1 ISRAEL is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.
2 Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
3 For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us?
4 They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6 It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
7 As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.
8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
10 It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods.
12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

1Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruite vnto himselfe: according to the multitude of his fruite, he hath increased the altars, according to the goodnesse of his land, they haue made goodly images.

2Their heart is diuided: now shall they be found faultie: hee shall breake downe their altars: he shall spoile their images.

3For now they shall say, We haue no King, because we feared not the Lord, What then should a King doe to vs?

4They haue spoken words, swearing falsely in making a couenant: thus iudgement springeth vp as hemlocke in the furrowes of the field.

5The inhabitants of Samaria shall feare, because of the calues of Bethauen: for the people thereof shall mourne ouer it, and the priests thereof that reioyced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

6It shall be also caried vnto Assyria for a present to King Iareb: Ephraim shall receiue shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his owne counsell.

7As for Samaria, her King is cut off as the fome vpon the water.

8The high places also of Auen, the sinne of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorne and the thistle shall come vp on their altars; and they shall say to the mountaines, Couer vs; and to the hilles, Fall on vs.

9O Israel, thou hast sinned from the dayes of Gibeah: there they stood: the battell in Gibeah against the children of iniquitie did not ouertake them.

10It is in my desire that I should chastise them, and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselues in their two furrowes.

11And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught and loueth to tread out the corne, but I passed ouer vpon her faire necke: I will make Ephraim to ride: Iudah shall plow, and Iacob shall breake his clods.

12Sow to your selues in righteousnesse, reape in mercie: breake vp your fallow ground: for it is time to seeke the Lord, till he come and raine righteousnesse vpon you.

13Ye haue plowed wickednesse, yee haue reaped iniquitie, ye haue eaten the fruite of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mightie men.

14Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall bee spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battell: the mother was dashed in pieces vpon her children.

15So shall Bethel doe vnto you, because of your great wickednesse: in a morning shall the king of Israel be vtterly cut off.

I == Nah 2:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIII == Luke 23:30 ; Rew 6:16 ; 9:6

 

 

 

 

 

X == Deut 28:63 ; Jer 16:16 ; Ezek 23:46-47

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Prov 11:18 ; Jer 4:3

 

 

XIII == Job 4:8 ; Prov 22:8 ; Gal 6:7-8

 

XIV == 2nd Kings 18:34 ; 19:13

1 Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; The more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up.

2 Their heart is false, now they pay for their guilt; God shall break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.

3 If they would say, "We have no king" - Since they do not fear the LORD, what can the king do for them?

4 Nothing but make promises, swear false oaths, and make alliances, While justice grows wild like wormwood in a plowed field!

5 The inhabitants of Samaria fear for the calf of Beth-aven; The people mourn for it and its priests wail over it, because the glory has departed from it.

6 It too shall be carried to Assyria, as an offering to the great king. Ephraim shall be taken into captivity, Israel be shamed by his schemes.

7 The king of Samaria shall disappear, like foam upon the waters.

8 The high places of Aven shall be destroyed, the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars. Then they shall cry out to the mountains, "Cover us!" and to the hills, "Fall upon us!"

9 Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel. There they took their stand; war was not to reach them in Gibeah.

10 Against the wanton people I came and I chastised them; I gathered troops against them when I chastised them for their two crimes.

11 Ephraim was a trained heifer, willing to thresh; I myself laid a yoke upon her fair neck; Ephraim was to be harnessed, Judah was to plow, Jacob was to break his furrows:

12 "Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety; Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain down justice upon you."

13 But you have cultivated wickedness, reaped perversity, and eaten the fruit of falsehood. Because you have trusted in your chariots, and in your many warriors,

14 Turmoil shall break out among your tribes and all your fortresses shall be ravaged As Salman ravaged Beth-arbel in time of war, smashing mothers and their children.

15 So shall it be done to you, Bethel, because of your utter wickedness: At dawn the king of Israel shall perish utterly.

THE GLORY OF BETHEL IS DEPARTED

v 1-4. Israel had honored false gods for the productivity the Lord gave while still going to the altar. The Lord would destroy their places of false worship and remove their king before they would realize a king could not help their wicked condition. They were as deceitful and disloyal with each other as they had been to God.

 

 

 

v 5-7. Israel’s false idols and altars would be broken to pieces, Thorns and thistles would grow over the place where they had been. Their king would be carried away by Assyrians, leaving them fearful. They were swept away like foam or a twig on rivers.
v 8-10. The same plea from sinful people for mountains to fall on them will be made again in the Tribulation, Rev. 6:16. Again Gibeah is mentioned,1:9, as indication of the sins of Israel. They are bound in double sin, at Gibeah and here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 11,12. Working unmuzzled on a threshing floor was easy, but Ephraim preferred being yoked to sin. Judah also, so they were given a hard plowing job. Even after all that, God told her to cultivate righteousness and He would rain righteousness on them.

 

V 14 "Shalman may be Shalmaneser.

v 13-15. Israel’s response had been that they trusted in military might instead of God, so He allowed them to fall under the brutality of (Shalmanezer?) near the Sea of Galilee. The nation as a whole would suffer similar defeat and lose their king.