Hosea 10

The original Hebrew text is hard to interpret. That explains why some translations say the vine is “luxuriant” (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) and others say it is “ravaged” (Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation) and empty. Some scholars say Hosea may have intended both and wrote it as a double-entendre. For example, it is both barren and productive because through its behavior, it produced barrenness. Luxuriantly ravaged?

Beth-aven was a sarcastic, slap in the face nickname for Bethel. A little like Filthadelphia for Philadelphia or Liverpuddle for Liverpool. “Bethel” translates as beth = house, and el = god. House of God. “Beth-aven” is the opposite of the joy that comes with having God in the house. It means House of Trouble. Bethel was the main worship center in Israel (1 Kings 12:28-30).

“Ephraim” is another name for the Northern Jewish nation of Israel. It was the dominate tribe, and the last to fall to Assyrian encroachment. The first northern king came from Ephraim. It’s a tribe located at the center of what had been the united nation of Israel before the split. Ephraim’s southern border was just half a day’s walk north of Jerusalem.

Israelites in Gibeah gang-raped and murdered a Levite’s concubine. Attempts to arrest the criminals ended in a civil war that nearly annihilated the tribe of Benjamin (Judges, chapters 19-21).

Threshing is what farmers do to separate grain kernels from stalks. They used animals to pull heavy sleds over the stalks, to break the kernels loose.

This may be a poet’s way of talking about the fall of Israel and the exile that followed and then a repeat of that, but for Judah. Life is easy—like the light duty of threshing. But life is going to become a tough row to hoe. Pulling a plow through the hard and rocky soil in the region is grueling work. The second plowing of the ground turned over once is usually easier than the first plowing. The first plowing may represent Assyria defeating the northern Jewish nation of Israel in 722 BC. Second plowing: Babylonians defeated the southern Jews of Judah in 586 BC.

It’s unclear who Shalman was and when this battle took place. One guess is that the king was Assyria’s Shalmaneser, who ruled from 727-722 BC. He invaded Israel during the reign of Jehu, and perhaps fought this unreported battle on his way to Samaria. Another guess is the invader was a Moabite king named Salmanu, who shows up in a list of kings paying taxes to Tiglath-Pileser III, who ruled before Shalmaneser, from 745-727 BC.

Beth-arbel is often linked to Irbid, a city also known as Arbela. It’s east of the Jordan River. Go south of the Sea of Galilee about 10 miles (16 km), then hang a hard left, turning east. Walk 15 miles (24 km) into the country of Jordan.