Hosea 10 6

Hosea 10:6 kjv

It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

Hosea 10:6 nkjv

The idol also shall be carried to Assyria As a present for King Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

Hosea 10:6 niv

It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.

Hosea 10:6 esv

The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

Hosea 10:6 nlt

This idol will be carted away to Assyria,
a gift to the great king there.
Ephraim will be ridiculed and Israel will be shamed,
because its people have trusted in this idol.

Hosea 10 verses

Hosea 10 6 meaning

Hosea 10:6 describes the inevitable judgment on the northern kingdom of Israel, referred to as Ephraim. Their venerated idol, specifically the calf of Beth-aven (Bethel), will be carried off as tribute to the Assyrian king. This act signifies the utter powerlessness of their false god and the complete subjugation of Israel. As a direct consequence of their misplaced trust in idols and reliance on self-devised policies instead of the true God, Israel will experience profound shame and humiliation. This shame arises from the exposure of their folly and the failure of their strategic "counsel," which led to their downfall.

Hosea 10 6 Context

Hosea chapter 10 is part of the prophet's final warnings to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) before its destruction by Assyria. The chapter opens by likening Israel to a luxuriant but faithless vine, bearing fruit for itself and its idols rather than for God. Despite their material prosperity, they have multiplied altars and set up pillars for idol worship (10:1-2). They openly declare their rejection of Yahweh, stating they have "no king" and "no fear of the LORD" (10:3). The prophet details their hypocrisy, broken covenants, and dependence on alliances and false deities rather than the living God (10:4-5). Specifically, the calf idol of Beth-aven (a derogatory renaming of Bethel, meaning "house of wickedness" instead of "house of God") is highlighted as an object of their devotion, which will be cause for their lamentation. Verse 6 flows directly from the lamentation over the calf, prophesying its ultimate humiliation. Historically, this points to the Assyrian campaigns in the 8th century BC, particularly those of Tiglath-Pileser III or Sargon II, who exacted tribute and deported populations. The prophecy is a polemic against the supposed power of the calf and the efficacy of their foreign policy and religious syncretism, revealing their complete emptiness when God's judgment arrives.

Hosea 10 6 Word analysis

• It shall be also carried:

  • This refers to the "calf of Beth-aven" (mentioned in Hosea 10:5), the gold-plated idol worshipped at Bethel.
  • The Hebrew verb is יּוּבַל (yuval), a Pual passive form, meaning "it shall be brought" or "it shall be carried."
  • Significance: Highlights the idol's complete impotence. A god should protect itself; this "god" is carried away like common spoil, powerless and helpless. This undermines its divine claims and demonstrates its mere object status.

• unto Assyria:

  • Hebrew: אַשּׁוּר (ashur). The powerful Mesopotamian empire that was Israel's primary threat and eventual conqueror.
  • Significance: Names the instrument of God's judgment. Assyria, a gentile nation, is used by Yahweh to punish His disobedient people, fulfilling covenant curses.

• for a present:

  • Hebrew: מָן (man) or מַתָּת (mattat). In this context, it implies tribute, plunder, or booty, not a free gift.
  • Significance: The "god" becomes a valuable possession for the foreign conqueror, stripped of any religious significance. This is the ultimate degradation for something revered as divine by Israel. It shows the extent of their defeat.

• to king Jareb:

  • Hebrew: לְמֶלֶךְ יָרֵב (le-melekh yarev). "Jareb" is not a standard Assyrian royal name.
  • Literal meaning of יָרֵב (yarev): derived from the root רִיב (riv), meaning "to contend," "to strive," "to quarrel." It can be translated as "Contentious King" or "Warlike King."
  • Significance: Scholars widely interpret "Jareb" as a descriptive title rather than a specific proper name (e.g., Tiglath-Pileser III or Sargon II could fit the description). It emphasizes the Assyrian king's aggressive, warlike nature and his constant antagonism against nations like Israel. It underscores the destructive reality of Israel's foreign entanglements and their chosen alliances.

• Ephraim shall receive shame:

  • Ephraim: Represents the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel.
  • "receive shame": Hebrew: יֵבוֹשׁ אֶפְרַיִם (yevosh Ephraim), "Ephraim shall be ashamed."
  • Significance: Public disgrace and loss of honor, a severe form of judgment in the ancient Near East. Their identity and trust in their idols and alliances will be exposed as utterly vain, leading to deep humiliation.

• and Israel shall be ashamed:

  • Israel: Reinforces the collective entity, emphasizing that this disgrace applies to the entire northern kingdom.
  • "be ashamed": Repetition (using the same root, בושׁ - bush) intensifies the coming humiliation, ensuring no one misses the severity of their impending disgrace.

• of his own counsel:

  • Hebrew: מֵעֲצָתוֹ (me'atzato), "from his counsel" or "of his own plan/policy."
  • Significance: This phrase is key. It directly attributes Israel's downfall and subsequent shame to their self-devised political and religious strategies, particularly their idolatry, unfaithfulness to God's covenant, and reliance on foreign alliances rather than God. They made their own decisions, and now they will face the bitter, shameful consequences.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "It shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb": This whole phrase vividly depicts the desecration and seizure of what Israel considered holy and powerful. It’s not just removal but appropriation by the enemy as mere war booty, highlighting the conqueror's might and the idol's weakness. The "god" they worshipped is now tribute, proving its falsity.
  • "Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed": The double emphasis on "shame" signifies deep, collective public disgrace and profound spiritual and national humiliation. It reflects the total bankruptcy of their idolatrous and politically pragmatic choices.
  • "of his own counsel": This phrase assigns direct responsibility for their plight. It underscores divine justice, as their suffering is a direct result of their own misguided and disobedient choices, made independently of God's revealed will. They planned their own downfall.

Hosea 10 6 Bonus section

• The phrase "king Jareb" highlights a linguistic device used by Hosea. By playing on the Hebrew root riv ("to contend"), Hosea transforms what might have been a generic title into a prophecy of inevitable conflict and distress brought upon Israel by Assyria. This choice adds layers of meaning to the Assyrian threat, not merely identifying an enemy, but characterizing their inherent nature as a source of contention against God's people.
• The progression from Beth-el ("house of God") to Beth-aven ("house of wickedness" or "house of iniquity") in verse 5, followed by the carrying away of the calf in verse 6, dramatically shows the desecration and deconstruction of Israel's chosen worship. Their center of worship, originally a place of divine encounter for Jacob, became a monument to their apostasy and would now be reduced to an empty, worthless tribute.
• This verse encapsulates the broader theme in prophetic literature where idols, unable to save their devotees, are themselves subject to the same fate as their worshippers, taken captive or destroyed. This demonstrates Yahweh's unique sovereignty over all other perceived deities and nations.

Hosea 10 6 Commentary

Hosea 10:6 is a potent prophecy of judgment, powerfully illustrating the futility of idolatry and self-reliance. The humiliation of the "calf of Beth-aven" being carried away to Assyria as mere spoil epitomizes the complete breakdown of Israel's spiritual and national defenses. Their god proves impotent, and their trust is exposed as misguided. This imagery serves as a sharp contrast to the true God who actively defends His people and is never carried away. The profound shame inflicted upon Ephraim and Israel is not just an external punishment but an internal consequence of realizing the utter foolishness and emptiness of their own plans—plans that excluded God and led them into idolatry and disastrous foreign alliances. The verse emphasizes that their disgrace is a direct result "of his own counsel," a sobering reminder that departure from divine wisdom inevitably leads to ruin and public disgrace. Their "wise" decisions without God culminated in public ignominy and the stripping away of all they valued.