Hosea
Chapter 12
Ephraim surrounds me with lies; Israel approaches me with deception. They follow Baal and chase after the sanctuaries.
Ephraim feeds on wind, always pursuing the east wind, and is continually more prone to falsehood and violence. They have made a treaty with Assyriaand brought oil to Egypt.
Jacob, Adult
The Lord has brought Jacob to trial. He will hold him accountable for his actions and repay him for his deeds.
In the womb, he displaced his brother,and through his strength, he fought with a divine being; he wrestled with an angel and won.
The angel wept and pleaded with him! He met him at Bethel, and there he spoke to him.
The Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his name.
You must return to your God, practice love and justice, and trust in your God.
Canaan uses dishonest scales and enjoys cheating.
Ephraim claims: “I have become rich and possess a fortune.” However, he will be left with nothing of what he has accumulated because he was doing wrong.
I am the Lord, your God, from the days of Egypt.I will cause you to live in tents again, as in the days of Meeting.
Then I will speak to the prophets, give them many visions, and teach you through their parables.
The people of Gilead are wicked; they are dishonest. They offered sacrifices to bulls at Gilgal. That is why their altars will become ruins on a tilled field.
Jacob fled to the plains of Aram; Israel served to find a wife, and, for her sake, he cared for sheep.
The Lord, in turn, brought Israel out of Egypt through a prophet; through this prophet, he cared for them.
Ephraim, nevertheless, angered him bitterly. The Lord will bring down on him the blood he shed and repay him for his contempt.
Commentaries
Judgement.
This marks the beginning of a series of short poems that focus on aspects of Israel’s joyful early history, contrasting with its current situation. Throughout, Israel’s unfaithfulness and infidelity are highlighted in opposition to the Lord’s steadfastness.
The Childhood of Israel.
The husband-wife metaphor shifts to that of father-son. Israel’s childhood begins with its departure from Egypt. For Matthew 2:15, this prophecy relates to the return of the child Jesus from his exile in Egypt. The Lord cared for Israel as a child (4), and in recalling Israel’s origins, the Lord turns his anger into compassion (8). Admah and Zeboiim (8) were cities near Sodom and Gomorrah that were destroyed along with them (Gn 19:24-25).
Jacob, Adult.
The patriarch Jacob, whom God names Israel and whose tradition originates in the north of the country, is paralleled with the history of the northern kingdom. Like Jacob, who was cunning and deceitful, Israel is called to convert to loyalty and justice (7).