Hosea 5:9

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Hosea 5:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
Hosea 5:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Hosea 5

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
9Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ephraim shall he desolate in the day of rebuke, etc.] The country of the ten tribes shall be laid desolate, the inhabitants of them destroyed either by the sword, or famine, or pestilence, and the rest carried captive, as they were by Shalmaneser; and this was the day of the Lord’s rebuke and chastisement of them: or of the reward of their sins, as the Targum, when the Lord punished them for them; and this is what the trumpet was to be blown for, in order to give notice of, or to call for mourning on account of it: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be; this desolation was foretold by the prophets, and published in all the tribes of Israel, as what should…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Israel is referred to in Hos 5:9, Judah in Hos 5:10. the day of rebuke--the day when I shall chastise him. among the tribes of Israel have I made known--proving that the scene of Hosea's labor was among the ten tribes. that which shall surely be--namely, the coming judgment here foretold. It is no longer a conditional decree, leaving a hope of pardon on repentance; it is absolute, for Ephraim is hopelessly impenitent.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Ephraim shall be desolate - It shall not be lightly rebuked, nor even more grievously chastened; it shall not simply be wasted by famine, pestilence, and the sword; it shall be not simply desolate, but a desolation, one waste, in the day of rebuke, when God brings home to it its sin and punishment. Ephraim was not taken away for a time; it was never restored. I have made known that which shall surely be - o: “Doubt not that this which I say shall come upon thee, for it is a sure saying which I have made known;” literally, one well-grounded, as it was, in the mind, the justice, the holiness, the truth of God. All God’s threatenings or promises are grounded in past experience. So it may also…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Ephraim - The whole kingdom of the ten tribes. Rebuke - When Salmaneser shall besiege, sack and captivate all thy cities, rebuked for their sins. Of Israel - To the house of Israel openly. Made known - By my prophets. Hosea 5:10”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Ephraim: Hos 5:12, Hos 5:14, Hos 8:8, Hos 9:11-17, Hos 11:5, Hos 11:6, Hos 13:1-3, Hos 13:15, Hos 13:16; Job 12:14; Isa 28:1-4; Amo 3:14, Amo 3:15, Amo 7:9, Amo 7:17 have: Isa 46:10, Isa 48:3, Isa 48:5; Amo 3:7; Zac 1:6; Joh 16:4 Hosea 5:10”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“"Ephraim will become a desert in the day of punishment: over the tribes of Israel have I proclaimed that which lasts. Hos 5:10. The princes of Judah have become like boundary-movers; upon them I pour out my wrath like water." The kingdom of Israel will entirely succumb to the punishment. It will become a desert - will be laid waste not only for a time, but permanently. The punishment with which it is threatened will be נאמנה. This word is to be interpreted as in Deu 28:59, where it is applied to lasting plagues, with which God will chastise the obstinate apostasy of His people. By the perfect הודעתּי, what is here proclaimed is represented as a completed event, which will not be altered.…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification