He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? He has rejectedThe phrase "He has rejected" indicates a divine action of disapproval and dismissal. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "zanach," which conveys a strong sense of casting away or spurning. This rejection is not merely passive but an active decision by God to distance Himself from the idolatrous practices of Israel. Historically, this reflects God's consistent call for His people to remain faithful to Him, rejecting any form of idolatry or syncretism that would lead them away from the covenant relationship established at Sinai. your calf, O Samaria
The "calf" refers to the golden calf idol that was set up in Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This idol was a direct violation of the first and second commandments, which prohibited the making of graven images and the worship of other gods. The Hebrew word for calf, "egel," is reminiscent of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32, highlighting a recurring sin of idolatry among the Israelites. Samaria, as the political and religious center, symbolizes the heart of Israel's apostasy. Archaeological findings in the region have uncovered evidence of idol worship, corroborating the biblical narrative of widespread idolatry. My anger burns against them
The phrase "My anger burns" uses the Hebrew word "charah," which means to be hot, furious, or to burn with anger. This anthropomorphic expression conveys God's intense displeasure and righteous indignation towards Israel's unfaithfulness. In the context of the covenant, God's anger is not arbitrary but a response to the betrayal of His people, who have turned to idols despite His continuous acts of deliverance and provision. This divine anger serves as a warning and a call to repentance, emphasizing God's holiness and justice. How long will they be incapable of innocence?
The rhetorical question "How long" expresses God's lament over Israel's persistent sinfulness and inability to return to a state of innocence or purity. The Hebrew word for innocence, "niqqayon," implies a state of blamelessness or moral purity. This question underscores the patience and longsuffering of God, who desires repentance and restoration rather than judgment. It reflects the prophetic call for Israel to recognize their sin, abandon their idols, and return to a faithful relationship with God. The historical context reveals a nation entrenched in idolatry and corruption, yet still offered the opportunity for redemption through genuine repentance. Persons / Places / Events 1. SamariaThe capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, often used to represent the entire kingdom. It was a center of idolatry and political intrigue. 2. The CalfRefers to the golden calves set up by Jeroboam I in Bethel and Dan as objects of worship, which were a direct violation of the first and second commandments. 3. HoseaA prophet in the 8th century BC, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. 4. God's AngerRepresents God's righteous indignation against Israel's idolatry and unfaithfulness. 5. InnocenceThe Hebrew word used here can imply purity or blamelessness, highlighting Israel's moral and spiritual failure. Teaching Points Idolatry's ConsequencesIdolatry leads to spiritual decay and invokes God's righteous anger. We must identify and remove modern-day idols from our lives. God's Patience and JusticeWhile God is patient, His justice demands accountability. We should not take His patience for granted but strive for repentance and purity. The Call to InnocenceGod desires His people to be innocent and blameless. This requires a conscious effort to live according to His commandments and seek His forgiveness. The Danger of ComplacencyIsrael's repeated idolatry shows the danger of becoming complacent in our faith. We must remain vigilant and committed to God's truth. Repentance and RestorationDespite judgment, God offers hope and restoration to those who repent. We should always seek to return to God with a sincere heart. Bible Study Questions 1. What modern-day "calves" or idols might we be tempted to worship, and how can we guard against them? 2. How does understanding God's anger in Hosea 8:5 help us comprehend His character and expectations for His people? 3. In what ways can we strive to be "capable of innocence" in our daily lives, and what practical steps can we take to achieve this? 4. How does the account of the golden calf in Exodus 32 inform our understanding of Hosea 8:5, and what lessons can we draw from it? 5. How can we apply the message of repentance and restoration found in Hosea to our personal spiritual journey and relationship with God? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 32The incident of the golden calf at Mount Sinai, which parallels Israel's repeated idolatry and God's anger. 1 Kings 12The account of Jeroboam setting up the golden calves in Bethel and Dan, which initiated the idolatrous practices condemned by Hosea. Isaiah 1:4Describes a sinful nation, laden with iniquity, similar to Hosea's depiction of Israel's spiritual state. Romans 1:18-23Discusses God's wrath against human wickedness and idolatry, echoing the themes of Hosea. Revelation 2:4-5Calls for repentance and returning to one's first love, akin to Hosea's call for Israel to return to God. People Hosea, ZechariahPlaces Assyria, Egypt, SamariaTopics Anger, Attain, Burned, Burning, Burns, Calf, Calf-idol, Capable, Cast, Clean, Ere, Idol, Incapable, Innocence, Innocency, Kindled, Nothing, O, Ox, Pure, Purity, Rejected, Samaria, Sama'ria, Saying, Spurned, Themselves, Throw, Till, WrathDictionary of Bible Themes Hosea 8:5 8326 purity, moral and spiritual Hosea 8:1-10 7216 exile, in Assyria Hosea 8:4-6 4345 metalworkers
5272 craftsmen Hosea 8:4-9 7324 calf worship Hosea 8:5-6 4618 calf Library The Bible
Oh! how ten-thousand-fold merciful is God, that, looking down upon the race of man, he does not smite it our of existence. We see from our text that God looks upon man; for he says of Ephraim, "I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing." But see how, when he observes the sin of man, he does not dash him away and spurn him with his foot; he does not shake him by the neck over the gulf of hell, until his brain doth reel and then drop him forever; but …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855And First, Can it be Said that Mammmon is Less Served by Christians...
And first, can it be said that Mammmon is less served by Christians, than by Jews and infidels? Or can there be a fuller proof that Christians, Jews, and infidels, are equally fallen from God and all divine worship, since truth itself has told us, that we cannot serve God and Mammon? Is not this as unalterable a truth, and of as great moment, as if it had been said, Ye cannot serve God and Baal? Or can it with any truth or sense be affirmed, that the Mammonist has more of Christ in him than the Baalist, …
William Law—An Humble, Affectionate, and Earnest Address to the Clergy That the Unskilful Venture not to Approach an Office of Authority.
No one presumes to teach an art till he has first, with intent meditation, learnt it. What rashness is it, then, for the unskilful to assume pastoral authority, since the government of souls is the art of arts! For who can be ignorant that the sores of the thoughts of men are more occult than the sores of the bowels? And yet how often do men who have no knowledge whatever of spiritual precepts fearlessly profess themselves physicians of the heart, though those who are ignorant of the effect of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem "For they that are after the Flesh do Mind the Things of the Flesh,",
Rom. viii. 5.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh,", &c. Though sin hath taken up the principal and inmost cabinet of the heart of man--though it hath fixed its imperial throne in the spirit of man, and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfil its boundless lusts, yet it is not without good reason expressed in scripture, ordinarily under the name of "flesh," and a "body of death," and men dead in sins, are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 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 8:5 NIVHosea 8:5 NLTHosea 8:5 ESVHosea 8:5 NASBHosea 8:5 KJV
Hosea 8:5 Commentaries
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