An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 174: Those Darn Ephraimites (Hosea 11-14)

Hosea 11-14
Those Darn Ephraimites.

Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT

For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

Hosea 11

“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”

More on how the Ephraimites are the worst backsliders of all – here, at the end of this chapter, Hosea condemns Israel and Ephraim, but not Judah, who is “yet faithful with the saints”. The second verse “As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images” is a really good example of the frustrating use of pronouns that the KJV occasionally throws out. Who, exactly, are the “they” and “them”? From context, one must be the Israelites, perhaps the others the Egyptians, but really, it’s not clear. The intent of the passage is deducable, that the Israelites turned to foreign gods, but could be made more clear.

The rest of the chapter covers familiar ground, but it’s interesting that Hosea, writing long before the end of the kingdoms, predicts that Israel and Judah will turn to Egypt for help but ultimately be taken over by Assyria. But despite this, and despite the apostacy, God refuses to give up on His people and promises to call them out of the various lands where they are scattered.

Hosea 12

“Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.”

Hosea really doesn’t like the Ephraimites. This is a confusing chapter; it describes incidents in the life of Jacob – his birth clutching the heel of Esau and his wrestling with an angel. This turns to how the Israelites should keep the covenant, and of how the Ephraimites, well, I think this means that they show pride “And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin”. Whatever the Ephramites have done, they think that either they have done no wrong, or that it doesn’t matter because they’ve prospered anyway. That’s my reading of it, at least. Hosea, however, begs to differ. “Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him”.

Hosea 13

“When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.”

Again with the Ephraimites. Because they have made idols of gold and silver, worshipping calves, they will become “as the early dew that passeth away”, or like chaff, or smoke, short-lived and ephemeral. God promises to become like a wild beast (variously a lion, leopard and a bear. Oh my. Almost) and “rend” the apostates. There is reference here to King Saul, who was grudgingly given by God and then taken away again – the intent here is that God Himself is the only king worthy of the name, not mortals with bad tempers. The chapter ends with an incongruous mix of the concept of redemption from death, a very NT concept, and of an unpleasant fate for the Samaritans; “their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up”. This is because the Samaritans have “rebelled against her god”. Which brings me back to a point I raised last time Surely the Samaritans are not of the covenant, and so have no duty to worship Yahweh. And if the god of Samaria is just another idol, why would He care if they are pious or not? Unless many Samaritans have converted to the Israelite God; but would they be allowed to? It’s an odd passage that throws up a lot of questions.

Hosea 14

“O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.”

Well, the book ends with a possible reconciliation between God and the Israelites, which is a nice way to finish. Even the Ephraimites have grace if they turn away from idol worship (possibly a god called here Asshur ). Not sure why riding horses is considered a bad thing, perhaps Asshur is some kind of horse god (to the internet…). God promises to enlarge and bless Israel again, like dew watering a lily or a cedar tree. Hosea lays out his moral teachings plainly in the last verse “for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein”

(One trip to Wikipedia later): Okay, Asshur is the main god of the Assyrians – see the naming similarity? Seems like a fairly typical sun god type, so I can see him being in direct conflict with Yahweh for iconography. Interestingly he seems to be represented with elements of man, eagle, ox and lion, which recalls the aliens angels in Ezekiel’s vision.

And that’s it for Hosea. I’ve perhaps not done him much justice, but the use of imagery is quite good in this book even if sometimes the attributions get confusing. Read it as much for the feeling as for the specific words. Coming after the three big prophets there isn’t much novel to the book, which is perhaps why it’s not spawned as many well-known images and sayings as, say, Daniel, but I’m amused by Hosea having to marry a woman of “loose morals” because God wants to make a metaphor. I wonder how the marriage proposal was phrased?