Hosea 13

Text

Textual witnesses

Context

Contents and commentary

Verse 1

• "When Ephraim spoke, trembling, he was exalted in Israel": This rendering is supported by the Syriac version: "When Ephraim spake trembling, then he was, and was great in Israel." The Chaldee version supports this rendering with a paraphrase: "When one of the house of Ephraim spake, trembling seized the peoples".
• "Ephraim": refer to the region of Mount Ephraim, where the royal residence of Samaria was located, instead of the tribe of Ephraim, functioning as a synecdoche of location for its inhabitants.
• "Trembling": from Hebrew word רתת, retheth, which is not found elsewhere and can be rendered as: "there was trembling". This word has a cognate root in Aramaic with the assigned meaning "to fear, shudder, tremble". It is attested in 1QH 4:33, meaning “trembling” and used as a synonym with רַעַד, raʿad, "quaking", which appears in Mishnaic Hebrew for the meaning "trembling", as also reflected in the Greek recensions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, as well as Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. The word רֶטֶט, re-ṭeṭ, in, meaning "fear", is similar in both sense and sound. The Greek Septuagint renders the word as δικαιώματα, dikaiomata, to read: "According to the word of Ephraim, be adopted ordinances for himself in Israel," that is, "when Ephraim spoke, the rest of the Israelites assented to his ordinances and rights, reverencing his authority".
• "Exalted": from Hebrew נשא, nasaʾ, "lifted up," that is, his head, as in "exalted himself". Usually the Hithphil form that is used for this sense, but the Qal form is also used. The Septuagint and Syriac reflect a vocalization tradition of נִשָּׂא, nisaʾ, "he was exalted".
• "Offended in Baal": that is, "in respect to Baal, by worshipping him", such as under Ahab, so at this climax of guilt, Ephraim "died". Adam was to die in the day of his sin, although this was not visibly executed until later, and Israel is similarly represented as politically dead in Ezekiel 37:1-28. Ephraim's glory vanished because of idolatry.

  Verse 4

• "No God but Me": As in the song of Moses, God says, "See now that I, I am He, and there is no God with Me:...". Isaiah repeats this same, "Is there a God besides Me? yea there is no God; I know not any" Isaiah 44:8; and "There is no God else besides Me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none else. Look unto Me and be ye saved, for I am God and there is none else" Isaiah 45:21, Isaiah 45:2; and, "I am the Lord, that is My Name; and My glory will I not give to another; neither My praise to graven images" Isaiah 42:8. : "That God and Saviour is Christ; God, because He created; Saviour, because, being made Man, He saved. Whence He willed to be called Jesus, i. e., Saviour. Truly "beside" Him, "there is no Saviour; neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved" Acts 4:12. "It is not enough to recognize in God this quality of a Saviour. It must not be shared with "any other." Whoso associates with God any power whatever to decide on man's salvation makes an idol, and introduces a new God."

  Verse 9

• "Thou hast destroyed thyself": from Hebrew שִׁחֶתְךָ, shikhetekha, literally, "he destroyed you". It may be rendered, "it has destroyed you"; "It" could refer to either the calf, or the 'idolatry' or a king, or rather to all the sins of Israel.

  Verse 11

Verse 14

• Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:55
• "Power": or "hand".
• "Grave": from Hebrew "Sheol".
• "I will be your plagues": rendered in Septuagint as "where is your punishment?"
• "I will be your destruction!" rendered in Septuagint as "where is your sting?"

Verse 16

Jewish

• Christian