Hosea Speaks to Ephraim

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In this post I will continue the study of Hosea and start the climb into the hill country of Ephraim. If this combination sounds strange, consider that the Lord had Hosea specifically use the name of Ephraim over thirty times in eleven chapters.

Hosea – In verse 1 of Chapter 1 is the timestamp of his ministry; the three kings that I want to call attention to is Uzziah, Jotham, and the king of Israel/Samaria, Jeroboam. Jeroboam II is a grandchild of Jehu, the crazy chariot driver. This places Hosea with Amos, primarily, and Isaiah. He would have seen one Assyrian king conquer the Northern Kingdom and then another one smash Judah but not defeat Jerusalem. The shadow of the Assyrian storm cloud covers the ministry and writings of seven prophets (maybe 8) and Assyria was cruel to anyone who opposed them. Each of these writings share the heart of God as He talks to Jacob’s children and gives us glimpses of what is to come. I will encourage you to read this Assyrian period as a block; start with 2 Kings 14:23 and 2 Chronicles 26 and read all of the “Assyrian books”.

Chapters 1,2, and 3 are Hosea’s personal story and sets the allegory of his marriage to Gomer while giving the tone for the rest of the Book. On one level I know this Book is addressed to Israel the Northern Kingdom, but on level two I can see it is addressed to all of Israel starting with Judges and maybe even in the Exodus. In Hosea’s part of God’s song, he sings “Ephraim” framed by his own turbulent marriage.

Names

Names by this time in biblical-history are not just a person but large groups of people; they are tribes and kingdoms. The city names are more than just a place; many are wordplays with secondary meanings or events tied to them. I feel that some of the people names can represent different groups and are still connected with the namesake.

  • Ephraim – He was Joseph’s second son, a tribe, and here he, at times, represents the Northern Kingdom. Ephraim | The amazing name Ephraim: meaning and etymology In other books he is also the Tribe of Joseph, some of those will include Manasseh.
  • Jacob – The second-born twin of Issac and Rebecca, his name was changed by God after a wrestling match.
  • Israel – This is Jacob’s other name. It was taken by the North as their national name.
  • Jacob/Israel – I think when these names are used in the same verse or thought, they represent the natural children of Abraham (Jacob) and the spiritual seed of Abraham (Israel). You are a ‘Jacob’ by birth and an ‘Israel’ by choice; both are important to God. There are verses that this may not apply too, but I have found very few that it would not fit. (This is for your consideration only.)
  • Judah – He was the fourth son of Jacob by his first wife, Leah, and was advanced to the role of leadership by Jacob and God. His name represents the Southern Kingdom and is where the name Jew comes from.
  • Gilead – He was a man that lived in the time of Joshua and is associated with the east bank tribes. The name has been a city and a region in that area of Israel. In Hosea I have taken this name in the place of Manasseh, but Manasseh had inheritance on both sides of the Jordan.
  • Joseph the first-born son of Jacob with Rachel, the second wife, I did not find his name in Hosea. Manasseh, Joseph’s first-born son. That name is not used in Hosea.

No, I did not give meanings for most of those names;) you should look them up, you can use the link for Ephraim, there is a button on the left. The birth order is/can be a touchy subject that you can read many things into. Images, parallels, connections, and “always’ can get in the way of God’s big picture; He loves His people and wants us to follow Him not idols.

Ephraim – His part in God’s song covers the full range of notes, from high to low but always a very prominent part. When I started this study, Isaiah 28:1 was my paradigm for him as a tribe. As I read all of the verses with his name in them and his actions and God’s thoughts; I knew I needed a new paradigm. Now, he is a/the PRODIGAL SON. Hosea is the condensed version of his story, so it is a good place to start. I tend to think very linear; I am glad God is not confined to that. So, I sorted out the mentions of Ephraim using five very loose topics. They helped but they still need to be read in context, because pulling ‘A verse’ out can be misleading. I will list chapter and verse and highlight some, but all thirty-two mentions would be a very lloonngg read. I used the NIV as my reference.

  • At First – 11:3 “I taught Ephraim to walk”, start at verse 1 and go to 4, yes, it starts with Israel; 13:1a “When Ephraim spoke, men trembled”.
  • The Sin – 13:1b “But he became guilty of Baal worship and died”; 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols; Chapter 5 is a series of warning and judgments with sins, plus some other named participants; 6:10 Ephraim is given to prostitution (You can read Israel in these as everyone other than Ephraim); 8:11 Ephraim built altars that became altars for sinning; 12:8 Ephraim boasts they are rich and wealthy, and that hides their sins; 6:8, 8:5, 10:5, and 12:11 are Gilead and the calf idol. Sure, there are more, hopefully you have the idea. The sin of Ephraim, making idols and picking non-Aaronic priest started in Judges.
  • Judgment – 5:9 and 14; 9:8 snares and hostilities wait for Ephraim; 9:11-16 are about Ephraim’s children (it is not pretty); 10:6 the calf idol will be carried off; 10:10-11 nations will put bonds on Ephraim; 12:14 Ephraim has provoked and the guilt of bloodshed remains and his contempt will be repaid.
  • Assyria and Egypt – 7:11,9:3, 11:5, 11:12-12:1 mention both; 5:13b Ephraim sent for help from the ‘great king’ this is a term Assyria liked to use. I think it is used here and other places in a mocking of Israel/Ephraim and Judah; 7:8 Ephraim goes to the nations and is compared to a ‘flat cake not turned over’ that means it is stuck and burnt; 8:9-10 Ephraim sold herself and is under the oppression of the great king; 10:6 Assyria carried off nations gods as an insult, some were put on trial and found guilty; 10:14 is a reference to an Assyrian king.  
  • Mercy and Godnews – 6:1-3 Let us return to the Lord, He will heal, bind up wounds, revive, restore, plus He will appear as the rising sun and the winter and spring rains; 11:8-9 God says, “How can I give you up.”, 11:11 has His children coming back from Assyria and Egypt; Chapter 14.

Ephraim as a prodigal son/tribe/nation: he starts well, goes downhill, and the Father is waiting for him to comeback. The second-born child of a favored wife, who is put ahead of his brother, has his story told by Hosea in a ‘Reader’s Digest’ version of Ephriam’s story.

John, the Festivals, and the Man Born Blind

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The Father made these feasts/festivals part of the covenant, they are important. I think He started them to remind the People of important events, and they are prophetic for us now.

This is a reference section.

  • Leviticus 16 – This is detailed instructions for the sons of Aaron and the Day of Atonement when they go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place. A New Testament connection is this is what Zechariah was doing when he spoke to Gabriel in Luke 1.  
  • Leviticus 23 – These cover seven feasts and the Sabbath.
  • Numbers 28:16 to 29:40 – This covers five feasts and gives instructions for the offerings to be made for each feast.
  • Exodus 23:14-19 – This has the three feasts that all the men were to attend. Other requirements are stated and then these are repeated in Ex 34.
  • Exodus 34:18-23 – This also states that all men are to appear three times a year and then in verse 24 it has a promise about the land. (Two witnesses.)
  • Deuteronomy 16:1-17 – The three required feasts are listed with reminders of the requirements and some encouragement for the feasts.
  • Ezekiel 45 + 46 talks about offerings and specifically mentions Passover.

The festivals that I am concerned with today is the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles (John 7) and the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah it is in John 10:22 (this one is not found in the Torah). The narrative of the man born blind (John 9) is in-between these two feasts. Image when there were no chapters or verses; the text flowed from one feast to the next with the conversations and the miracle in-between. There are some early manuscripts that do not have the story of the woman caught in adultery, but what a great story of redemption to have right there. Tabernacles is the end of twenty-one days, after all the crops are in, given to the Lord. The seventh month starts with Trumpets, then the Day of Atonement, and finally all of Israel celebrating the journey to the Promised Land. These three also mark the harvest seasons.

I noticed that there are many conversations from Chapter 7 to 10 that flow from the symbolism of the feast. The three required feasts for all the men to attend were: Passover, Weeks or Pentecost, Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles.

  • Passover is the start of the Jewish religious year. It is when the Death Angel passed over Israel and struck Egypt. The first crop is barley, which is associated with the Children of Israel.
  • Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot) marks the length of time it took Israel to get to Mt. Sinai and meet God. It is seven weeks +1 day or fifty days after Passover. This is the wheat harvest; think about Ruth and Gideon. Wheat can represent abundance and blessing, which then speaks to spiritual growth and maturity. Jesus ascended forty days after Passover, allowing the disciples to pray for ten days.
  • Ingathering/Tabernacles (Sukkot) marks the end of all the harvest (fruit); it starts on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and last for seven days. The Children are to ‘live’ in shelters of branches for this time.

God was looking ahead to the Promised Land when he gave these feasts as part of the covenant while they were in the desert.

  • Hanukkah is not in the Torah, but it is part of God’s Song. Jerusalem and Israel were under Greek control; they desecrated the Temple. When the Maccabees beat the Greeks, they wanted to rededicate the Temple for God’s use. (This Temple was built by Zerubbabel [See Haggai and Zechariah] and is known as the Second Temple; Herod used this temple as the Holy of Place in his temple.) Part of the process required that the Temple Menorah be burning using special oil. They only had enough oil for one day, but they started the dedication anyway. The Lamp burned off of that one-day supply for eight days allowing the Temple to be rededicated. This joyful holiday is noted for the miracle supply of oil and for Light.

The Man Born Blind

We do not know the exact time that this miracle took place, but it was between the end of Tabernacles (Jn7:37) and before Hanukkah. This is the time period when the barley crop is planted for the harvest at Passover. The end of Jesus’ ministry is coming, so the disciples have been with Him for three years and He is about to ride into Jerusalem to pay the Bride’s price for His Church, and say, “It is finished”.

In John 9:2 the disciples ask a question that stems from the Second Commandment (Ex 20:5); who sinned? Interesting! (Remember, the Day of Atonement has just happened, that is the day for Israel’s sins to be covered for that year.) Jesus’ answer, Neither. I will bet that many people did not understand that and it shook some religious paradigms to the core. After all it was in the Bible. Continued Study. The Second Commandment is about making idols and worshipping them, that is the sin. Illness and problems are not punishment from God. The Father is not an angry God looking for ways to hurt His Children.

I am going on a “what if” journey. Did this man stay with Jesus and see Lazarus brought out of the tomb? Was he with them when Jesus washed feet? Could he have been in the Upper Room on Pentecost and spoke in tongues? Did he get picked to be a deacon? What if he did not go and wash because he knew someone in his family had sinned and he was paying the price? After all it was the Sabbath and walking and washing sounds like work. It is worth noting Jesus never told the man what would happen when he washed. The ‘traditions’ formulated while in Babylon said healing was not allowed on the Sabbath, so that was work.

Jesus was gathering fruit, planting seeds, and being the Light.

Micah and Jonathan – The Sin of Ephraim

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The first thing to deal with in this dark story from Judges 17 and 18 is the four parts of the title.

  • Micah – A family man from the Tribe of Ephraim who stole his mother’s fortune. This is not the prophet who lived at the same time as Hosea and Isaiah and spoke against The Sin that was started in this story.
  • Jonathan – A Levite who probably was a grandson of Moses by Gershom. I am giving two links that formed the discussion in the Gershom post. Judges 18:30 Hebrew Text Analysis   and   judges 18:30 jewish encyclodepidia – Search. This is not David’s friend who was the son of King Saul.
  • The Sin – Micah set up a new worship center/religion to compete with the Tabernacle that was at Shiloh, which was just down the road. (That place developed its own problems, read the first chapters of 1 Samuel.) This was the groundwork or pattern for what Jeroboam did when he left the Temple in 1 Kings 12:25. Both of these exceeded the high places of ‘prayer’, sacred groves, Asherah poles, and altars to Baal because they installed their own priest to copy what was done by Aaron’s family.
  • Ephraim – A mantle of leadership and blessing rested on the Tribe of Ephraim. Joshua, son of Nun, who took over for Moses, was from Ephraim. The land of Ephraim had been chosen to protect the Tabernacle. It’s central location and large population made it a major player in the politics of the Twelve Tribes.

Other Factors in this Story.

  • Micah’s Mom – (This part of the study went places I did not expect, so I will present the words and not my opinions.) MM cursed the silver and Micah heard it. We do not know what the curse was but it snapped Micah back to reality. This word indicates that it was serious. Strong’s Hebrew: 422. אָלָה (alah) — take, takes an oath, oaths   He returns the silver and she blesses him. (She could have had him stoned.) Then she ‘double dedicates’ the silver to YHWH. KJV says “wholly”, but that was a special decision. Hebrew Concordance: hiq·daš·tî — 6 Occurrences is the root word for dedicate and is first used when God dedicates the Levites to His service. The dedication of the silver was for a graven image, which flies in the face of God in Deuteronomy 4:16. The “to make” word is first used in Genesis 2:3 and refers to God making the earth. The words used would indicate that this was not done lightly, and she knew that she was saying. (Okay, I blamed Micah, but it seems mommy was the problem.)
  • Judges 17:6. Judges 17:6 Hebrew Text Analysis “The right” is associated with many sight and eye verses. This becomes the argument for Israel pushing Samuel to anoint a king.
  • The Tribe of Dan. The little Tribe of Dan whose land started on the Great Sea coast and was between Judah and Ephraim was a tough piece of real estate to conquer; the Philistines were happy with it. They bullied Ephriam, stole the idols and priest, and continued the sin and kept it going for years. The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” meant all of the land Jacob’s family owned.    

This Sin made it past the sword of Samuel, King Saul, King David, and the Temple; finally, the Sin Site of Dan was closed down by the Assyrians in the days of Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah. That is several hundred years. The Assyrians, in Isaiah, even mocked the statues that they took back to Ninevah. Jeroboam had added his own golden calf statues and priest, which makes me wonder what the silversmith made for Micah. Please remember that Dan was active in the affairs of Israel during this whole time period.

A strange thought that is strictly my own; did this worship area get recycled into the birthplace of Pan in the Caesarea Philippi region? That is where Jesus went to proclaim He was the Rock of God’s Kingdom. “A little sin” can go a long way and do a lot of damage, but our God is greater.

How do I end a post like this? These two chapters should have never happened, but they did.

Mica(h) | The amazing name Mica(h): meaning and etymology

Jonathan | The amazing name Jonathan: meaning and etymology

Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah in the Shadow of Assyria

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Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah is the introductory post of this study. These men and at least four other prophets wrote under the shadow of the Assyrian winged lion. The kings of Assyria changed but their shadow stayed over the Levant for years. People think Babylon was terrible, it was, but Assyria regularly took Babylon to the ground, literally, several times. They deported Israel/Samaria and imported people who became known as the Samaritans and defeated all of Judah except Jerusalem. The destruction and deportation of Lachish was made into wall art in the royal palace in Ninevah. So, unless Babylon or Chaldeans are mentioned, destroying armies spreading over the land are Assyrians.

I listed these men by the kings listed in the first verse of their books. Jeroboam II king of Israel was a grandson of Jehu. However, there were six more kings of the Northern Kingdom before Assyria took them away: Zechariah (Jehu’s grandson, the last, 2 Kg15), Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah son of Remaliah (see Isaiah), and Hoshea (2 Kg 17).

  • Amos prophesied in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. His words were directed at both Israel and Judah. Israel in this book may cover both the northern and the southern kingdoms.
  • Hosea prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. His words were directed at both Israel and Judah, but Ephraim is used many times.
  • Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His focus was Judah/Jerusalem, but Israel (the north) is in this Book.
  • Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

These prophets did not list kings as a timestamp in their books. So, I will give some things that may put them in the same general time period as our first four prophets.

  • Joel – He talks about Mount Zion and Jerusalem several times. 2:1 has a mighty army coming to the land, and locust. Amos also has a vision of locusts.
  • Obadiah – Verse 18 speaks of the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph being on fire. Esau was in this verse, and most prophets had bad things to say about them. Verse 20 says ‘the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sephard’; this is possibly Sardis, Turkey which is north of Ninevah. Captured Jews could have been sent here away from the captives of the North.
  • Jonah – 2 Kings 14:25 is his timestamp and the fact that he was called to Ninevah. The capitol at Ninevah was the third city built to be the royal city of Assyria and was constructed by Sennacherib. That puts it in our time period and helps to explain why he was pillaging all of these little countries.
  • Nahum talks about Ninevah in 2:1.

Shared visions, prophetic themes, and similar words are part of the reason for this study. The other reason is we ignore a great enemy of Israel that did many things to the people and the land. There are lessons for our present time before Babylon rules and then, is finally destroyed.

Daughter Egypt and “Her” – Assyria

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Questions. When studies collide, you get questions. Daughter, Egypt, and Assyria have generated studies and questions, and it seems they are doing it again. In 2026, I changed my Bible reading from going cover to cover to focusing on Psalms, Isaiah, and the New Testament. Quess what; I have been cover to cover because of looking up references. Some of the biggest question makers have been Isaiah reporting God’s thoughts on daughters, Egypt, and Assyria.

Isaiah was in the cohort of Prophets who lived and wrote during a time period when Assyria was bullying the Levant. Amos, Micah, Hosea, Nahum, and Jonah all witnessed their parts of the action in 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings from Jeroboam II and Uzziah/Azariah through the fall of the Northern Kingdom to the start of King Manasseh. These men came, spoke, and wrote God’s words and thoughts to Jacob’s children; yes, they are still speaking to us today. When you read Isaiah, it is good to remember what Assyria was doing to the nations.

  • Samaria had been defeated and carried off as slaves.
  • All the fortified cities of Judea had been captured and many people were deported.
  • The Philistines had called for Egypt to help them against Assyria. Egypt did not show up.
  • Jerusalem had an 11th hour event and faced destruction.
  • The nations around Israel (many of them enemies) were either defeated/crushed or ‘laid down and let Assyria walk on them’. (they made treaties and started paying them off) But literally, they laid on the ground, and the Assyrian king would walk on them.
  • Egypt could not help the ‘little guys’ because they were not strong enough to defeat Assyria.

Observations generate questions that lead to studies. An observation of Isaiah is that he refers to Daughter and Virgin Daughter Zion many times, he also writes about other nations as daughter. Does he refer to Daughter Egypt? No, that will be found in Jeremiah; who also talks about daughters many times. Daughter Zion and Daughter Zion #2 and Daughter Zion Observations cover a lot of ground and in those studies questions about our Father and daughters have come up; my study for this post started at least one more.

Daughter Egypt

Egypt and Assyria were not nice to Israel. But in God’s plan there is hope and redemption held out to them and the other nations that choose to serve and praise God. In God’s plan, as talked about by Isaiah, a Highway of Holiness will be made to link those nations to Jerusalem. Imagine how Isaiah must have felt when he got that word and wrote it down; then gave it to the people.

Jeremiah, with Baruch recording, also had much to say about Egypt. The main idea was simple, DO NOT GO TO EGYPT FOR HELP. In Jeremiah’s lifetime Babylon was the bully who beat Assyria and Egypt. Chapter 46 God addresses Egypt and other nations and here it reflects the fact He did not want Jerusalem thinking Egypt could help. 46:11 talks about Virgin Daughter Egypt going to Gilead (a part of Israel on the east bank of the Jordan) to get medicine for healing. The term ‘virgin’ here started another level of study. 46:19 speaks to what Babylon would do to Egypt and signals that they will be no help. Translators starting with the Geneva Bible arrange the thought here a little different. Jeremiah 46:19 Hebrew Text Analysis  46:24 continues with ‘they will be given to the people of the north’. On level one that would be Babylon, but on level two it talks to Greece and Rome. Don’t miss the      BIG takeaway, God calls Egypt daughter and virgin daughter; that may mess with some people’s theology.  My observation (not an answer) is that God has a bigger thought for that nation than we do.

Assyria

I am including Assyria to help me sort my thoughts on a very complicated topic. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are about 100 years after Isaiah, but the political climate had not changed much. Those men lived under the shadow of Egypt and Assyria and then felt the iron rod of Babylon. One thing I did not find was God saying Daughter Assyria. The best I could find was a reference to ‘her’ in Ezekiel 32:22,23. Your favorite translation may add some confusion here as the core of those verses talk about Assyria as a woman; except the GNV and KJV started talking about Asshur (Assyria) as a ‘him’. Yes, that was a name of the main male Assyrian god.

This opened up the fact that God refers to cities, regions, and nations as women. Not all cities and nations are called daughter, but He refers to them in female terms. I do not think that is a mistake and actually is very important. Well, you now can see a future study.