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Hosea 11:4 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

4 I drew H4900 them with cords H2256 of a man, H120 with bands H5688 of love: H160 and I was to them as they that take off H7311 the yoke H5923 on their jaws, H3895 and I laid H5186 meat H398 unto them.

Cross Reference

Leviticus 26:13 STRONG

I am the LORD H3068 your God, H430 which brought you forth H3318 out of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 that ye should not be their bondmen; H5650 and I have broken H7665 the bands H4133 of your yoke, H5923 and made you go H3212 upright. H6968

John 12:32 STRONG

And I, G2504 if G1437 I be lifted up G5312 from G1537 the earth, G1093 will draw G1670 all G3956 men unto G4314 me. G1683

Exodus 16:32 STRONG

And Moses H4872 said, H559 This is the thing H1697 which the LORD H3068 commandeth, H6680 Fill H4393 an omer H6016 of it to be kept H4931 for your generations; H1755 that they may see H7200 the bread H3899 wherewith I have fed H398 you in the wilderness, H4057 when I brought you forth H3318 from the land H776 of Egypt. H4714

2 Samuel 7:14 STRONG

I will be his father, H1 and he shall be my son. H1121 If he commit iniquity, H5753 I will chasten H3198 him with the rod H7626 of men, H582 and with the stripes H5061 of the children H1121 of men: H120

Psalms 78:23-25 STRONG

Though he had commanded H6680 the clouds H7834 from above, H4605 and opened H6605 the doors H1817 of heaven, H8064 And had rained down H4305 manna H4478 upon them to eat, H398 and had given H5414 them of the corn H1715 of heaven. H8064 Man H376 did eat H398 angels' H47 food: H3899 he sent H7971 them meat H6720 to the full. H7648

Psalms 105:40 STRONG

The people asked, H7592 and he brought H935 quails, H7958 and satisfied H7646 them with the bread H3899 of heaven. H8064

Song of Solomon 1:4 STRONG

Draw H4900 me, we will run H7323 after H310 thee: the king H4428 hath brought H935 me into his chambers: H2315 we will be glad H1523 and rejoice H8055 in thee, we will remember H2142 thy love H1730 more than wine: H3196 the upright H4339 love H157 thee.

Isaiah 63:9 STRONG

In all their affliction H6869 he was afflicted, H6862 and the angel H4397 of his presence H6440 saved H3467 them: in his love H160 and in his pity H2551 he redeemed H1350 them; and he bare H5190 them, and carried H5375 them all the days H3117 of old. H5769

Jeremiah 31:2-3 STRONG

Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 The people H5971 which were left H8300 of the sword H2719 found H4672 grace H2580 in the wilderness; H4057 even Israel, H3478 when I went H1980 to cause him to rest. H7280 The LORD H3068 hath appeared H7200 of old H7350 unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved H157 thee with an everlasting H5769 love: H160 therefore with lovingkindness H2617 have I drawn H4900 thee.

Hosea 2:8 STRONG

For she did not know H3045 that I gave H5414 her corn, H1715 and wine, H8492 and oil, H3323 and multiplied H7235 her silver H3701 and gold, H2091 which they prepared H6213 for Baal. H1168

John 6:32-58 STRONG

Then G3767 Jesus G2424 said G2036 unto them, G846 Verily, G281 verily, G281 I say G3004 unto you, G5213 Moses G3475 gave G1325 you G5213 not G3756 that bread G740 from G1537 heaven; G3772 but G235 my G3450 Father G3962 giveth G1325 you G5213 the true G228 bread G740 from G1537 heaven. G3772 For G1063 the bread G740 of God G2316 is he G2076 which G3588 cometh down G2597 from G1537 heaven, G3772 and G2532 giveth G1325 life G2222 unto the world. G2889 Then G3767 said they G2036 unto G4314 him, G846 Lord, G2962 evermore G3842 give G1325 us G2254 this G5126 bread. G740 And G1161 Jesus G2424 said G2036 unto them, G846 I G1473 am G1510 the bread G740 of life: G2222 he that cometh G2064 to G4314 me G3165 shall never G3364 hunger; G3983 and G2532 he that believeth G4100 on G1519 me G1691 shall G1372 never G3364 G4455 thirst. G1372 But G235 I said G2036 unto you, G5213 That G3754 ye G3708 also G2532 have seen G3708 me, G3165 and G2532 believe G4100 not. G3756 All G3956 that G3739 the Father G3962 giveth G1325 me G3427 shall come G2240 to G4314 me; G1691 and G2532 him that cometh G2064 to G4314 me G3165 I will G1544 in no wise G3364 cast G1544 out. G1854 For G3754 I came down G2597 from G1537 heaven, G3772 not G3756 to G2443 do G4160 mine own G1699 will, G2307 but G235 the will G2307 of him that sent G3992 me. G3165 And G1161 this G5124 is G2076 the Father's G3962 will G2307 which G3588 hath sent G3992 me, G3165 that G2443 of all G3956 which G3739 he hath given G1325 me G3427 I should lose G622 nothing, G3361 G1537 G846 but G235 should raise G450 it G846 up again G450 at G1722 the last G2078 day. G2250 And G1161 this G5124 is G2076 the will G2307 of him that sent G3992 me, G3165 that G2443 every one G3956 which G3588 seeth G2334 the Son, G5207 and G2532 believeth G4100 on G1519 him, G846 may have G2192 everlasting G166 life: G2222 and G2532 I G1473 will raise G450 him G846 up G450 at the last G2078 day. G2250 The Jews G2453 then G3767 murmured G1111 at G4012 him, G846 because G3754 he said, G2036 I G1473 am G1510 the bread G740 which G3588 came down G2597 from G1537 heaven. G3772 And G2532 they said, G3004 Is G2076 not G3756 this G3778 Jesus, G2424 the son G5207 of Joseph, G2501 whose G3739 father G3962 and G2532 mother G3384 we G2249 know? G1492 how is it G4459 then G3767 that he G3778 saith, G3004 G3754 I came down G2597 from G1537 heaven? G3772 Jesus G2424 therefore G3767 answered G611 and G2532 said G2036 unto them, G846 Murmur G1111 not G3361 among G3326 yourselves. G240 No man G3762 can G1410 come G2064 to G4314 me, G3165 except G3362 the Father G3962 which G3588 hath sent G3992 me G3165 draw G1670 him: G846 and G2532 I G1473 will raise G450 him G846 up G450 at the last G2078 day. G2250 It is G2076 written G1125 in G1722 the prophets, G4396 And G2532 they shall be G2071 all G3956 taught G1318 of God. G2316 Every man G3956 therefore G3767 that hath heard, G191 and G2532 hath learned G3129 of G3844 the Father, G3962 cometh G2064 unto G4314 me. G3165 Not G3756 that G3754 any man G5100 hath seen G3708 the Father, G3962 save G1508 he which G3588 is G3844 G5607 of God, G2316 he G3778 hath seen G3708 the Father. G3962 Verily, G281 verily, G281 I say G3004 unto you, G5213 He that believeth G4100 on G1519 me G1691 hath G2192 everlasting G166 life. G2222 I G1473 am G1510 that bread G740 of life. G2222 Your G5216 fathers G3962 did eat G5315 manna G3131 in G1722 the wilderness, G2048 and G2532 are dead. G599 This G3778 is G2076 the bread G740 which G3588 cometh down G2597 from G1537 heaven, G3772 that G3363 a man G5100 may eat G5315 thereof, G1537 G846 and G2532 not G3363 die. G599 I G1473 am G1510 the living G2198 bread G740 which G3588 came down G2597 from G1537 heaven: G3772 if G1437 any man G5100 eat G5315 of G1537 this G5127 bread, G740 he shall live G2198 for G1519 ever: G165 and G1161 G2532 the bread G740 that G3739 I G1473 will give G1325 is G2076 my G3450 flesh, G4561 which G3739 I G1473 will give G1325 for G5228 the life G2222 of the world. G2889 The Jews G2453 therefore G3767 strove G3164 among G4314 themselves, G240 saying, G3004 How G4459 can G1410 this man G3778 give G1325 us G2254 his flesh G4561 to eat? G5315 Then G3767 Jesus G2424 said G2036 unto them, G846 Verily, G281 verily, G281 I say G3004 unto you, G5213 Except G3362 ye eat G5315 the flesh G4561 of the Son G5207 of man, G444 and G2532 drink G4095 his G846 blood, G129 ye have G2192 no G3756 life G2222 in G1722 you. G1438 Whoso eateth G5176 my G3450 flesh, G4561 and G2532 drinketh G4095 my G3450 blood, G129 hath G2192 eternal G166 life; G2222 and G2532 I G1473 will raise G450 him G846 up G450 at the last G2078 day. G2250 For G1063 my G3450 flesh G4561 is G2076 meat G1035 indeed, G230 and G2532 my G3450 blood G129 is G2076 drink G4213 indeed. G230 He that eateth G5176 my G3450 flesh, G4561 and G2532 drinketh G4095 my G3450 blood, G129 dwelleth G3306 in G1722 me, G1698 and I G2504 in G1722 him. G846 As G2531 the living G2198 Father G3962 hath sent G649 me, G3165 and I G2504 live G2198 by G1223 the Father: G3962 so G2532 he that eateth G5176 me, G3165 even he G2548 shall live G2198 by G1223 me. G1691 This G3778 is G2076 that bread G740 which G3588 came down G2597 from G1537 heaven: G3772 not G3756 as G2531 your G5216 fathers G3962 did eat G5315 manna, G3131 and G2532 are dead: G599 he that eateth G5176 of this G5126 bread G740 shall live G2198 for G1519 ever. G165

2 Corinthians 5:14 STRONG

For G1063 the love G26 of Christ G5547 constraineth G4912 us; G2248 because we thus G5124 judge, G2919 that G3754 if G1487 one G1520 died G599 for G5228 all, G3956 then G686 were G599 all G3956 dead: G599

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Hosea 11

Commentary on Hosea 11 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary


Verse 1-2

The prophet goes back a third time (cf. Hosea 10:1; Hosea 9:10) to the early times of Israel, and shows how the people had repaid the Lord, for all the proofs of His love, with nothing but ingratitude and unfaithfulness; so that it would have merited utter destruction from off the earth, if God should not restrain His wrath for the sake of His unchangeable faithfulness, in order that, after severely chastening, He might gather together once more those that were rescued from among the heathen. Hosea 11:1. “When Israel was young, then I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt. Hosea 11:2. Men called to them; so they went away from their countenance: they offer sacrifice to the Baals, and burn incense to the idols.” Hosea 11:1 rests upon Exodus 4:22-23, where the Lord directs Moses to say to Pharaoh, “Israel is my first-born son; let my son go, that he may serve me.” Israel was the son of Jehovah, by virtue of its election to be Jehovah's peculiar people (see at Exodus 4:22). In this election lay the ground for the love which God showed to Israel, by bringing it out of Egypt, to give it the land of Canaan, promised to the fathers for its inheritance. The adoption of Israel as the son of Jehovah, which began with its deliverance out of the bondage of Egypt, and was completed in the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai, forms the first stage in the carrying out of the divine work of salvation, which was completed in the incarnation of the Son of God for the redemption of mankind from death and ruin. The development and guidance of Israel as the people of God all pointed to Christ; not, however, in any such sense as that the nation of Israel was to bring forth the son of God from within itself, but in this sense, that the relation which the Lord of heaven and earth established and sustained with that nation, was a preparation for the union of God with humanity, and paved the way for the incarnation of His Son, by the fact that Israel was trained to be a vessel of divine grace. All essential factors in the history of Israel point to this as their end, and thereby become types and material prophecies of the life of Him in whom the reconciliation of man to God was to be realized, and the union of God with the human race to be developed into a personal unity. It is in this sense that the second half of our verse is quoted in Matthew 2:15 as a prophecy of Christ, not because the words of the prophet refer directly and immediately to Christ, but because the sojourn in Egypt, and return out of that land, had the same significance in relation to the development of the life of Jesus Christ, as it had to the nation of Israel. Just as Israel grew into a nation in Egypt, where it was out of the reach of Canaanitish ways, so was the child Jesus hidden in Egypt from the hostility of Herod. But Hosea 11:2 is attached thus as an antithesis: this love of its God was repaid by Israel with base apostasy. קראוּ , they, viz., the prophets (cf. Hosea 11:7; 2 Kings 17:13; Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 25:4; Zechariah 1:4), called to them, called the Israelites to the Lord and to obedience to Him; but they (the Israelites) went away from their countenance, would not hearken to the prophets, or come to the Lord (Jeremiah 2:31). The thought is strengthened by כּן , with the כּאשׁר of the protasis omitted (Ewald, §360, a ): as the prophets called, so the Israelites drew back from them, and served idols. בּעלים as in Hosea 2:15, and פּסלים as in 2 Kings 17:41 and Deuteronomy 7:5, Deuteronomy 7:25 (see at Exodus 20:4).


Verse 3-4

Nevertheless the Lord continued to show love to them. Hosea 11:3, Hosea 11:4. “And I, I have taught Ephraim to walk: He took them in His arms, and they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with bands of a man, with cords of love, and became to them like a lifter up of the yoke upon their jaws, and gently towards him did I give (him) food.” תּרגּלתּי , a hiphil , formed after the Aramaean fashion (cf. Ges. §55, 5), by hardening the ה into ת , and construed with ל , as the hiphil frequently is (e.g., Hosea 10:1; Amos 8:9), a denom . of רגל , to teach to walk, to guide in leading-strings, like a child that is being trained to walk. It is a figurative representation of paternal care foz a child's prosperity. קחם , per aphaeresin , for לקחם , like קח for לקח in Ezekiel 17:5. The sudden change from the first person to the third seems very strange to our ears; but it is not uncommon in Hebrew, and is to be accounted for here from the fact, that the prophet could very easily pass from speaking in the name of God to speaking of God Himself. קח cannot be either an infinitive or a participle, on account of the following word זרועתיו , his arms. The two clauses refer chiefly to the care and help afforded by the Lord to His people in the Arabian desert; and the prophet had Deuteronomy 1:31 floating before his mind: “in the wilderness the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son.” The last clause also refers to this, רפאתים pointing back to Exodus 15:26, where the Lord showed Himself as the physician of Israel, by making the bitter water at Marah drinkable, and at the same time as their helper out of every trouble. In Hosea 11:4, again, there is a still further reference to the manifestation of the love of God to Israel on the journey through the wilderness. חבלי אדם , cords with which men are led, more especially children that are weak upon their feet, in contrast with ropes, with which men control wild, unmanageable beasts (Psalms 32:9), are a figurative representation of the paternal, human guidance of Israel, as explained in the next figure, “cords of love.” This figure leads on to the kindred figure of the yoke laid upon beasts, to harness them for work. As merciful masters lift up the yoke upon the cheeks of their oxen, i.e., push it so far back that the animals can eat their food in comfort, so has the Lord made the yoke of the law, which has been laid upon His people, both soft and light. As הרים על על does not mean to take the yoke away from ( מעל ) the cheeks, but to lift it above the cheeks, i.e., to make it easier, by pushing it back, we cannot refer the words to the liberation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, but can only think of what the Lord did, to make it easy for the people to observe the commandments imposed upon them, when they were received into His covenant (Exodus 24:3, Exodus 24:7), including not only the many manifestations of mercy which might and ought to have allured them to reciprocate His love, and yield a willing obedience to His commandments, but also the means of grace provided in their worship, partly in the institution of sacrifice, by which a way of approach was opened to divine grace to obtain forgiveness of sin, and partly in the institution of feasts, at which they could rejoice in the gracious gifts of their God. ואט is not the first pers. imperf. hiphil of נטה (“I inclined myself to him;” Symm., Syr., and others), in which case we should expect ואט , but an adverb, softly, comfortably; and אליו belongs to it, after the analogy of 2 Samuel 18:5. אוכיל is an anomalous formation for אאכיל , like אוביד for אאביד in Jeremiah 46:8 (cf. Ewald, §192, d ; Ges. §68, 2, Anm. 1). Jerome has given the meaning quite correctly: “and I gave them manna for food in the desert, which they enjoyed.”


Verses 5-7

By despising this love, Israel brings severe punishment upon itself. Hosea 11:5. “It will not return into the land of Egypt; but Asshur, he is its king, because they refused to return. Hosea 11:6. And the sword will sweep round in its cities, and destroy its bolts, and devour, because of their counsels. Hosea 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 Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:3, that Israel should return to Egypt, ought not to lead us to resort to alterations of the text, or to take לא in the sense of לו , 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 לא in the sense of הלא , 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 (Rosenmüller). The emphatic הוּא 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 Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:3, Hosea 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 Hosea 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. ואשּׁוּר 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. Baddı̄m , poles (Exodus 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 Hosea 11:7. נעמּי , and my people (= since my people) are harnessed to apostasy from me ( m e shūbhâthı̄ , with an objective suffix). תּלוּאים , 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 תּלה with ל instead of על or ב (2 Samuel 18:10), may be accounted for from the use of the verb in a figurative sense. על־על , upwards ( על as in Hosea 7:16), do they (the prophets: see Hosea 11:2) call them; but it does not rise, sc. to return to God, or seek help from on high. רומם 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” (Psalms 25:1), or “the eyes” (Ezekiel 33:25).


Verse 8-9

They deserved to be utterly destroyed for this, and would have been if the compassion of God had not prevented it. With this turn a transition is made in Hosea 11:8 from threatening to promise. Hosea 11:8. “How could I give thee up, O Ephraim! surrender thee, O Israel! how could I give thee up like Admah, make thee like Zeboim! My heart has changed within me, my compassion is excited all at once. Hosea 11:9. I will not execute the burning heat of my wrath, I will not destroy Ephraim again: for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee: and come not into burning wrath.” “How thoroughly could I give thee up!” sc. if I were to punish thy rebellion as it deserved. Nâthan , to surrender to the power of the enemy, like miggēn in Genesis 14:20. And not that alone, but I could utterly destroy thee, like Admah and Zeboim, the two cities of the valley of Siddim, which were destroyed by fire from heaven along with Sodom and Gomorrha. Compare Deuteronomy 29:22, where Admah and Zeboim are expressly mentioned along with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, which stand alone in Genesis 19:24. With evident reference to this passage, in which Moses threatens idolatrous Israel with the same punishment, Hosea simply mentions the last two as quite sufficient for his purpose, whereas Sodom and Gomorrha are generally mentioned in other passages (Jeremiah 49:18; cf. Matthew 10:15; Luke 10:12). The promise that God will show compassion is appended here, without any adversative particle. My heart has turned, changed in me ( על , lit., upon or with me, as in the similar phrases in 1 Samuel 25:36; Jeremiah 8:18). יחד נכמרוּ , in a body have my feelings of compassion gathered themselves together, i.e., my whole compassion is excited. Compare Genesis 43:30 and 1 Kings 3:26, where, instead of the abstract nichūmı̄m , we find the more definite rachămı̄m , the bowels as the seat of the emotions. עשׂה חרון אף , to carry out wrath, to execute it as judgment (as in 1 Samuel 28:18). In the expression לא אשׁוּב לשׁחת , I will not return to destroy, שׁוּב may be explained from the previous נהפּך לבּי . After the heart of God has changed, it will not return to wrath, to destroy Ephraim; for Jehovah is God, who does not alter His purposes like a man (cf. 1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6), and He shows Himself in Israel as the Holy One, i.e., the absolutely pure and perfect one, in whom there is no alternation of light and darkness, and therefore no variableness in His decrees (see at Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 6:3). The difficult expression בּעיר cannot mean “into a city,” although it is so rendered by the ancient versions, the Rabbins, and many Christian expositors; for we cannot attach any meaning to the words “I do not come into a city” at all in harmony with the context. עיר signifies here aestus irae , the heat of wrath, from עוּר , effervescere , just as in Jeremiah 15:8 it signifies the heat of alarm and anxiety, aestus animi .


Verse 10-11

“They will go after Jehovah; like a lion will He roar; for He will roar: and sons will tremble from the sea. Hosea 11:11. Tremble like birds out of Egypt, and like doves out of the land of Asshur: and I cause them to dwell in their houses, is the saying of Jehovah.” When the Lord turns His pity towards the people once more, they will follow Him, and hasten, with trembling at His voice, from the lands of their banishment, and be reinstated by Him in their inheritance. The way for this promise was opened indeed by Hosea 11:9, but here it is introduced quite abruptly, and without any logical particle of connection, like the same promise in Hosea 3:5. הלך אחרי יי , to walk after the Lord, denotes not only “obedience to the gathering voice of the Lord, as manifested by their drawing near” (Simson), but that walking in true obedience to the Lord which follows from conversion (Deuteronomy 13:5; 1 Kings 14:8), so that the Chaldee has very properly rendered it, “They will follow the worship of Jehovah.” This faithfulness they will exhibit first of all in practical obedience to the call of the Lord. This call is described as the roaring of a lion, the point of comparison lying simply in the fact that a lion announces its coming by roaring, so that the roaring merely indicates a loud, far-reaching call, like the blowing of the trumpet in Isaiah 27:13. The reason for what is affirmed is then given: “for He (Jehovah) will really utter His call,” in consequence of which the Israelites, as His children, will come trembling ( chârēd synonymous with pâchad , Hosea 3:5). מיּם , from the sea, i.e., from the distant islands and lands of the west (Isaiah 11:11), as well as from Egypt and Assyria, the lands of the south and east. These three regions are simply a special form of the idea, “out of all quarters of the globe;” compare the more complete enumeration of the several remote countries in Isaiah 11:11. The comparison to birds and doves expresses the swiftness with which they draw near, as doves fly to their dovecots (Isaiah 60:8). Then will the Lord cause them to dwell in their houses, i.e., settle them once more in their inheritance, in His own land (cf. Jeremiah 32:37, where לבטח is added). On the construing of הושׁיב with על , cf. 1 Kings 20:43, and the German auf der Stube sein . The expression נאם יי affixes the seal of confirmation to this promise. The fulfilment takes place in the last says, when Israel as a nation shall enter the kingdom of God. Compare the remarks on this point at Hosea 2:1-3.