Hosea Chapter 5
The Folly of Trusting in Man’s Deliverance
A. Israel’s sinful idolatry
1. (Hosea 5:1–3) Israel’s leaders are rebuked for the sinful state of the nation.
Hosea 5:1–3 (KJV)
“Hear ye this, O priests, and hearken, ye house of Israel, and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me, for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.”
When the LORD addresses the sinful condition of Israel, He begins not with the common people, but with those who bear responsibility for leadership and influence. The priests represent the spiritual leadership of the nation, those charged with teaching the Law, guarding worship, and calling the people to covenant faithfulness. The house of Israel refers broadly to the governing authorities, while the house of the king points specifically to the political leadership. God declares that judgment is directed toward them because they have become a snare rather than a safeguard. Instead of leading the people toward righteousness, they have trapped them in sin, likened to a hunter’s net spread across places of prominence such as Mizpah and Tabor, locations associated with assembly, worship, and national identity.
The LORD exposes the depth of Israel’s rebellion by stating that the revolters are profound to make slaughter. This language indicates that their sin is not accidental or shallow, but deliberate, entrenched, and calculated. Their violence and apostasy have become systemic. God reminds them that He has rebuked them all, meaning that no leader, priest, or ruler can claim ignorance or exemption. Divine warnings were given repeatedly through the prophets, yet they were ignored.
The LORD then affirms His omniscience. He declares that He knows Ephraim and that Israel is not hidden from Him. Ephraim, representing the dominant tribe and often standing for the northern kingdom as a whole, cannot conceal its guilt behind religious ritual or political strength. The charge of whoredom speaks to spiritual adultery, covenant betrayal through idolatry, alliances with pagan nations, and reliance upon human power rather than God. As a result, Israel is declared defiled, ceremonially unclean and morally corrupted, unfit for fellowship with a holy God.
The underlying theological point is clear. National collapse begins with leadership failure. When spiritual leaders compromise truth and political leaders abandon righteousness, the people inevitably follow. God holds leaders to account first because they shape the moral and spiritual direction of the nation.
2. (Hosea 5:4–9) Israel’s double desolation.
Hosea 5:4–9 (KJV)
“They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God, for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.
And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face, therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah also shall fall with them.
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD, but they shall not find him, he hath withdrawn himself from them.
They have dealt treacherously against the LORD, for they have begotten strange children, now shall a month devour them with their portions.
Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah, cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke, among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.”
The LORD now exposes the internal condition of Israel’s heart. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God, meaning their actions, intentions, and habits are deliberately structured to avoid repentance. This is not ignorance but resistance. The spirit of whoredoms dominates them, indicating a controlling influence of idolatry and spiritual rebellion. As a result, they do not know the LORD, not in the relational, covenantal sense, despite their religious activity.
Pride stands at the center of Israel’s rebellion. The pride of Israel testifies to his face, meaning their arrogance is evident, undeniable, and self-condemning. Pride blinds them to their guilt and convinces them that they can live independently of God. Consequently, Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, and Judah also stumbles with them. Though Judah is not yet as deeply corrupted as Israel at this stage, association with sin brings shared consequences. Spiritual compromise is contagious.
The tragedy deepens when Israel attempts to seek the LORD with flocks and herds. These sacrifices represent outward religion, ritual obedience, and formal worship. Yet God declares that they will not find Him because He has withdrawn Himself from them. This is judicial abandonment. God does not reject genuine repentance, but He does refuse superficial repentance that seeks relief from consequences without a change of heart. Their deeds do not match their sacrifices.
Their treachery against the LORD includes begetting strange children, likely referring both to literal intermarriage with pagans and to raising a generation steeped in idolatry. The phrase that a month shall devour them points to swift judgment, possibly connected to feast days or new moon celebrations that had been corrupted into idolatrous observances.
The call to blow the cornet and trumpet is a warning of imminent invasion and national disaster. Cities such as Gibeah and Ramah lie within Benjamin’s territory, indicating that judgment is spreading southward. The cry, after thee, O Benjamin, signals that danger is at the doorstep.
The LORD concludes with certainty. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke. This desolation will occur when Assyria executes God’s judgment upon the northern kingdom. The LORD emphasizes that this outcome is sure, declared openly among the tribes of Israel, leaving no room for surprise or excuse. Divine judgment is neither arbitrary nor hidden, but announced in advance and carried out with precision.
B. Israel’s sinful trust in man for deliverance
1. (Hosea 5:10–13) Israel and Judah looked to man’s wisdom.
Hosea 5:10–13 (KJV)
“The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound, therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
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.”
The LORD now turns His attention to Judah, exposing that although Judah had preserved the Davidic line and maintained the temple, her leaders were far from innocent. The princes of Judah are compared to those who remove a landmark, a serious offense under the Law because landmarks defined God-ordained inheritance boundaries. To move a boundary stone was to steal, deceive, and undermine social order. Spiritually, this imagery reveals that Judah’s leaders were erasing moral and theological boundaries established by God, blurring the distinction between righteousness and sin, truth and error, covenant faithfulness and compromise. Because of this corruption at the leadership level, the LORD declares that His wrath will be poured out upon them like water, overwhelming and unavoidable.
Ephraim’s condition is then described as oppressed and broken in judgment. This oppression is not accidental nor merely political, but judicial, the result of divine judgment. The reason is explicit, Ephraim willingly walked after the commandment. This refers not to God’s commandments but to human decrees, man-made religious systems, political strategies, and cultural norms that replaced obedience to the LORD. Israel rejected divine revelation in favor of human wisdom. This rejection was willful, deliberate, and sustained.
The LORD then explains the nature of His judgment. To Ephraim He will be like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness. A moth destroys slowly from within, weakening garments without immediate detection. Rot spreads internally, corrupting structure and strength over time. God’s judgment would not initially come only through dramatic invasion but through gradual decay, economic decline, moral erosion, and spiritual barrenness. Both kingdoms would experience weakening long before collapse.
When Ephraim recognized his sickness and Judah perceived her wound, neither responded with repentance. Instead, Ephraim went to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb. This was a political and military appeal for protection, tribute, and alliance. Rather than seeking the LORD, Israel turned to the very empire God would later use to destroy her. King Jareb is not known by name historically, but the term conveys the idea of a warrior king, a symbol of human strength and militaristic power. The LORD declares the futility of this alliance. Assyria could not heal them, nor cure their wound. Human power cannot heal spiritual rebellion. Trusting man instead of God always ends in disappointment and destruction.
2. (Hosea 5:14–15) God’s judgment and the goal behind it.
Hosea 5:14–15 (KJV)
“For I will be unto 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.
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face, in their affliction they will seek me early.”
The LORD intensifies the imagery of judgment. He will not only act as a moth and rottenness but also as a lion. A lion’s attack is sudden, violent, and unmistakable. This describes the coming invasions, national collapse, exile, and loss of sovereignty. God emphasizes His personal involvement by stating, I, even I, will tear them. This judgment is not random geopolitical misfortune, but deliberate divine action. Once seized, none shall rescue them. No alliance, treaty, or military force will reverse God’s decree.
The LORD then reveals the redemptive purpose behind His judgment. He will return to His place, withdrawing His felt presence, protection, and favor, until they acknowledge their offence. Acknowledgment implies confession, ownership of guilt, and repentance, not excuses or blame shifting. Only then will they seek His face, not merely His help.
The final statement exposes a painful truth about human nature. In their affliction they will seek me early. Often it is suffering that awakens spiritual seriousness. God’s goal is not annihilation but restoration. Judgment is a severe mercy designed to bring His people back to Himself. Israel’s suffering was meant to strip away false confidences and expose the emptiness of trusting in man rather than the LORD.
