King James Version

What Does Hosea 9:15 Mean?

“All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.”

Context

Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.

Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. miscarrying: Heb. that casteth the fruit

All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.

Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. the: Heb. the desires

My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

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Topics in This Verse

Love

Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Gilgal.—**On Gilgal as a seat of idolatrous worship, see Hosea 4:15. “My house” here, and in Hosea 8:1 (“Jehovah’s house”), is interpreted by Wünsche and Nowack, with considerable show of reason, to mean the “holy land,” Canaan. This interpretation is confirmed by the use of the Assyrian word *Bîtu,* corresponding to the Hebrew *bêth* “house.” The term seems to have blended the conception of a people and the territory they occupied. (See Schrader, *Keilinschriften und das alte Testament,* p. 540, where the examples are cited *Bît-Am-ma-na “*Ammon,” *Bît-A-di-ni,* “Beth-Eden.”) Similarly, Egypt is called in Exodus 20:2, “the house of slaves.” We are reminded by the word “house” of the domestic episode (Hosea 1-3): Ephraim, like an adulterous wife, is turned out of house and home (comp. Hosea 3:4), and is no longer Jehovah’s people (Hosea 1:9).

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Hosea. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Hosea 9:15 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.