to lift · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Israel
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לbe.Yis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · preposition + proper noun, a place name
offended
וַיֶּאְשַׁ֥םvai.ye'.Sham
H816
to be guilty · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Baal
בַּבַּ֖עַלba.Ba.'al
H1168
Baal · preposition with the article + noun, masculine singular absolute
died
וַיָּמֹֽתvai.ya.Mot
H4191
to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Hosea 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Numbers 27:16-23 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
Joshua 3:7 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Mose…
Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Numbers 2:18-21 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Eli…
Numbers 10:22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Amm…
Numbers 13:8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hosea 13:1-4
Idolatry was the sin that did most easily beset the Jewish nation till after the captivity; the ten tribes from the first were guilty of it, but especially after the days of Ahab; and this is the sin which, in these verses, they are charged with. Observe,
I. The provision that God made to prevent their falling into idolatry. This we have, Hos 13:4. God did what was fit to be done to keep them close to himself; what could have been done more? 1. He made known himself to them as the Lord their God, and took them to be his people in a peculiar manner. Both by his word and by his works all along from the land of Egypt he declared, I am the Lord thy God; he told them so from heaven at Mount Sinai…
When Ephraim spake trembling - When he was meek and humble, of a broken heart and contrite spirit.
He exalted himself in Israel - He became great in God's sight; he rose in the Divine esteem in proportion as he sank in his own. But this did not continue.
He offended in Baal - He became an idolater.
He died - The sentence of death from the Divine justice went out against him.
This has been differently understood: "As soon as Ephraim spake (To your tents, O Israel!) There was a trembling or commotion: then the kingdom was exalted in Israel." Thus taken, it refers to the division of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, son of Solomon, Kg1 12:16, etc., and the establishment of the kingdom of Israel und…
When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel,.... Or, with trembling, as Jarchi: so Jeroboam, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, spake before Solomon, a great king, as he observes. R. Moses the priest interprets it of Jeroboam; but it may be understood of the tribe in general, and especially of the heads of it, at anytime before it fell into idolatry; when they spake with submission and humility, they were attended to by the other tribes in all consultations and debates, and great deference was paid unto them; and they were find in great esteem, and highly honoured, agreeably to that common saving of our Lord, "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted", Luke 14:11; or, "when he…
The Church Fathers
"While Ephraim was speaking, horror invaded Israel, and he sinned in Baal and died, and now they have added more sins. They made an idol for themselves from their silver, resembling the idols made by craftsmen. They say of them, "Let them sacrifice humans and adore calves."" LXX: "According to the word, Ephraim received justification in Israel, and placed it by Baal, and he died, and now he has appointed himself to sin, and they have made for themselves a molten image of gold and silver, according to the likeness of idols, the work of craftsmen complete; they say to them, 'Offer men, for the calves have failed.'" Because the seventy [translators] interpreted "Slay ye men, for the calves are failing," and we render [it], "Slay ye men that worship calves"; and Symmachus has interpreted [it], "Slay ye, men, [those] who worship calves"; so that the sense is, "Slay, that is, sacrifice to the idols, and thus let the distinction follow: rational animals, [namely] men, worship calves; mute animals [worship calves]." Therefore, when Ephraim spoke, that is, Jeroboam son of Nabat from the tribe of Ephraim, horror invaded Israel, that is, the ten tribes. For "horror," which is said in Hebrew Rathath, which Symmachus and Theodotion interpreted as "tremor"; while wishing for something, they translated δικαιώματα, that is, "justifications," in the LXX. And so great a horror invaded Israel, that he sinned and offended God in Baal and died, losing him who said, "I am the life" (John XIV, 6). For every soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18). And the Apostle said: "But she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, let her trust in God, and continue in supplications and prayers night and day. For she that liveth in pleasures is dead while she is living" (I Timothy 5:5-6). And not only was he dead in Baal, but he also added sins to sins, so that from the silver which the Lord had given, idols were made, the work of men's hands. To which they themselves say, that is, the priests and princes who ought to have taught the people good things: "Slay men, worshipping calves"; which is also said in the Psalms: "They sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils" (Psalm 106:37). Because we translate it according to Symmachus and Theodotion, as "adoring;" but Aquila interpreted it as καταφιλοῦντες, that is, "kissing." For those who adore, they are accustomed to kiss their own hand; which Job…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Hosea 13:1
1. When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
1. Quam loqueretur Ephraim, tremor: extulit se ipse in Israel, et peccavit in Baal, et mortuus est.
Interpreters agree not in their view of this verse. Some say that trembling was excited in Israel when Ephraim, that is, Jeroboam, who was born of that tribe, exhorted the people to worship the calves. By the word rtt, retat, "trembling," they understand, that the people were so astonished, that they without thought immediately obeyed the will, or rather the humour, of their impious king. And if this sense be approved, the word, trembling, may be in another way explained, even i…
Because Israel would not desist from its idolatry, and entirely forgot the goodness of its God, He would destroy its might and glory (Hos 13:1-8). Because it did not acknowledge the Lord as its help, its throne would be annihilated along with its capital; but this judgment would become to all that were penitent a regeneration to newness of life. Hos 13:1. "When Ephraim spake, there was terror; he exalted himself in Israel; then he offended through Baal, and died. Hos 13:2. And now they continue to sin, and make themselves molten images out of their silver, idols according to their understanding: manufacture of artists is it all: they say of them, Sacrificers of men: let them kiss calves." In…
At the height of its power, the tribe of Ephraim evoked terror among other Israelites (see Isa 7:2). • and thus sealed their destruction (literally and he [Ephraim] died): Because of their idolatry, they had cut themselves off from the Lord, the only true source of life.
Rashi on Hosea 13:1
When Ephraim spoke with trembling When Jeroboam showed zeal for the Omnipresent and spoke harshly against Solomon, and tremblingly, for Solomon was a great king.
he became exalted in Israel Thence he merited to be elevated to he king over Israel.
when he became guilty through Baal As soon as he assumed greatness and became guilty with Baal.
he died i.e., Jeroboam’s dynasty was terminated, and so was Ahab’s dynasty. Jonathan renders: When one of the house of Ephraim would speak, fear would seize the nations. They were great among Israel, but when they sinned by worshipping idols, they were slain.
