Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hosea 11:5
He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
5. He shall not return into the land of Egypt ] This however is pointless; why should Egypt be mentioned except as the land of bondage? It is also inconsistent with the statements in Hos 8:13, Hos 9:3; Hos 9:6, Hos 11:11. Some think that lo (here rendered ‘not’, but also, when spelt differently, meaning ‘to him’) belongs properly to the end of the previous verse, though no tenable way of fitting it into the construction there has yet been proposed. Others would render in Hos 11:5, ‘Shall he not return’? but this does not read naturally. At any rate, the sense required is, ‘He shall return into the land of Egypt.’ See note on Hos 8:13.
to return ] viz. to Jehovah.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He shall not return to Egypt – Some had probably returned already to Egypt; the rest were looking to Egypt for help, and rebelling against the Assyrian, (whose servant their king Hoshea had become), and making alliance with So king of Egypt. The prophet tells them, as a whole, that they shall not return to Egypt to which they looked, but should have the Assyrian for their king, whom they would not. They refused to return to God, who lovingly called them; therefore, what they desired, they should not have; and what they feared, that they should have. They would not have God for their king; therefore the Assyrian should be their king, and a worse captivity than that of Egypt should befall them. For, from that they were delivered; from this, now hanging over them, never should they be restored.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. He shall not return into – Egypt] I have brought them thence already, with the design that the nation should never return thither again; but as they have sinned, and forfeited my favour and protection, they shall go to Assyria; and this because they refused to return to me. This view of the verse removes every difficulty.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He; Ephraim thus provided for by me, thus indulged, or else Ephraim punished.
Shall not return into the land of Egypt; either needed not have courted Egypts friendship, or desired that assistance; I would have kept them safe enough, and sufficiently provided for them; so if you refer this to Ephraim not threatened or punished: but if Ephraim be here threatened, then you have it foretold, that though Ephraim flatters himself with false hopes of a refuge in Egypt, it should not be.
But the Assyrian shall be his king; conquering and captivating them, should make himself their king, and rule them with rigour and cruelty. Because they refused to return; the reason of all is, their obstinacy in idolatry, and their impenitence, refusing to return to God; which two latter passages are also explicable as the former, thus, if they would have returned unto me, Assyria should not have been their king.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. He shall not return into . . .Egyptnamely, to seek help against Assyria (compare Ho7:11), as Israel lately had done (2Ki17:4), after having revolted from Assyria, to whom they had beentributary from the times of Menahem (2Ki15:19). In a figurative sense, “he shallreturn to Egypt” (Ho 9:3),that is, to Egypt-like bondage; also many Jewish fugitives wereliterally to return to Egypt, when the Holy Land was to be inAssyrian and Chaldean hands.
Assyrian shall be hiskinginstead of having kings of their own, and Egypt as theirauxiliary.
because they refused toreturnjust retribution. They would not return (spiritually) toGod, therefore they shall not return (corporally) to Egypt, theobject of their desire.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He shall not return into the land of Egypt,…. Ephraim or Israel, the ten tribes: and the Septuagint and Arabic versions express them by name, though they give a wrong sense of the words, rendering them, “and Ephraim dwelt in Egypt”; he did so indeed with the other tribes formerly; but here it is said he shall not go thither again to be a captive there, but shall go into bondage more severe than that in Egypt, even into captivity in Assyria: rather the sense is, they should not go thither for shelter, at least not as a body, though some few of them might, as in Ho 9:3; the far greater part of them should he carried captive by the Assyrians: or they should not return to Egypt to seek for help and assistence, as they had done; either they ought not to do it, nor would there be any need of it, did they but return to the Lord, as Kimchi observes; or rather they should now be so straitly shut up in Samaria, besieged so closely by the enemy, or else carried into distant lands, that, if they would, they could not apply to Egypt for relief;
but the Assyrian shall be his king; the king of Assyria shall be king over the ten tribes, whether they want him or not; they shall be forced to acknowledge him as their king, and be subject to him, being taken and carried captive into his land:
because they refused to return: to the Lord, from whom they had backslidden, and to his pure worship, word, and ordinances, they had departed from, setting up the calves at Dan and Bethel; they refused to relinquish worshipping idols instead of the true God; thus ungratefully behaving to him for all the above favours bestowed upon them; wherefore they are righteously threatened with captivity and bondage in Assyria.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By despising this love, Israel brings severe punishment upon itself. Hos 11:5. “It will not return into the land of Egypt; but Asshur, he is its king, because they refused to return. Hos 11:6. And the sword will sweep round in its cities, and destroy its bolts, and devour, because of their counsels. Hos 11:7. My people is bent upon apostasy from me: and if men call it upwards, it does not raise itself at all.” The apparent contradiction between the words, “It will not return into the land of Egypt,” and the threat contained in Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3, that Israel should return to Egypt, ought not to lead us to resort to alterations of the text, or to take in the sense of , and connect it with the previous verse, as is done by the lxx, Mang., and others, or to make an arbitrary paraphrase of the words, either by taking in the sense of , and rendering it as a question, “Should it not return?” equivalent to “it will certainly return” (Maurer, Ewald, etc.); or by understanding the return to Egypt as signifying the longing of the people for help from Egypt (Rosenmller). The emphatic of the second clause is at variance with all these explanations, since they not only fail to explain it, but it points unmistakeably to an antithesis: “Israel will not return to Egypt; but Asshur, it shall be its king,” i.e., it shall come under the dominion of Assyria. The supposed contradiction is removed as soon as we observe that in Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3, Hos 9:6, Egypt is a type of the land of bondage; whereas here the typical interpretation is precluded partly by the contrast to Asshur, and still more by the correspondence in which the words stand to Hos 11:1. Into the land from which Jehovah called His people, Israel shall not return, lest it should appear as though the object, for which it had been brought out of Egypt and conducted miraculously through the desert, had been frustrated by the impenitence of the people. But it is to be brought into another bondage. is appended adversatively. Asshur shall rule over it as king, because they refuse to return, sc. to Jehovah. The Assyrians will wage war against the land, and conquer it. The sword (used as a principal weapon, to denote the destructive power of war) will circulate in the cities of Israel, make the round of the cities as it were, and destroy its bolts, i.e., the bolts of the gates of the fortifications of Ephraim. Baddm , poles (Exo 25:13.), cross-poles or cross-beams, with which the gates were fastened, hence bolts in the literal sense, as in Job 17:16, and not tropically for “princes” (Ges.), electi (Jer., Chald., etc.). “On account of their counsels:” this is more fully defined in Hos 11:7. , and my people (= since my people) are harnessed to apostasy from me ( m e shubhath , with an objective suffix). , lit., suspended on apostasy, i.e., not “swaying about in consequence of apostasy or in constant danger of falling away” (Chald., Syr., Hengst.), since this would express too little in the present context and would not suit the second half of the verse, but impaled or fastened upon apostasy as upon a stake, so that it cannot get loose. Hence the constructing of with instead of or (2Sa 18:10), may be accounted for from the use of the verb in a figurative sense. , upwards ( as in Hos 7:16), do they (the prophets: see Hos 11:2) call them; but it does not rise, sc. to return to God, or seek help from on high. pilel, with the meaning of the kal intensified, to make a rising, i.e., to rise up. This explanation appears simpler than supplying an object, say “the soul” (Psa 25:1), or “the eyes” (Eze 33:25).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Here the Prophet denounces a new punishment, that the people in vain hoped that Egypt would be a place of refuge or an asylum to them; for the Lord would draw them away to another quarter. For the Israelites had cherished this hope, that if by any chance the Assyrians should be too powerful for them, there would yet be a suitable refuge for them in Egypt among their friends, with whom they had made a treaty. Since, then, they promised themselves a hospitable exile in Egypt, the Prophet here exposes their vain confidence: “This their expectation,” he says, “that they shall find a way open to Egypt, shall disappoint the people: it is shut up,” he says, They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be their king. By saying, that the Assyrian shall rule over them, he means that the people would become exiles under the Assyrians, which indeed happened. He then anticipates here all the vain hopes by which the people deceived themselves, and by which they hardened themselves against all the threatening of God. “There is no reason for them,” he says, “to look towards Egypt; for the Lord will not allow them to go there; for he will draw them to Assyria.”
He afterwards gives the reason, Because they have been unwilling, he says, to return This “return” is to be taken in another sense: but there is here a striking similarity in the words. They thought that there would be to them a free passage into Egypt; and yet they had been unwilling to pass over unto God, when he had so often called them. The Prophet therefore says that a return into Egypt was now denied them, inasmuch as they had been unwilling to return to God. The import of what is said is, that when men perversely resist God, they in vain hope for any free movements either to this or that quarter; for the Lord will hold them tied and bound. As it is wont to be done to wild beasts, who, when they show too much ferocity, are shut up in cages or bound with chains, or as it is usually done to frantic men, who are bound with strong bands; so also the Lord does with obstinate men; he binds them fast, so that they cannot move a finger. This, then, is the meaning of the Prophet.
There is, at the same time, to be understood, an implied comparison between the former bondage they endured in Egypt, and the new bondage which awaited them. They had known of what sort was the hospitality of Egypt, and yet so great a blindness possessed their minds, that they wished to return there. Their fathers had been kindly enough received; but their posterity were grievously burdened; nay, they were not far from being entirely destroyed. What madness was this, to wish of themselves to return to Egypt, when they knew how great was the ferociousness and cruelty of the Egyptians? But as I have said, something more grievous awaited them; they were not worthy to return to Egypt. To return there would have been indeed a dreadful calamity; but the Lord would not, however open a way for them to go there; for he would force them to pass to another country; yea, they were to be by force dragged away by their conquerors into Assyria. The drift of the whole is, that though the people had been cruelly treated in Egypt, there was now drawing nigh a more grievous tyranny; for the Assyrians would double the injuries, and the violence, and all kinds of wrongs and reproaches, which had been exercised against this people.
Some think that it was added for consolation, that God, though greatly provoked by the people, was yet unwilling to lead them again into Egypt, lest the former redemption should be made void; but that a middle course was prepared by which he would chastise the ungrateful and yet retain them as his peculiar possession. But I have already shown what I mostly approve. At the same time, whichever view is taken, we see how grievous and severe was the denunciation of the Prophet.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Hos. 11:5. Shall not] An apparent contradiction to Hos. 8:13; Hos. 9:3; but Egypt there is a type of bondage, here the hope of relief against Assyria. They would no longer go to Egypt for help, but be taken captive to Assyria.
Hos. 11:6. Abide] Lit. to whirl round, turn in a circle, indicating the violence and extent of punishment, often the sense of falling and staying until the mission is fulfilled (Jer. 23:19; Jer. 30:23; Lam. 4:6; 2Sa. 3:29). Branches] Some, villages which are branches, dependencies upon cities; mighty men, others. Baddim] Sig. poles (Exo. 25:13), made of branches, firmness derived from being woven together; bars or bolts by which gates were fastened together (Job. 17:16).
HOMILETICS
THE SHORT-SIGHTED POLICY OF SINNERS.Hos. 11:5-6
Israel were rebelling against Assyria, and looking to Egypt for help. They had forsaken God and desired to escape his judgments. But they should have what they did not wish, and be deprived of what they sought to have. There was no refuge nor retiring place; Assyria would take them captive, and the sword would perpetually rest on their cities and people. This punishment would be the result of their own short-sighted policy.
I. In refusing Divine and following their own counsels. They refused to return to God and his ways, and were defeated by adopting their own plans. Gods counsel is continually given to guide and correct us, and to reject this counsel is folly in the extreme.
1. It is the only safe counsel. Human guides may err. The wisest only guess. We require certainty and security. Many stumble, but in God shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
2. It is the only firm counsel. Mans instructions change, and his purpose can be frustrated. He may adjust circumstances and take precautions, yet not escape. God has knowledge to foresee and power to overcome opposition. The counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.
3. It is the only rational counsel. It is the only probable way to succeed according to our desire. The wisdom of the fool is conceit and self-delusion. He wanders into danger, and wrongs his own soul. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
II. In bringing destruction upon them when they expected safety. They were trusting to Egypt, and depending upon their mighty men and fortified cities, but the sword would devour them.
1. The destruction was violent. The sword fell, whirled down upon them in all its weight, like a whirlwind of the Lord gone forth in fury, a grievous whirlwind which fell grievously upon the head of the wicked (Jer. 23:19).
2. The destruction was extensive. It shall abide on his cities and shall consume his branches, and devour them like flames of fire. Whether branches mean mighty men, villages, or bars of the cities, it is all one. Power could not defend the mighty, and defenced places were levelled to the ground. Princes and people, storehouses of wealth and palaces of splendour, fall through the sins of the nation.
3. The destruction was lasting. The sword abode upon them as long as they continued their rebellion against God. Israels kings were inaugurated by blood, and by Gods appointment they should reap just retribution. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house.
III. In rushing into the bondage from which they seek to escape. They sought to avoid Assyria by flying to Egypt, but this was the very means to bring them into bondage. We cannot escape Gods presence, nor shun the consequences of broken law. What appears the nearest refuge is often the remotest hope and the swiftest punishment. Persons to whom we fly for help are often the weakest to defend, and rushing from one danger the surest way to fall into another. Men fall by their own counsel and are taken in their own craftiness. They mistake if they think to avoid the judgments of God by cunning artifice and deceit, to promote their true interests by refusing to follow Divine counsel (Job. 5:13; Job. 18:7). Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 11
Hos. 11:5-6. Shall consume. Guilt and punishment are bound together. One should act as a warning to the other. The threat of punishment is a merciful declaration to some, though a terror to others. If there are rocks and shoals in the ocean of life, it is not cruelty to chart them down; it is an eminent and great mercy [Beecher].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(5) It is best, with Ewald, to take the two clauses as interrogative, Shall he not return into the land of Egypt? And shall not the Assyrian, &c.? (See Notes on Hos. 8:13; Hos. 10:3-6. Comp. also Hos. 11:11.)
Returni.e., to God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5-7. All this loving-kindness Israel met with shameful ingratitude; therefore judgment, in the form of an exile, will surely come (Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3).
He [“they”] shall not return into Egypt An evident contradiction of Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3-6; Hos 11:11. What we would expect is, “they shall return to Egypt.” LXX. removes this difficulty by connecting the word translated not with the preceding sentence and rendering it for him, which involves the change of one consonant without affecting the pronunciation; but this creates a grammatical difficulty in the preceding clause. Another attempt to remove the difficulty is to read 5a as a rhetorical question: “Shall they not return?” This implies the answer, “They surely shall return.” A rhetorical question, however, seems out of place, and a more natural way out of the difficulty is to omit the negative. Assyria is, as in the other passages, joined with Egypt.
But Hebrew, “and.” The exile will come because Israel failed to turn to Jehovah in repentance and obedience (compare Amo 4:6 ff.).
Hos 11:7 is the natural continuation of 5b, Hos 11:6 of 5a. Some omit Hos 11:6 as a later insertion, but without sufficient reason; nevertheless it is possible that the text has suffered in transmission. Hos 11:6-7 contain an emphatic and explanatory reiteration of the thought of Hos 11:5.
Sword The symbol of war (Eze 14:17).
Abide on [“fall upon”] The literal rendering is stronger, rage in, or, whirl about in.
Branches Better R.V., “bars.” Defenses in general (compare Amo 1:5). The meaning of the Hebrew word used here is not quite certain.
Because of their own counsels Compare Hos 10:6. Modern commentators, almost without exception, consider the text of Hos 11:7 hopelessly corrupt. The Hebrew is awkward and obscure, and the ancient versions differ both from the Hebrew and from one another. If the text is correct the translations of A.V. and R.V. are on the whole as satisfactory as any; however, the translation of 7b may be improved by reading: “Though they call them upward, none at all will lift himself up.” There is a complete moral apathy, no one even attempts to mend his ways; and this apathy is due to the spirit of apostasy which has taken complete possession of them.
They The prophets.
Called them The people.
To the most High To higher things in morals and religion, It is not necessary even to enumerate the different attempts to improve the text of Hos 11:7. The reconstruction by Harper may serve as an illustration of the radical character of some of these proposed emendations: “And my people having wearied me with their rebellions, unto the yoke (that is, captivity) Jehovah will appoint them, since he has ceased to love them.”
Justice demands the casting off of Israel. Will the divine love and compassion permit it? Hos 11:8 pictures the struggle between love and justice. The result is, in a sense, a compromise. Judgment will indeed be executed, but instead of annihilating the nation it will serve to purify it. The judgment having accomplished its disciplinary purpose, Jehovah will visit his people with salvation.
How Introduces an exclamation, not a question.
Give thee up To destruction. The parallel clause is a repetition of the same thought, for the sake of emphasis.
Admah Zeboim Two cities near Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 10:19; Gen 14:8), which, according to Deu 29:23, were destroyed with the cities of the Plain. In Genesis 19 nothing is said concerning their overthrow (but compare Gen 11:25).
Mine heart is turned In sympathy and sorrow (Lam 1:20).
My repentings Better, R.V., “my compassions.”
Are kindled together Are thoroughly aroused. G.A. Smith, “my compassions begin to boil.” The same author calls this “the greatest passage in Hosea deepest, if not highest, of his book the breaking forth of that exhaustless mercy of the Most High which no sin of man can bar back nor wear out.”
The outcome of the struggle is expressed in Hos 11:9.
Not return (or, turn) to destroy Ephraim Though judgment is decreed it will not be executed in the fierceness of the divine wrath. Having chosen and trained Israel for his own purpose, Jehovah cannot now turn around and undo all his former work. Why?
I am God, and not man Jehovah is, “in the grandeur of his covenant steadfastness and long-suffering, removed to an infinite height above the vacillations and impatience of man.” The covenant was intended to be an everlasting covenant, and to it Jehovah must remain faithful.
Holy One Consequently free from the resentments of vengeance. The prophetic conception of the divine holiness is admirably expressed in the words of Kirkpatrick: “Primarily the Hebrew root from which the word is derived seems to denote separation. It represents God as distinct from man, separate from the creation which he has called into existence. Then, since limit is the necessary condition of created things, and imperfection and sinfulness are the marks of humanity in its fallen state, the term grows to denote the separation of God from all that is limited, imperfect, and sinful. But it does not rest here in a merely negative conception. It expands so as to include the whole essential nature of God in its moral aspect. His purity and his righteousness, his faithfulness and his truth, his mercy and his loving-kindness, nay, even his jealousy and his wrath, his zeal and his indignation these are the different rays which combine to make up his holiness.”
In the midst of thee These words affirm the close relation existing between Jehovah and Israel (compare Isaiah’s “the Holy One of Israel”).
I will not enter into the city A meaningless sentence. R.V., giving an entirely different meaning to the last word, reads “I will not come in wrath” (compare Jer 15:8), which is to be preferred. Some, changing one letter, read, “I will not come to consume.”
Hos 11:8-9 are in the highest degree anthropomorphic; but it is not proper to infer from this poetic portrayal that Hosea thought of Jehovah as being fickle, and subject to the same mental or spiritual processes as man. He simply attempted to describe vividly and forcibly the love and compassion of Jehovah, the depth of which had been impressed upon him by his own domestic experience; and this he could do only by comparing divine emotions with human emotions, and describing them in language familiar to his hearers.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Will they not return into the land of Egypt?
And Assyria be their king?
Because they refused to return to me?’
But having failed to recognise that it was He Who had healed them (Hos 11:3), they had refused to return to Him. Their hearts had remained in Egypt. Thus the inevitable consequence was that they would ‘return to Egypt’ and let the king of Assyria be their king. In other words their seeming hankering after being subject to, and in bondage to, Assyria was the consequence of their hearts being ‘still in Egypt’, still dominated by idolatry and foreign ideas. Of course many of the people, in order to avoid Assyrian domination, did flee to Egypt, and thus the exiles would be divided between Egypt and Assyria. That was the beginning of the build up of the huge number of ‘Jews’ in what would become Alexandria. In Hosea’s eyes Israel had never really left Egypt, for their hearts were still there.
Note the fact that they would ‘return to Egypt’ because they did not ‘return to Him’. That was the choice with which they were faced. God or Egypt. And they chose Egypt. That was why, when Jesus Christ came as their Redeemer and Representative in order to bear their sins, He had to come out of Egypt (Mat 2:15).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
We have here the sad account of Israel’s requital of the Lord’s kindness. In which Reader, we shall as sadly mistake the subject if we overlook in Israel’s history our own. As Israel threatened to return to Egypt, so often do the Lord’s people now look back, and in their hearts too often return to the things of the world. And were it not for divine patience, many that are preserved to be among the cloud of God’s witnesses, might have been like the wife of Lot, pillars of salt. Gen 19:26 ; Heb 12:1 . See also Num 14:2-4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Hos 11:5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
Ver. 5. He shall not return unto the land of Egypt ] That is, he needs not run to Egypt for help (as King Hoshea did), nor to the Assyrian, to whom they were tributaries from the time of Menahem; for they wanted nothing, and less should have wanted if they would have been ruled by me.
But they refused to return
But the Assyrian shall be his king
Because they refused to return
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Hos 11:5-7
5They will not return to the land of Egypt;
But Assyriahe will be their king
Because they refused to return to Me.
6The sword will whirl against their cities,
And will demolish their gate bars
And consume them because of their counsels.
7So My people are bent on turning from Me.
Though they call them to the One on high,
None at all exalts Him.
Hos 11:5 They will not return to the land of Egypt This is a seeming contradiction to Hos 7:16; Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3. There are two possible theories of interpretation: (1) Egypt is a symbol for slavery or (2) Egypt is another example of political alliances. Theory 2 seems to fit the context of chapter Hos 11:5 best, however, theory 1 seems to fit the context of the other references better.
It is possible to translate not as surely, this would solve the seeming contradiction.
But Assyriahe will be their king This is a clear prophecy of the Assyrian exile (cf. Hos 7:11; Hos 8:9-10; Hos 9:3; Hos 10:6). It is possible that the verse refers to rejecting Israel’s trust in political alliances with both Egypt and Assyria. Assyria as king may reflect Hos 10:3. Israel wanted a king like the nations (cf. 1Sa 8:5); now they had one!
they refused to return to Me The term return (BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is the OT term for repentance. See Special Topic: REPENTANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT .
The pain of God’s heart can be seen in the VERB refused (BDB 549, KB 540, Piel PERFECT). It was not ignorance on Israel’s part for which they were culpable, but open-eyed rebellion against YHWH and His law (cf. Hos 7:13-15; Hos 8:1; Hos 8:12).
Hos 11:6 The sword will whirl against their cities The VERB (BDB 296, KB 297, Qal PERFECT) is used of dancing, the turbulence of storms, or writhing in the pain of childbirth. Here it is the flashing, whirling action of a personified sword as it devastates the cities of Israel.
gate bars This term (BDB 94) refers to (1) the wooden beams used to secure city gates at night (Israel was trusting in her fortifications, cf. Hos 8:14; Hos 10:14) or (2) to divination (cf. Isa 44:25; Jer 50:36) and as parallel to counsel.
because of their counsels This could refer to (1) the policies of Jeroboam I, who set up the golden calves; (2) the ongoing policies of the different dynasties who succeeded him; or (3) the decision of political advisors. This is referred to several times in Hosea (e.g., Hos 7:12).
Hos 11:7 So My people are bent on turning from Me The VERB (BDB 1067, KB 1736, Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE), which is used literally in Deu 28:66, to hang something before someone, here is a metaphor for a tendency or natural leaning toward someone/something (but not YHWH).
The term turning from (BDB 1000) means to turn back or apostatize (cf. Hos 14:5; in Jer 3:6 of Israel; in Jer 2:18; Jer 3:22; Jer 5:6; Jer 8:5; Jer 14:7 of Judah, often translated faithless). Instead of turning to God in repentance they turned away from Him in apostasy!
The opening My people is an allusion to Hos 1:9 (i.e., Lo-Ammi), but with the future hope of the full hope of Hos 2:23 (i.e., Ruhamah, cf. Hos 1:6 and Ammi)!
None at all exalts Him This is the problem of fallen mankind, especially the covenant people (e.g., Isa 53:6 a,b, quoted in the NT by Peter in 1Pe 2:25).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
not. Connect this with Hos 11:4, for he is to return to Assyria (Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3).
shall be = he [became].
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall not: Hos 7:16, Hos 8:13, Hos 9:3, Hos 9:6
but: Hos 5:13, Hos 10:6, 2Ki 15:19, 2Ki 15:29, 2Ki 17:3-6, 2Ki 18:11, Isa 8:6-8, Amo 5:27, “They became tributaries to Salmanasser.”
because: Hos 6:1, 2Ki 17:13, 2Ki 17:14, 2Ki 18:12, Jer 8:4-6, Amo 4:6, Amo 4:8-10, Zec 1:4-6
Reciprocal: Deu 17:16 – Ye shall henceforth 2Ch 32:1 – king of Assyria Isa 31:1 – to them Eze 23:9 – General Hos 5:9 – Ephraim Hos 10:3 – We have Amo 3:11 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Hos 11:5. The backsliding ways of Israel would have entitled him to be sent back into the bondage in Egypt, but the Lord would not use that form of punishment this time. However, he must have some form of chastisement, hence the decree was to suffer the Assyrian king to invade the land and take its people away into exile.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Hos 11:5-6. He shall not return into the land of Egypt They were desirous of making their escape thither, and many families perhaps effected it: see note on Hos 9:6. But it is here threatened, that the nation in a body should not be permitted so to escape. But the Assyrian shall be his king They shall be wholly in the power of the king of Assyria, and be carried away captive into his dominions; because they refused to return Namely, to the true worship of God, and obedience to his laws, notwithstanding the many calls, reproofs, admonitions, and exhortations given them by the prophets. Their obstinacy in idolatry is the cause of all the calamities coming upon them. And the sword shall abide on his cities His cities shall be destroyed by the conquerors sword; and shall consume his branches The lesser towns and villages. Thus the word
is expounded, in a marginal note of the Bishops Bible. It often means the arms, or principal branches, of a great tree, and is twice translated staves, Exo 27:6. In this place some interpreters render it bars; and Abarbanel expounds it of the strong and valiant men of the nation, observing, that the chief branches of the people in a kingdom are the valiant men. Rabbi Tanchum explains it of their children; the branches, as he observes, springing from their fathers. The word, however, also signifies lies, and is so rendered Isa 16:6, and Jer 48:30. Bishop Horsley translates it diviners, deriving it from , he was solitary, because they affected a solitary, ascetic life; a sense which he thinks, of all others, most apposite to the context. He acknowledges, however, that to render it branches, limbs, or bars, is admissible, and may very well suit the place.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11:5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his {d} king, because they refused to return.
(d) Seeing that they condemn all this kindness, they will be led captive into Assyria.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Punishment for rebelliousness 11:5-7
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Because Israel refused to return (Heb. shub) to Yahweh after so many appeals by His prophets (Hos 11:2), He would return (Heb. shub) the nation to captivity. Yet the place of exile would not be Egypt but Assyria. In other messages Hosea identified Egypt as the place of Israel’s future exile (cf. Hos 8:13; Hos 9:3; Hos 9:6), but here it becomes clear that He was only using Egypt as a metaphor for a place of captivity. Assyria would be the geographical location of Israel’s exile. Thus "Egypt" is an atbash for Assyria (cf. Hos 4:15).