Hosea 5 1

Hosea 5:1 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.

Hosea 5:1 nkjv

"Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor.

Hosea 5:1 niv

"Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor.

Hosea 5:1 esv

Hear this, O priests! Pay attention, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For the judgment is for you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread upon Tabor.

Hosea 5:1 nlt

"Hear this, you priests.
Pay attention, you leaders of Israel.
Listen, you members of the royal family.
Judgment has been handed down against you.
For you have led the people into a snare
by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor.

Hosea 5 verses

Hosea 5 1 meaning

Hosea 5:1 serves as an urgent and severe prophetic pronouncement, calling Israel's key leadership — the priests, the general populace (represented by "house of Israel"), and the royal family — to profound attention. It unequivocally declares that divine judgment is set against them. This verse signals a shift from diagnosis of spiritual illness to the direct announcement of its grim consequences, highlighting their collective responsibility and culpability before God.

Hosea 5 1 Context

Hosea 5:1 builds directly upon the accusations laid out in Chapter 4, where the prophet meticulously details the spiritual and moral depravity prevalent in Israel. Chapter 4 accused the priests of failing to uphold God's law and knowledge, leading the people astray. Chapter 5 begins with a direct, triple-imperative summons to the nation's key leadership groups: the priests (religious authority), the house of Israel (the collective populace, representing the national entity), and the house of the king (the political and royal authority). This unified address underscores their collective and interlocking culpability in Israel's deep-seated corruption and idolatry.

Historically, this period refers to the waning years of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) before its fall to Assyria in 722 BCE. It was marked by political instability (a rapid succession of kings, often through assassinations), widespread idolatry influenced by surrounding Canaanite practices (e.g., Baal worship at cultic sites like Mizpah and Tabor mentioned in later verses), and social injustice. The leaders had a covenantal responsibility to maintain faithfulness to YHWH and uphold His Torah, but they had universally failed, leading to a profound state of apostasy. The pronouncement of judgment (מִשְׁפָּט - mishpat) is therefore not an arbitrary punishment, but the righteous consequence of covenant breaking, pronounced against those entrusted with leading God's people.

Hosea 5 1 Word analysis

• Hear this, (שִׁמְעוּ זֹאת - Shim'u zot)

  • שִׁמְעוּ (Shim'u): A strong imperative plural verb meaning "hear" or "listen." It commands immediate and attentive reception. Its usage often indicates a call to understand and obey, not just to perceive sound. In a prophetic context, it’s an urgent summons to heed God’s word, especially regarding serious matters like impending judgment.
  • זֹאת (zot): This demonstrative pronoun "this" emphasizes the specific, grave declaration that follows, demanding undivided attention to what is about to be said.

• O priests! (הַכֹּהֲנִים - hakohenim)

  • הַכֹּהֲנִים (hakohenim): Refers to the levitical priests, specifically those officiating in Israel's worship centers (often corrupted, like Bethel and Gilgal). As guardians and teachers of the Torah, and mediators of covenant ritual, they held supreme spiritual authority and responsibility. Their failure to teach God's law (Hos 4:6) and their participation in idolatry were primary catalysts for national apostasy.

• Give heed, (וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ - vehaqshiv'u)

  • וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ (vehaqshiv'u): Another imperative, plural verb, stronger than shim'u. It means "give careful attention," "listen attentively," or "pay close heed." Its inclusion, after "hear this," intensifies the urgency and implies a need for deep understanding and personal application of the message. This term often appears in solemn legal or prophetic contexts.

• O house of Israel! (בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל - beit Yisra'el)

  • בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל (beit Yisra'el): "House of Israel" primarily denotes the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim). It represents the nation as a collective entity—its people, its tribes, and its overall societal structure. They are accountable for their corporate sin and complicity, not just their leaders.

• And listen, (וְהַאֲזִינוּ - veha'azinu)

  • וְהַאֲזִינוּ (veha'azinu): The third consecutive imperative, meaning "listen," "give ear," often implying a readiness to internalize and act upon what is heard. This rhetorical repetition ("hear... give heed... listen") is a common Hebrew device (epanadiplosis/tautology for emphasis), powerfully underscoring the vital importance and gravity of the message, demanding that none present can claim ignorance.

• O house of the king! (וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ - uveit hammelékh)

  • וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ (uveit hammelékh): "House of the king" refers to the reigning monarch and his entire royal court and political administration. The monarchy's establishment (against divine counsel, but God permitted it), its involvement in syncretistic worship (e.g., King Jeroboam I's golden calves at Bethel and Dan), and its policies of injustice meant they shared a profound guilt. They held the ultimate secular power but failed to guide the nation righteously.

• For judgment is against you. (כִּי לָכֶם הַמִּשְׁפָּט - ki lakhem hammishpat)

  • כִּי (ki): A causal conjunction, "for" or "because," explaining the reason for the urgent call to attention.
  • לָכֶם (lakhem): The preposition "to" or "for" with the plural suffix "you," indicating "against you." It specifies the addressees (priests, house of Israel, house of the king) as the direct recipients of this impending judgment. It carries the weight of a divine lawsuit's verdict.
  • הַמִּשְׁפָּט (hammishpat): "The judgment" or "the legal decision/sentence." Mishpat encompasses concepts of justice, right, verdict, and the execution of a judicial sentence. Here, it is God’s divine, unappealable verdict, already determined and soon to be carried out. It is a pronouncement of legal consequence, signifying that their actions have led to a decisive legal process with a negative outcome.

Hosea 5 1 Bonus section

The deliberate order of address – priests, then the house of Israel, then the house of the king – might imply a hierarchy of responsibility. The priests, being the closest to God's law and responsible for its teaching, are addressed first, signifying their foundational failure. The nation (house of Israel) is culpable for following and participating in this unfaithfulness. The king, as the ultimate secular authority, bears the weight of the nation's political and moral direction. This structure points to a comprehensive collapse from the top down and throughout society.

The repetition of the imperative to "listen" (שִׁמְעוּ, וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ, וְהַאֲזִינוּ) is a potent rhetorical device. It does not suggest God thinks they haven't physically heard before, but rather that they have refused to heed and internalize the implications of their actions and earlier warnings. It reflects a hardening of heart that necessitated such a blunt, unmistakable declaration of their fate. This triple call underscores the gravity of their spiritual deafness.

Hosea 5 1 Commentary

Hosea 5:1 presents a critical prophetic pivot point, moving from general indictment to specific condemnation. The prophet's triplicate call to attention — "Hear this!", "Give heed!", "And listen!" — creates a sense of profound urgency, ensuring that no sector of Israelite society can feign ignorance of the coming pronouncement. By individually addressing the priests (religious elite), the entire "house of Israel" (the populace and nation), and the "house of the king" (the political rulers), Hosea meticulously covers the full spectrum of authority and collective identity. This inclusive summons emphasizes that corruption has permeated every level of society, and therefore, responsibility and judgment extend to all.

The climactic declaration, "For judgment is against you," serves as the stern pronouncement of the divine verdict. This mishpat is not a mere warning but a determined sentence, signaling that their consistent breach of covenant, their leadership failures in spiritual and temporal matters, and their widespread apostasy have reached a point where divine consequence is inevitable and decreed. The judgment is not just 'coming'; it has been decisively set against them. This verse highlights the profound interrelation of religious, national, and political life under God's covenant, where the failures of leaders directly contribute to the downfall of the people and the nation.