Hosea 12:1

Hosea 12:1

1 “Ephraim ^afeeds on the wind,
And pursues the east wind;
He daily increases lies and¹ desolation.
^bAlso they make a¹ covenant with the Assyrians,
And ^coil is carried to Egypt.

2 “The^a Lord also brings a charge against Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
According to his deeds He will recompense him.

3 He took his brother ^aby the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he ^bstruggled with God.

4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in ^aBethel,
And there He spoke to us—

5 That is, the Lord God of hosts.
The Lord is His ^amemorable name.

6 ^aSo you, by the help of your God, return;
Observe mercy and justice,
And wait on your God continually.

7 “A cunning¹ Canaanite!
^aDeceitful scales are in his hand;
He loves to oppress.

8 And Ephraim said,
^a‘Surely I have become rich,
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors
They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’

9 “But I am the Lord your God,
Ever since the land of Egypt;
^aI will again make you dwell in tents,
As in the days of the appointed feast.

10 ^aI have also spoken by the prophets,
And have multiplied visions;
I have given¹ symbols through the witness of the prophets.”

11 Though ^aGilead has idols—
Surely they are¹ vanity—
Though they sacrifice bulls in ^bGilgal,
Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.

12 Jacob ^afled to the country of Syria;
^bIsrael served for a spouse,
And for a wife he tended sheep.

13 ^aBy a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
And by a prophet he was preserved.

14 Ephraim ^aprovoked Him to anger most bitterly;
Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
^bAnd return his reproach upon him.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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REPROOF OF EPHRAIM AND JUDAH: THEIR FATHER JACOB OUGHT TO BE A PATTERN TO THEM. (Hosea 12:1-14)

This prophecy was delivered about the time of Israel's seeking the aid of the Egyptian king So, in violation of their covenant with Assyria (see Hosea 12:1). He exhorts them to follow their father Jacob's persevering prayerfulness, which brought God's favor upon him. As God is unchangeable, He will show the same favor to Jacob's posterity as He did to Jacob, if, like him, they seek God.

feedeth on wind— (Proverbs 15:14; Isaiah 44:20). Followeth after vain objects, such as alliances with idolaters and their idols (compare Hosea 8:7).

east wind—the simoon, blowing from the desert east of Palestine, which not only does not benefit, but does injury. Israel follows not only things vain, but things pernicious (compare Job 15:2).

increaseth lies—accumulates lie upon lie, that is, impostures wherewith they deceive themselves, forsaking the truth of God.

desolation—violent oppressions practised by Israel [MAURER]. Acts which would prove the cause of Israel's own desolation [CALVIN].

covenant with . . . Assyrians— (Hosea 5:13; Hosea 7:11).

oil . . . into Egypt—as a present from Israel to secure Egypt's alliance (Isaiah 30:6; Isaiah 57:9; compare II Kings 17:4). Palestine was famed for oil (Ezekiel 27:17).

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Hosea 12:1:**

Psalms 37:3
Ecclesiastes 1:14
Ecclesiastes 5:16
Isaiah 30:6
Isaiah 44:20
Isaiah 57:9
Hosea 7:13
Hosea 12:1
Hosea 12:1
Hosea 14:3

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