Hosea 12 Study Notes

12:1-8 Dependence on foreign alliances meant trusting in deceit and violence. In doing so, Israel was playing with fire (2Kg 18:21; Is 30:12-13).

12:3-5 Hosea rebuked Israel by pointing out that although their namesake Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel) had once been a faithless, self-centered conniver, he met God first at Bethel and was later changed in the encounter at the Jabbok River. The people of Israel, on the other hand, met Baal at Bethel (Beth-aven) and, in effect, died (13:1).

12:6 Again Hosea exhorted a threefold repentance (cp. 6:1; 10:12; 14:2-3).

12:9 The Lord was going to cause Israel to live in the wilderness again, in tents, as during the Feast of Shelters.

12:10-11 The second line of v. 10 can be rendered “and I am the one who caused visions to abound.” But Israel disposed of God’s revelation and pursued pagan sacrifices at Gilead and Gilgal, for which they would receive nothing but piles of rocks.

12:12-13 The prophet took up here where he left off in v. 4 and compared Israel’s experience in Egypt to that of Jacob in Aram. Both man and nation went seeking for refuge in a foreign land but ended up being enslaved instead. But whereas Jacob came out shepherding flocks (Gn 31:17-18), the nation was led like a flock by a shepherd (Moses, see Ex 13).

12:14-13:1 Ephraim had preeminence among the northern tribes but threw it away through their contempt of God’s law. Their worship of Baal was a capital offense and incurred bloodguilt.