Hosea 9:16 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hosea 9:16
Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
to strike (lightly or severely · verb, hophal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
root
שָׁרְשָׁ֥םsha.re.Sham
H8328
a root (literally or figuratively) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
up
יָבֵ֖שׁya.Vesh
H3001
to be ashamed · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
bear
יַעֲשׂ֑וּןya.'a.Sun
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
fruit
פְּרִ֣יpe.Ri
H6529
fruit (literally or figuratively) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
forth
יֵֽלֵד֔וּןye.le.Dun
H3205
to bear young · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
slay
וְהֵמַתִּ֖יve.he.ma.Ti
H4191
to die (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
beloved
מַחֲמַדֵּ֥יma.cha.ma.Dei
H4261
delightful · noun, common masculine plural construct
womb
בִטְנָֽםvit.Nam
H990
the belly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
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 9:11-13 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
Ezekiel 24:21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of…
Isaiah 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shal…
Job 18:16 His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.
Isaiah 40:24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon…
Hosea 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
Hosea 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strang…
Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day tha…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hosea 9:11–end
In the foregoing verses we saw the sin of Israel derived from their fathers; here we see the punishment of Israel derived to their children; for, as death entered by sin at first, so it is still entailed with it. We may observe, in these verses,
I. The sin of Ephraim. Some expressions are here which describe that. 1. They did not hearken to God (Hos 9:17); they did not give attention to the voice either of his word or of his rod; they did not believe what he said, nor would they be ruled by him. He told them their duty, their interest, their danger, but they regarded him not; all he said to them by his words and by his prophets was to them as a tale that is told; and then no wonder that we h…
The figures "root," "fruit," are suggested by the word "Ephraim," that is, fruitful (see on Hos 9:11-12). "Smitten," namely, with a blight (Psa 102:4).
Adam Clarke on Hosea 9:16
Ephraim is smitten - The thing being determined, it is considered as already done.
Their root is dried up - They shall never more be a kingdom. And they never had any political form from their captivity by the Assyrians to the present day.
Yea, though they bring forth - See the note on Hos 9:11-12 (note).
John Gill on Hosea 9:16
Ephraim is smitten,.... The people of the ten tribes, the kingdom of Israel, who had been like a tree planted in a pleasant place, Hosea 9:13; and were in very flourishing circumstances in the times of Jeroboam the second; but now were like a tree smitten with thunder and lightning, or hail stones, and beat to pieces; or with the heat of the sun, or with blasting winds, or by worms; as in the succeeding reigns, by the judgments of God upon them; by civil wars, conspiracies, and murders among themselves; and by the exactions of Pul and depredations of Tiglathpileser kings of Assyria; and quickly would be smitten again; the present being put for the future, because of the certainty of it, as u…
"Ephraim is struck: their root has dried up, they will bear no fruit. Even if they do, I will kill the beloved offspring of their womb. My God will reject them because they did not listen to him, and they will wander among the nations." LXX: "Ephraim grieves over his roots: they are withered, and bear no fruit, and even if they give birth, I will kill the cherished offspring of their wombs. God will reject them because they have not listened to him, and they will wander among the nations." It takes a metaphor from a tree, which if its roots are dried up, it will not be able to bear fruit, and if it does even a little, it will soon wither in its own flower. But he speaks of Ephraim, whose root is withered, because he destroyed the God in whom he was founded, or did not deserve to have his fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in whom he had sent his roots: and therefore he does not bear the fruit of righteousness; and if he does, "I will slay," he said, "the dearest of his womb," according to what he had said above: "If they bring up their children, I will make them childless among men:" hence God rejected them and made them go into captivity. "And they shall wander among the nations." We can say this about all the Jews whose leaders have departed from God, stirring up the people to demand his death; therefore, he cast them out of his house and will not love them anymore. He struck their root and dried it up, and they will never bear fruit again, even if they study the Holy Scripture and the Law, and produce something of knowledge and doctrine from their heart as if they were beloved children; the Lord will oppose them and they will be cut off. For God has rejected them, all the prophets, because they did not listen to Him; and they will wander among the nations, not having an altar, not having a seat, not having a proper city. Therefore, David also speaks in the psalm: "Do not kill them, lest my people forget: scatter them by your power" (Psalm 59:12). And in another place: "Expel them according to the multitude of their impieties, for they have provoked You, Lord" (Psalm 5:12). We read about this tree also in the Gospel: 'Now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree therefore that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into fire' (Matthew 3:10). Let no one doubt that heretics are incapable of producing the fruits of virtues,…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Trees · Illustrative: (Barren,) of the wicked — Illustrative: (Barren,) of the wicked
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Hosea 9:16
Hosea 9:16
16. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
16. Percussus est Ephraim, radix eorum exaruit, fructum non facient: etiamsi genuerint, tunc interficiam desiderabilia uteri ipsorum.
The Prophet again threatens extreme vengeance to the Israelites. It is no wonder that the same sentence is so often repeated; for hypocrites, we know, too much flatter themselves, and are not frightened even by the most grievous threatening. As then hypocrites are so stupid, they must be often, nay, frequently pricked, and most sharply, that they may at length be awakened out of their torpor…
"Ephraim is smitten: their root is dried up; they will bear no fruit: even if they beget, I slay the treasures of their womb. Hos 9:17. My God rejects them: for they have not hearkened to Him, and they shall be fugitives among the nations." In Hos 9:16 Israel is compared to a plant, that is so injured by the heat of the sun (Psa 121:6; Psa 102:5), or by a worm (Jon 4:7), that it dries up and bears no more fruit. The perfects are a prophetic expression, indicating the certain execution of the threat. This is repeated in Hos 9:16 in figurative language; and the threatening in Hos 9:11, Hos 9:12, is thereby strengthened. Lastly, in Hos 9:17 the words of threatening are rounded off by a statemen…
All their wickedness began at Gilgal: Gilgal was the base camp for Joshua’s army (Josh 5:10; 10:6, 43) and the place where Saul was made king (1 Sam 11:15). Saul also disobeyed God and was rejected as king at Gilgal (1 Sam 13:8-15; 15:10-23). Israel’s leaders, including its first king, had led the nation away from their true king, the Lord. • I will love them no more: Although a different Hebrew word is used here, the prophetic judgment reflects the name of Hosea’s daughter (Hos 1:6).
Rashi on Hosea 9:16
they shall not produce fruit It is not good for them to multiply, for, even if they bear children, I will slay the precious ones of their womb.
