Bible Commentaries

Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment [is] toward you, because ye have been a ^a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

(a) The priests and princes caught the poor people in their snares, as the fowlers did the birds, in these two high mountains.

And the revolters are profound to make ^b slaughter, though I [have been] a ^c rebuker of them all.

(b) Even though they seemed to be given altogether to holiness, and to sacrifices which here he calls slaughter in contempt.

(c) Though I had admonished them continually by my Prophets.

I know ^d Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, [and] Israel is defiled.

(d) They boasted themselves not only to be Israelites, but also Ephraimites, because their King Jeroboam came from that tribe.

And the ^e pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.

(e) Meaning their condemning of all admonitions.

They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten ^f strange children: now shall ^g a month devour them with their portions.

(f) That is, their children are degenerate, so that there is no hope in them.

(g) Their destruction is not far off.

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, [and] the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud [at] Bethaven, after thee, O ^h Benjamin.

(h) That is, all of Israel that was included under this tribe, signifying that the Lord's plagues would pursue them from place to place until they were destroyed.

Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made ⁱ known that which shall surely be.

(i) By the success they will know that I have surely determined this.

The princes of Judah were like them that ^k remove the bound: [therefore] I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

(k) They have turned upside down all political order and all manner of religion.

Ephraim [is] oppressed [and] broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the ^l commandment.

(l) That is, after King Jeroboam's commandment, and did not rather follow God.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah [saw] his wound, then went Ephraim to ^m the Assyrian, and sent to king ⁿ Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

(m) Instead of seeking for remedy from God's hand.

(n) Who was king of the Assyrians.