Hosea 8 5

Hosea 8:5 kjv

Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?

Hosea 8:5 nkjv

Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them? How long until they attain to innocence?

Hosea 8:5 niv

Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?

Hosea 8:5 esv

I have spurned your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

Hosea 8:5 nlt

"O Samaria, I reject this calf ?
this idol you have made.
My fury burns against you.
How long will you be incapable of innocence?

Hosea 8 verses

Hosea 8 5 meaning

Hosea 8:5 conveys God's resolute rejection of Israel's central idolatry and His burning anger toward the people. The verse declares the futility and impending abandonment of the golden calf, the principal symbol of the Northern Kingdom's apostasy centered in Samaria. It highlights God's exasperated question regarding Israel's persistent inability to cleanse themselves from this sin and return to pure worship. The message signifies impending divine judgment due to their spiritual unfaithfulness and deep-seated corruption.

Hosea 8 5 Context

Hosea 8:5 is situated within a broader denunciation of Israel's idolatry and impending judgment. Chapter 8 begins with a pronouncement of immediate divine judgment (like an eagle swooping), primarily because Israel has broken God's covenant and transgressed His law by adopting foreign ways and making idols. The preceding verses highlight their unauthorized choice of kings without divine consent and the fabrication of silver and gold idols for their own destruction. This specific verse zeroes in on the most prominent of these idols: the golden calf. The prophet Hosea speaks directly to the Northern Kingdom (Israel, identified by its capital Samaria) shortly before its collapse at the hands of Assyria. Culturally, calf worship at Bethel and Dan was deeply entrenched, a syncretistic practice introduced by Jeroboam I, combining reverence for YHWH with a visual symbol often associated with fertility gods like Baal or Mesopotamian bull deities. It was an attempt to make God tangible and accessible, violating the second commandment.

Hosea 8 5 Word analysis

• Your calf: Hebrew: ‘Eglātēk (עֶגְלָתֵךְ). This is a feminine singular noun with a possessive suffix, "your calf." The use of "calf" here is specific to the golden calves set up by Jeroboam I in Bethel and Dan (1 Kgs 12:28-29) as alternative worship centers to Jerusalem. It symbolizes the epitome of Israel's apostasy. The feminine form can be diminutive, implying contempt, or simply grammatical. It is the core object of their false worship, embodying their breach of the first two commandments.
• is cast off: Hebrew: Zanaḥ (זָנַח). This verb means "to cast off," "reject," "abandon," or "despise." In this context, it carries significant theological weight. It could imply: (1) God Himself has rejected the calf as utterly worthless, signaling His withdrawal from their false worship. (2) The calf itself is about to be cast off or removed from the people through judgment and destruction (i.e., by the Assyrians). (3) The idol is ineffective; it has "recoiled" or failed to protect. All interpretations point to the imminent destruction and utter worthlessness of the idol in God's eyes and its ultimate inability to save or provide security for its worshipers.
• O Samaria!: Samaria was the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, chosen by Omri and made prosperous by his son Ahab. By addressing Samaria, Hosea targets the entire kingdom and its leadership, which facilitated and institutionalized idolatry. Samaria was a political, religious, and economic hub, symbolizing the collective sin and fate of the ten northern tribes.
• My anger burns: Hebrew: ‘Appi ḥārâ (אַפִּי חָרָה). ‘Appi means "My nose" (plural of aph meaning nose/face) and metaphorically refers to "My anger" due to the traditional association of breathing heavily through the nostrils with intense anger. ḥārâ means "to burn" or "to be hot." This anthropomorphic expression vividly portrays God's fierce, active, and justified indignation. It emphasizes the intensity of divine wrath not against the inanimate calf, but "against them" — the people who chose to worship it.
• against them: Refers to the people of Israel who crafted and worshiped the calf, thereby incurring God's wrath. This clearly distinguishes between the worthless idol and the culpable worshipers.
• How long: Hebrew: ‘Ad mātay (עַד מָתַי). This phrase expresses deep divine exasperation, impatience, and lament. It's a common rhetorical question in Scripture, particularly in psalms of lament, signaling a cry for intervention or a longing for repentance that is long overdue. It underscores the profound weariness of God with Israel's persistent unfaithfulness.
• will they be incapable of purity?: Hebrew: Lō’ yiḵelû niqyôn (לֹא יִכְלּוּ נִקְיוֹן). Lō’ means "not." Yiḵelû comes from kālāh, meaning "to be complete," "to finish," "to achieve," or "to endure." Niqyôn means "cleanness," "innocence," or "purity." This phrase suggests a profound spiritual inability, a moral and spiritual bankruptcy. Israel has become so deeply entrenched in idolatry and sin that they seem constitutionally unable or unwilling to return to a state of spiritual cleanliness and devotion to YHWH alone. Their idolatrous ways prevent any true spiritual repentance or renewal.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Your calf is cast off, O Samaria!": This declarative statement asserts divine judgment upon Israel's primary idol and its national center. It's an announcement of the idol's impotence and God's rejection of the entire syncretistic religious system based in Samaria. The judgment isn't merely on the object, but the theology and practice it represents.
• "My anger burns against them.": This short, stark sentence reveals the deep personal offense taken by God at His people's actions. The target of His anger is clearly identified as "them" (the people), demonstrating their accountability. It connects the action (casting off the calf) directly to God's burning displeasure.
• "How long will they be incapable of purity?": This rhetorical question underlines the theological heart of the problem. It highlights the persistence of their sin and their hardened hearts. It speaks to a deep-seated spiritual malady that renders them unwilling or unable to achieve the clean worship and obedient living God requires. It's a cry of divine longing for their genuine return.

Hosea 8 5 Bonus section

The consistent emphasis on "calf" in Hosea (cf. Hos 10:5-6, 13:2) underlines its foundational role in Israel's apostasy, tracing back directly to Jeroboam's original sin (1 Kgs 12) which effectively solidified the schism with Judah. This was a direct violation of God's prohibition against making graven images (Exod 20:4) and worshiping other gods (Exod 20:3). Furthermore, the notion of being "incapable of purity" also highlights a theological reality often expounded in Scripture: sustained sin can sear the conscience and blind the heart, making repentance increasingly improbable from a human perspective. It speaks to the spiritual deadness that develops over generations of rebellion. While the call for purity is universal across the Bible, Hosea emphasizes Israel's peculiar inability to answer that call, not because of a lack of divine revelation or opportunity, but due to their willful embrace of spiritual harlotry. The reference to Samaria as the central point underscores the national, institutionalized nature of this apostasy, where the highest echelons of society participated in and sanctioned this offensive worship.

Hosea 8 5 Commentary

Hosea 8:5 is a sharp and succinct indictment against Israel's pervasive idolatry, epitomized by the golden calf. God pronounces judgment upon this false worship, signaling His utter rejection of the idol and the religious system it represents. "Your calf is cast off" suggests either its abandonment by God, its imminent destruction by foreign powers (Assyria), or its intrinsic worthlessness and impotence. The shift from "calf" to "them" underscores that divine anger targets the people who engage in this rebellion, not merely the inanimate object. God's wrath burns fiercely, stemming from His broken covenant and the persistent affront of idolatry. The profound, almost mournful question, "How long will they be incapable of purity?", reveals God's divine exasperation. It highlights a spiritual incapacitation in Israel – an entrenched, willful inability to repent, cleanse themselves, and return to exclusive, unblemished devotion to YHWH. This isn't merely a delay in repentance, but a profound internal corruption preventing them from ever attaining genuine spiritual purity apart from divine intervention, which they resist. The verse, therefore, sets the stage for the severe judgment that awaits Samaria and the entire Northern Kingdom. Practically, it teaches that false worship and sin cultivate a spiritual hardness that makes true repentance progressively difficult, culminating in judgment when God's patience runs out.