to God, who desires restoration and not destruction. The Transience of Earthly WealthEarthly treasures are temporary and can be taken away; true wealth is found in a relationship with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of the east wind in Hosea 13:15 help us understand the nature of God's judgment? 2. In what ways can we see the illusion of prosperity in our own lives, and how can we guard against it? 3. How does the concept of God’s sovereignty in judgment challenge or comfort you in your current circumstances? 4. What parallels can you draw between the consequences faced by Ephraim and the warnings given to the churches in Revelation? 5. How can we ensure that our spiritual "treasury" is full, even if our material wealth is not? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 41The east wind is also mentioned in the context of Pharaoh's dream, where it withers the grain, symbolizing famine and hardship. Jeremiah 4The east wind is used as a metaphor for the coming judgment upon Judah, similar to its use in Hosea. Isaiah 40The imagery of the wilderness is used to describe a place of preparation and revelation of God's glory. Deuteronomy 28The blessings and curses associated with obedience and disobedience to God's covenant, which are relevant to the judgment described in Hosea. Revelation 3The warning to the church in Laodicea about being spiritually poor despite material wealth, paralleling Israel's situation. People HoseaPlaces Egypt, SamariaTopics Article, Blowing, Breath, Brethren, Brothers, Desert, Desirable, Desire, Dried, Drieth, Dry, East, Fail, Flourish, Flourishes, Fountain, Fruit, Fruitful, Gives, Goodly, Parched, Pillage, Plant, Pleasant, Plunder, Plundered, Precious, Produceth, Reed, Reed-plants, Reeds, Rising, Spoil, Spoileth, Spring, Store, Storehouse, Strip, Though, Thrives, Treasure, Treasures, Treasury, Vessel, Vessels, Waste, Wilderness, WindDictionary of Bible Themes Hosea 13:15 4821 east
5591 treasure
5835 disappointment
7785 shepherd, occupation 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 13:15 NIVHosea 13:15 NLTHosea 13:15 ESVHosea 13:15 NASBHosea 13:15 KJV
Hosea 13:15 Commentaries
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