Category Archives: Assyria our enemy

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.

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.

Isaiah 61:11

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Isaiah 61 is known by many Christians because Jesus quoted it to start His ministry. This Chapter begins with ‘the Spirit (ruah) of the Sovereign Lord’ (verse 1), but it also ends with ‘the Sovereign Lord’ (verse 11), or Adonay YHWH. In between you will notice the word ‘will’ used many times in connection with what was in store for Israel. I believe there are three sections or ‘words’ in this chapter: verses 1-7; 8+9; and an Isaiah praise break in 10-11. Yes, verses 1-3 could be another commission for Isaiah and it does talk to Jesus’ ministry. After some housekeeping I will look at verse 11.

  • God bless translators, that is not an easy ministry/job.
  • I appreciate the work of Langton and Estienne in creating chapters and verses, they did the best they could.
  • Our concordances work around the root words in the Hebrew language. There are variations of these words that can aid translators and academics in their work, but would make a printed volume very LARGE. (Think jots and tittles with prefixes and suffixes.)  Bible Hub text analysis gives a better look into these Hebrew words by grouping similar variations together. It can add a new level to your studies.
  • Commentaries may not be text analysis. Mounce New Testament Version in Bible Gateway does give a list of verses and word variations.
  • I believe Isaiah will make more sense if you read about the history in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles; cross check the king list in Isaiah 1:1. I also believe our Book of Isaiah is not chronological.
  • Assyria is the ‘forgotten enemy’ as we tend to focus on Egypt and Babylon. They were not nice to anyone in the Levant. Two different kings are named in attacks on the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

 Isaiah 61:11 For just as the earth brings forth its plants, or a garden makes its plants spring up, so Adonai, God, will cause victory and glory to spring up before all nations. (Complete Jewish Bible, CJB)

Isaiah 61:11 For as Eretz bringeth forth her tzemach, and as the gan (garden) the things that are sown in it tatzmiach (causes [them] to spring forth); so Adonoi Hashem will tzedakah (righteousness) and tehillah (praise) yatzmiach (cause [them] to spring forth) before kol HaGoyim. (OJB, Orthodox Jewish Bible)

  • as the earth – H776, kaares is used twice. See Isaiah 51:23; here it is referring to the practice of Assyrian kings to walk on and over their defeated foes as they lay on the ground.
  • brings forth – H3318, towsi is used a total of eight times, here are a few. Exodus 12:46, they could not bring any of the lamb out of the house after the first Passover. Deuteronomy 14:28, they are to bring all of the tithe. Psalm 143:11, David is asking God to bring him out of trouble.
  • Its sprout – H 6780, simhah is used four times. Psalm 65:10, David is thanking God for the rain that helps the crops to grow. Ezekiel 17:9+10 has a vine growing sprouts; it is part of a parable about Babylon carrying away the people and king of Jerusalem.
  • and as the garden – H1593, ukegannah is used twice. Isaiah 1:30 is a garden with no water; it is referring to people who forsake the Lord. Gardens (gan), plants, trees, crops, and vineyards are used throughout Isaiah to teach lessons and represent things. 61:3 refers to ‘oaks of righteousness as a planting of the Lord’, and verse 5 where foreigners will tend Israel’s crops.
  • Sown in it – H2221, zerueha is used only here. The other form of this word is used in Leviticus 11:37 where it is concerned with a purity law of not sowing different seeds together.
  • makes sprout – H6779, tasmiah is used four times. Genesis 3:18 is the thorns and thistles as part of the curse after the Garden of Eden. Deuteronomy 29:23 is the land of Israelite who chooses to not obey God; it will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah 45:8 is part of the prophecy about Cyrus and this calls for righteousness and salvation to spring up and grow after it rains righteousness.
  • will make sprout – H6779, yasmiah is used twice. 2 Samuel 23:5, David knows he is right before God who will make salvation to grow for him.
  • Righteousness – H6666, sedaqah is used thirty times. The first one is Genesis 15:6 where Abram believes God and is credited with righteousness. (See Psalm 60 with Abraham) There are other Zedek words for righteousness. The last time this one is used is in Malachi 4:2 where the sun of righteousness will rise. It is also the robe in verse 10. Isaiah uses this form nine times.
  • and praise – H8416, utehillah is used three times; once before Isaiah and once after. 2 Chronicles 20:22 when Jehoshaphat had the people praise their way into battle. Nehemiah 9:5 is when the people repented of mixed marriages and other sins, so they had a praise fest.
  • Before – H5048, neged is used fifty-two times.
  • The nations – H1417, haggowyim is used 180 times and appears in Isaiah eighteen times.
  • Isaiah 61:11 Hebrew Text Analysis

The words I highlighted connect with many important events, themes, and people. As I read Isaiah 61:11, I thought of the first Garden in Genesis and the last Garden in Revelation. The picture in my mind is how it could have been and how it will be.

Highway of Holiness

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My Reading Road and Study Street of 2026 is simple; Psalms, Isaiah, the New Testament, and A Year with C. S. Lewis. As a mile marker, I am on my second lap for the first three. What does that have to do with the title of this post, nothing. I just needed to remind myself as I go on this excursion of Isaiah 35:8.

Chapters and Verses in the Bible are helpful, but our Cardinal and printer could have started this section with Isaiah 34:8 and gone to 35:10. Rabbit-trails are fun but I will try and stay on the path today.

Isaiah 35:8 has several words that refer to roads or places of travel, and I think it offers a contrast to something that the Assyrian Empire built. Some of these words/ideas are specific to Isaiah and this verse. (Isaiah has many verses where he writes about roads, paths, and ways to travel.) Rome, for some reason is given a lot of credit for their road system, and it was good and allowed for Paul and others to spread the Gospel better. History, however, should call them copycats of the Assyrians and Persians (who built on and copied Assyria). How Advanced Was the Assyrian Road System? | OT in Context The Assyrian roadway was used for oppression and rule of the kingdoms/peoples they conquered. The Highway of Holiness will let the feeble, fearful, blind, deaf, lame, mute, and the simple walk on it in peace as they enter Zion singing praises to the Lord. Yes, the redeemed and ransomed have a safe WAY to travel to the Father. (See Bend in the Road and Paths and Ways)

On Study Street 2026, I have noticed the Hebrew and Greek words that were used in the original text. Our concordances actually list just the root words. This Highway of Holiness verse is one that has single or limited-use words. (Yes, some deal with grammar that is beyond my Hebrew and Greek.) To go further in this study just click the links below.

I liked the 1599 Geneva Bible. You can compare these.

If you open the text analysis link, be sure to look at the word holiness and compare the unclean person with the simple fool.

My focus was the “Highway” that brings captives back to Zion. (By the time Isaiah wrote this many people of the Twelve Tribes of Israel had been carried off by the Assyrians. So, the road of oppression could have been the path back to Jerusalem and joy and gladness.)

Hebrew Concordance: ḇə·ḏe·reḵ — 19 Occurrences

The directions these nineteen words took made me slow down and take a rest stop to muse awhile. The two in Job may not make sense right away, but lightning actually follows a path laid out in front of it and is complex and happens faster than we can see. Many of these references are for people who are on the wrong highway or are trying to get you off of the highway. Several are only a part of the whole idea and need to be read with the other part, which may also have a “path” word in it.

My simple conclusion is this; these are not little walking paths or hard to follow hiking trails. As someone who lives in a large city, these “dereks” have curbs and shoulders, lines painted on them and posted signs to tell you important things. The Father thought this Highway of Holiness was so important that He had a Book written about it and sent His Son to show us the Way.