Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hosea 5:7

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

7. Why Jehovah has withdrawn himself, dealt treacherously ] i.e. faithlessly. The word is used of an adulteress, Jer 3:20.

they have begotten strange children ] The subject of the verb are the Israelites individually, of whom the same statement is made which we have already met with respecting the nation in Hos 2:4-5.

now shall a month devour them ] The time for punishment has arrived. Instead of watching gladly for the new moon to fix the various hallowed festivals (comp. Hos 2:11), they should have a ‘fearful looking for of judgment’ increasing as each new moon arose. If not this, then perhaps the next would bring with it a slaughtering, plundering horde of invaders. ‘Month’ should rather be new moon (as nothing is added to qualify the sense).

with their portions ] i.e. the lands assigned to the several tribes and families (comp. ‘the portion of Jezreel,’ 2Ki 9:10).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

They have dealt treacherously – Literally, have cloaked, and so, acted deceitfully. The word is used of treachery of friend toward his friend, of the husband to his wife, or the wife husband. Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord Jer 3:20. God, even in His upbraiding, speaks very tenderly to them, as having been in the closest, dearest relation to Himself.

For they have begotten strange children – God had made it a ground of the future blessing of Abraham, I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment Gen 18:19. But these, contrariwise, themselves being idolaters and estranged from God, had children, who fell away like themselves, strangers to God, and looked upon as strangers by Him. The children too of the forbidden marriages with the pagan were, by their birth, strange or foreign children, even before they became so in act; and they became so the more in act, because they were so by birth. The next generation then growing up more estranged from God than themselves, what hope of amendment was there?

Now shall a month devour – The word now denotes the nearness and suddenness of Gods judgments; the term month, their rapidity. A month is not only a brief time, but is almost visibly passing away; the moon, which measures it, is never at one stay, waxing until it is full, then waning until it disappears. Night by night bears witness to the months decay. The iniquity was full; the harvest was ripe; now, suddenly, rapidly, completely, the end should come. One month should devour them with their portions. God willed to be the Portion of His people; He had said, the Lords portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance Deu 32:9. To Himself He had given the title, the protion of Jacob Jer 10:16. Israel had chosen to himself other portions out of God, for these, he had forsaken his God; therefore he should be consumed with them. All that they had, all that they possessed, enjoyed, trusted in, all, at once, shall that short space, suddenly and certainly to come; devour, deprive and bereave them of; none of them shall remain with them or profit them in the day of wrath.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 7. Now shall a month devour them] In a month’s time the king of Assyria shall be upon them, and oblige them to purchase their lives and liberties by a grievous tax of fifty shekels per head. This Menahem, king of Israel, gave to Pul, king of Assyria, 2Kg 15:16-20. Instead of month, some translate the original locust. “The locusts shall devour them.”

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

They, the whole house of Israel, priests, people, and princes, and their kings with them,

have dealt treacherously; have falsified their word and promise of fidelity and constancy, of love and affection, when they entered covenant with me; have turned idolaters, and worshipped and relied on false gods.

They have begotten strange children; as if it were not enough that they were idolaters, they have trained up their children in the same idolatry, partly by their instruction, and more by their examples.

Now, or therefore, or ere long, as Hos 2:10.

A month; either the new moon, one particular species of ceremonial, superstitious worship put for all the rest, as some interpret, or rather, a time not long (as an age); not as to the old world, nor as to Nineveh, forty days, but a shorter time: possibly it may refer to Shallums short time of usurpation, which lasted but a month; a month shall devour them, the Assyrians shall make a speedy conquest over you.

With their portions; not only persons, but their goods and chattels, are exposed to speediest spoiling; and as a token of such future speedy desolation, the prophet points out a short reign of one of the usurpers, and foretells the precise time of his continuance, that when they shall see this come to pass. They might believe the rest foretold by the prophet should also come to pass. Nor is this conjecture without some ground, since we know that Shallum slew Zachariah before the people, 2Ki 15:10, implying the peoples concurrence herein, and their accepting of Shallum with expectation of peace and prosperity, to the increase of their portion under his government, all which was blasted at the months end.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

7. treacherouslyas to themarriage covenant (Jer 3:20).

strange childrenalludingto “children of whoredoms” (Hos 1:2;Hos 2:4). “Strange” orforeign implies that their idolatry was imported from abroad[HENDERSON]. Or rather,”regarded by God as strangers, not His,” as being reared inidolatry. The case is desperate, when not only the existing, but alsothe rising, generation is reared in apostasy.

a montha very briefspace of time shall elapse, and then punishment shall overtakethem (Zec 11:8). The allusionseems to be to money loans, which were by the month, not aswith us by the year. You cannot put it off; the time of yourdestruction is immediately and suddenly coming on you; just as thedebtor must meet the creditor’s demand at the expiration of themonth. The prediction is of the invasion of Tiglath-pileser, whocarried away Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

portionsthat is,possessions. Their resources and garrisons will not avail to savethem. HENDERSON explainsfrom Isa 57:6, “portions”as their idols; the context favors this, “the Lord”the true “portion of His people” (De32:9), being in antithesis to “their portions,” theidols.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

They have dealt treacherously against the Lord,…. Which was the reason of his departure from them; as a woman deals treacherously with her husband when she is unfaithful to him, and commits adultery; so Israel and Judah dealt treacherously with the Lord, who stood in the relation of a husband to them in covenant, by committing idolatry;

for they have begotten strange children; either of strange women, the daughters of idolatrous Heathens they married, so the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi; or rather their natural children, though born of Israelitish or Jewish parents, both such; yet being educated by them in an idolatrous way, and brought up in the commission of the evils their parents were guilty of, are said to be strange children to the Lord, alienated from him and his worship, and as such to be begotten:

now shall a month devour them with their portions; the Jews understand this literally of the month Ab, the time of Jerusalem’s destruction, so Jarchi and R. Jeshuah in Aben Ezra and Ben Melech; or the month Tammuz, in which the city was broke up, and the month Ab, in which it was destroyed, as Kimchi; or rather, which is also a sense he mentions, it signifies a short time, a very little while before the destruction should come; and compares it with Zec 11:8; though, according to the Targum, it is to be understood of every month; and so denotes the continual desolation that should be made, until they were utterly destroyed; but others seem better to interpret it of their new moon, or first day of the month, which they observed in a religious way, by offering sacrifice, c. and on which they depended but this should be so far from being of any service to them, that it should turn against them; and, because of the idolatry committed in them, the Lord would hate them, and destroy them on account of them; even their farms, and fields, and vineyards, which were their portions and inheritances; see Isa 1:13; unless it is rather to be understood of the parts of the beasts slain in sacrifice on those days, to appease the Lord; which would be so far from doing it, that they would provoke him yet more to wrath, and slay them.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

He says that they had acted perfidiously with God, for they had violated his covenant. We must bear in mind what I have said before of the mutual faith which God stipulates with us, when he binds himself to us. God then covenants with us on this condition, that he will be our Father and Husband; but he requires from us such obedience as a son ought to render to his father; he requires from us that chastity which a wife owes to her husband. The Prophet now charges the people with unfaithfulness, because they had despised the true God, and prostituted themselves to idols.

And he also aggravates this crime by saying, that they had begotten strange children: for he intimates, that their condition had become so vitiated, that there remained no better hope as to their posterity. Some explain the words, that they had begotten strange children, in this way, — that they had taken wives from heathen nations, contrary to the law. But this sense is very frigid. Others understand, that they had begotten spurious children, because they brought up their children badly, having, from their infancy, attached them to depraved superstitions. This is indeed true, but the prophet, as I have already said, looked further; he meant that the Israelites had not only become alienated from God, but had also taken away every hope as to the future. It may indeed be, and it sometimes happens, that men for a time abandon themselves to many vices, and afterwards return to the right way; but when corruption has so prevailed that the children are infected with the same vices, and impiety itself takes full possession of them, then the state of things is past recovery. We now then see that the Prophet means, that the Israelites were not only covenant-breakers with respect to God, but that they had also led their children into the same perfidy, so that there was no hope of repentance.

He therefore subjoins the punishment, Devour them shall a month together with their portions (23) Some restrict the word, month, to the times of the new moon, or to the new moons; and these days, we know, were festivals among the Jews: but this seems too far-fetched and strained. The Prophet therefore, I doubt not, takes here a month for a short time; and so the Hebrew scholars explain it, and yet they do not sufficiently unfold this form of speaking. Now, the Prophets are wont to use various figures, when they intend to mark out a short time. Isaiah says, ‘Yet for three years, as the time of a hireling:’ for hirelings were wont to hire themselves for three years; hence he says, This is the time fixed by the Lord as the appointed day. Contracts, also, we know, were then monthly, as they are at this day yearly, both with reference to the interest of money and other exchanges. Since, then, they usually made agreements for single months, the Prophet here, I have no doubt, takes a month metaphorically for a certain and fixed time. I do not therefore agree with the Hebrew scholars, who say that only a short time is expressed by the Prophet, but he expresses not only a short, but also a fixed time; and he did this that the Israelites might not vainly look for any deferring or respite, for hypocrites ever procrastinate and extend time by vain delusions. The Prophet therefore says here, A month shall devour them, which means, “Vengeance is now suspended over their heads, and this they shall not escape.”

And he says, “with their portions”. He intimates here, no doubt, that though they then overflowed with abundance, yet nothing would be a help to them to keep them from being destroyed, for the hand of God was against them. We indeed know, that as long as men are well furnished with provisions and protection, they are not very solicitous about their state, but heedlessly despise whatever dangers there may be in the world: therefore the Prophet says, that though they were opulent and well supplied, though they possessed every kind of defense, yet nothing would avail for their safety, but a month should devour them, together with all their wealth. It follows —

(23) “With their portions,” i.e., their allotments: they shall be totally dispossessed of their country; and the boundaries of the separate allotments of the several tribes shall be confounded and obliterated. — Bp. Horsley

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(7) Strange children refers to offspring that followed in the ways of their mother. (Comp. Hosea 1) Some reference is involved to the consequences of intermarriage with heathen. The month may be a personification of the period of a month (Henderson), during which takes place the now closely impending (perhaps already commenced) invasion by Tiglathpileser (2Ki. 15:29; 2 Chron. 19:21). This invasion was due in part to Ahaz having sought the aid of Assyria against Pekah and Rezin.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Hos 5:7. For they have begotten, &c. By their alliance with strange women, contrary to the law. Or, it may have a spiritual allusion to their vices and deviations. Instead of, Now shall a month, &c. Houbigant reads, Now shall the canker consume their inheritance. Some, however, understand it as alluding to the space of time in which the Assyrians should come and devour Israel.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Hos 5:7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

Ver. 7. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord ] They have dealt deceitfully in the covenant, they are a perfidious cursed crew of them; this I see well enough, saith God, though they may think to darken my eyesight with the smoke of their many sacrifices, or to stop my mouth with their great presents. See how he complaineth, as in this prophecy often, so Jer 3:20 , “Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel.” Now in such a case a man will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts; he will not be a pander to his own bed unless he be very base indeed, Pro 6:35 . Most certain it is, that God will not endure any such doings; but though he loves his spouse never so well, yet if she plays false with him, and admit any other into the bridal bed, he will forsake his house that has been so dishonest, he will leave his heritage that has been so embased, he will give the dearly beloved of his soul into the hand of her enemies, Jer 12:7 , who shall hate her more than ever they loved her, as Amnon did Tamar, and deal cruelly with her, as Eze 16:1-63 is at large discoursed. The wickedness of this people was the greater, for that they pretended religion as in Hos 5:6 to their base beastly practices. Dissembled sanctity is double iniquity. See how heinously God takes it, Jer 7:9-10 . And when others deal treacherously and unworthily with you, see whether you have not done as badly and worse against the Lord, Alphonsus, king of Aragon, in a speech to the pope’s ambassador, professed that he did not so much wonder at his courtiers’ ingratitude to him (who had raised various of them from mean to great estates) as at his own to God.

For they have begotten strange children ] Bastards, such as the Jews call Mamzer, as ye would say, aliena labes, a strange blot. They call them also brambles, such as was Abimelech, who grew in the hedge row of a harlot, and scratched and drew blood to purpose, Jdg 9:14 . That which is here charged upon the Israelites is, that they had not only taken to wife the daughters of a strange god, or begotten bastards of harlots, but they had muzzled up their children in idolatry, and so made them sevenfold worse the children of the devil than before. This was a very great aggravation of their treachery, that they should empoison their posterity and propagate their wickedness from one generation to another; that there should be a line and a succession of it from their loins. None are so ready to drink in false principles and corrupt practices as young ones. Such parents as have a hand in undoing their children, either by ill counsel or example, are peremptores potius quam parentes, saith Bernard, rather parricides than parents. They shall give a heavy account to God for their children’s misdeeds. Let it therefore be the care of parents, as to keep themselves pure, so to see to their little ones, that they be not corrupted. Satan bears an implacable spite and hatred to them, as the seedplot of heaven; and hath his emissaries abroad to mar them. Such was Protagoras, of whom Plato reporteth, that he gloried of this, that whereas he had lived sixty years in all, forty of them he had spent in corrupting young people (Plato in Menone). Of Julian the apostate it is reported, that being of excellent parts and proof, both in learning and religion, while he was young, he was afterwards corrupted by his two heathenish tutors, Libanius and Jamblichus, through the carelessness of Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, who should have seen better to it and that this was a main cause of his apostasy.

Now shall a month devour them with their portions ] Some read it thus, Now shall the enemy devour them month after month; others put menses for menstrua, and give this sense. Like as this people make no bones to break their faith with God by spiritual fornication, mingling as it were their seed with strange gods and foreign people; so shall it come to them which happeneth to women worn with adulteries (as Ezekiel speaketh), that their monthly diseases, procured by inordinate lust, shall eat up and consume their bodies. (See Tremel. and Jun. Annot.) For confirmation, they allege (but not so properly) Jer 2:24 . I willingly concur with those that by a month understand a little short time. How soon is a month run out And yet what havoc will an enemy make in a month’s time! as we have had woeful experience in these late stripping and killing times. Them and their portions shall one month make an end of. Death heweth its way through a wood of men in a minute of time from the mouth of a murdering piece. “The sword contemneth the rod,” Eze 21:13 , as if it should say, What doth this silly rod do here? Let me come; I will quickly make work among them. I will dung the land with their carcases, &c., with their portions, the lots of their inheritance. Wicked men also have their portions in this life, Psa 17:14 , they live in pleasure on the earth, and are wanton, Jas 5:5 , but their portion is none other but a month may devour it: their pleasure none other but one drop of an evil conscience may damp and dissweeten it. But if God be thy portion, &c.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

strange = apostates (who had become as foreigners). Heb. sur. See note on Pro 5:3.

children = sons.

a month. A short time will complete their dispossession. Shallum reigned just a month (2Ki 15:13).

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

dealt: Hos 6:7, Isa 48:8, Isa 59:13, Jer 3:20, Jer 5:11

begotten: Neh 13:23, Neh 13:24, Psa 144:7, Psa 144:11, Mal 2:11-15

a month: Eze 12:28, Zec 11:8

Reciprocal: Neh 9:2 – strangers Isa 24:16 – the treacherous Jer 9:2 – an assembly Hos 7:8 – he hath Hos 9:1 – gone

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Hos 5:7. The treachery of which they were guilty consisted in mingling their blood with the people of other nations. The Lord wished to maintain a pure blood down through the ages, and to do so It was necessary for His people to marry within the Jewish families. The children born of these un-lawful unions were considered strange because that word means “outside. Month is used indefinitely, meaning their ruin would be accomplished in a short time after it began.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Hos 5:7. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord The word , rendered, to deal treacherously, signifies properly, a wifes being false to her husband; see Jer 3:20; from whence it is applied to the sin of idolatry, which was being false to the true God, or giving to creatures, or mere imaginary beings, the affection and regard due to him, and therefore it is often in Scripture styled spiritual whoredom. For they have begotten strange children A race of aliens, as Bishop Horsley renders it: that is, children trained from their earliest infancy in the habits and principles of idolatry, and growing up aliens with respect to God, (for all are not Israel that are of Israel,) alienated from him in their affections, and in their sentiments and practice mere heathen. The expression alludes to children not lawfully begotten, or not born in wedlock. Now shall a month devour them A very short time shall complete their destruction. It shall be sudden and unexpected. With their portions That is, their allotments. They shall be now totally dispossessed of their country, and the boundaries of the separate allotments of the several tribes shall be confounded and obliterated, and new partitions of the land into districts shall be made, from time to time, at the pleasure of its successive masters. The captivity of the ten tribes was completed soon after Hezekiahs attempted reformation, and the kingdom of Judah not long survived Josiahs. It is probable the month alludes to these events.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

5:7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten {f} strange children: now shall {g} a month devour them with their portions.

(f) That is, their children are degenerate, so that there is no hope in them.

(g) Their destruction is not far off.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

They had dealt treacherously against the Lord by being unfaithful to their natural and contractual (covenant) responsibilities to Him. In this they were like an unfaithful wife who had given birth to illegitimate children, the natural result of unfaithfulness. Probably many illegitimate children who were the products of Israelites and temple prostitutes populated the Northern Kingdom. Participation in apostate religious festivals would only hasten their destruction, not avert it. Perhaps sexually transmitted diseases were taking their toll on the Israelites. Their lands would also experience destruction when enemy invaders overran Israel.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)