American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Hosea 5
1
Hear you this, O priests; and listen, you house of Israel; and give you ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because you have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.
Reference
Judgment
Micah 3:9
Kingdom
Hosea 10:15
Parallel theme
Hosea 9:8
Hosea 6:9
Micah 7:2
Malachi 2:1
References Israel
Judges 4:6
Amos 7:9
Hosea 4:1
2
And the rebels are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
Reference
3
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, you commit prostitution, and Israel is defiled.
Reference
Parallel theme
Amos 3:2
4
They will not frame their doings to turn to their God: for the spirit of prostitutions is in the middle of them, and they have not known the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 50:38
John 16:3
John 8:55
References God
Jeremiah 24:7
Hosea 4:6
Hosea 4:1
References Lord
Jeremiah 9:24
Spirit
Hosea 4:12
5
And the pride of Israel does testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.
Reference
6
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Proverbs 1:28
John 7:34
Ezekiel 8:6
Lamentations 3:44
References Lord
Proverbs 15:8
Jeremiah 7:4
7
They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
Reference
8
Blow you the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after you, O Benjamin.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hosea 4:15
Hosea 9:9
Jeremiah 4:5
Joel 2:1
1 Samuel 15:34
Isaiah 10:29
Hosea 8:1
Judges 5:14
9
Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
Reference
10
The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath on them like water.
Reference
11
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Reference
13
When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
Reference
14
For I will be to Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
Reference
Summary of Hosea 5
Hosea 5 intensifies the accusation against Israel by showing that the nation's priests, political leaders, and ordinary people have become deeply involved in spiritual rebellion, so that neither religious ceremonies nor political alliances can protect them from the consequences of abandoning God.
God addresses the priests, the royal family, and the people together because their leadership and behavior have combined to create a national system of corruption.
The people have become so deeply committed to idolatry that their own sinful habits prevent them from genuinely returning to God, even though they continue performing religious ceremonies and offering sacrifices.
Hosea makes clear that religious activity without repentance cannot restore a broken relationship with God.
Israel's pride has become another source of its downfall, while Judah is warned that it is not immune from judgment simply because it has not yet experienced the full consequences facing the northern kingdom.
The warning signals at Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven create an atmosphere of approaching military danger, indicating that the political consequences of Israel's spiritual rebellion are rapidly approaching.
The chapter then describes Judah's leaders as people who move boundary markers, suggesting that even the southern kingdom is becoming guilty of injustice, greed, and disregard for God's standards.
God compares His judgment against Israel and Judah to a moth and decay, emphasizing that destruction can begin quietly through internal weakness before eventually becoming impossible to stop.
When Israel and Judah recognize their political and national weakness, they turn to Assyria for help, believing that the powerful empire can heal their wounds and protect them from their enemies.
Instead, Assyria becomes part of the problem, demonstrating the danger of trusting political power instead of God.
The final image is particularly powerful because God compares Himself to a lion who tears away His people and carries them off, making it clear that no political alliance, military force, wealth, or religious ritual can rescue them from judgment when they persistently refuse to repent.
Yet even this severe conclusion contains a path toward restoration.
God says that He will withdraw until His people acknowledge their guilt and earnestly seek Him, indicating that the purpose of judgment is ultimately connected with bringing the people to the point where they recognize their need for God.
The central message is that Hosea 5 warns that neither religious rituals nor political alliances can protect people who have deliberately rejected God, because outward worship without genuine repentance becomes empty, while dependence upon powerful nations such as Assyria ultimately exposes rather than solves the nation's deeper spiritual problem.
The chapter also shows that God's judgment is intended to confront Israel with the seriousness of its rebellion, and although the people must experience the consequences of their choices, the door to restoration remains open when they finally acknowledge their guilt, abandon their false sources of security, and sincerely seek the Lord again.
God addresses the priests, the royal family, and the people together because their leadership and behavior have combined to create a national system of corruption.
The people have become so deeply committed to idolatry that their own sinful habits prevent them from genuinely returning to God, even though they continue performing religious ceremonies and offering sacrifices.
Hosea makes clear that religious activity without repentance cannot restore a broken relationship with God.
Israel's pride has become another source of its downfall, while Judah is warned that it is not immune from judgment simply because it has not yet experienced the full consequences facing the northern kingdom.
The warning signals at Gibeah, Ramah, and Beth-aven create an atmosphere of approaching military danger, indicating that the political consequences of Israel's spiritual rebellion are rapidly approaching.
The chapter then describes Judah's leaders as people who move boundary markers, suggesting that even the southern kingdom is becoming guilty of injustice, greed, and disregard for God's standards.
God compares His judgment against Israel and Judah to a moth and decay, emphasizing that destruction can begin quietly through internal weakness before eventually becoming impossible to stop.
When Israel and Judah recognize their political and national weakness, they turn to Assyria for help, believing that the powerful empire can heal their wounds and protect them from their enemies.
Instead, Assyria becomes part of the problem, demonstrating the danger of trusting political power instead of God.
The final image is particularly powerful because God compares Himself to a lion who tears away His people and carries them off, making it clear that no political alliance, military force, wealth, or religious ritual can rescue them from judgment when they persistently refuse to repent.
Yet even this severe conclusion contains a path toward restoration.
God says that He will withdraw until His people acknowledge their guilt and earnestly seek Him, indicating that the purpose of judgment is ultimately connected with bringing the people to the point where they recognize their need for God.
The central message is that Hosea 5 warns that neither religious rituals nor political alliances can protect people who have deliberately rejected God, because outward worship without genuine repentance becomes empty, while dependence upon powerful nations such as Assyria ultimately exposes rather than solves the nation's deeper spiritual problem.
The chapter also shows that God's judgment is intended to confront Israel with the seriousness of its rebellion, and although the people must experience the consequences of their choices, the door to restoration remains open when they finally acknowledge their guilt, abandon their false sources of security, and sincerely seek the Lord again.