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Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Hosea 13:9–16. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The first of these verses is the summary, or contents, of all the rest (Hos 13:9), where we have, 1. All the blame of Israel's ruin laid upon themselves: O Israel! thy perdition is thence; it is of and from thyself; or, "It has destroyed thee, O Israel! that is, all that sin and folly of thine which thou art before charged with. As thy own wickedness has many a time corrected thee, so that has now at length destroyed thee." Note, Wilful sinners are self-destroyers. Obstinate impenitence is the grossest self-murder. Those that are destroyed of the destroyer have their blood upon their own head; they have destroyed themselves. 2. All the glory of Israel's relief ascribed to God: But in me is thy help. That is, (1.) It might have been: "I would have helped thee and healed thee, but thou wouldst not be healed and helped, but wast resolutely set upon thy own destruction." This will aggravate the condemnation of sinners, not only that they did that which tended to their own ruin, but that they opposed the offers God made them and the methods he took with them to prevent it: I would have gathered them, and they would not. They might have been easily and effectually helped, but they put the help away from them. Nay, (2.) It may be: "Thy case is bad, but it is not desperate. Thou hast destroyed thyself; but come to me, and I will help thee." This is a plank thrown out after shipwreck, and greatly magnifies not only the power of God, that he can help when things are at the worst, can help those that cannot help themselves, but the riches of his grace, that he will help those that have destroyed themselves and therefore might justly be left to perish, that he will help those that have long refused his help. Dr. Pocock gives a different reading and sense of this verse: "O Israel! this has destroyed thee, that in me is thy help. Presuming upon God and his favour has emboldened thee in those wicked ways which have been thy ruin."
Now, in the rest of these verses, we may see,
I.How Israel destroyed themselves.
It is said (Hos 13:16), They rebelled against God, revolted from their allegiance to him, entered into a confederacy with his enemies, and took up arms against him; and this was the thing that ruined them, for never any hardened themselves against God and prospered. Note, Those that rebel against their God destroy themselves, for they make him their enemy for whom they are an unequal match.
1.They treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, and so they destroy themselves. They are doing that, every day, which will be remembered against them another day (Hos 13:12): The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up, and his sin is hid; God took notice of it, kept it upon record, and will produce it against him and reckon with him for it afterwards. Their former sins contributed to their present destruction; for they were laid up in store with God, Deu 32:34, Deu 32:35; Job 14:17. It is laid up in safety, and will not be forgotten, nor the evidence against him lost; but it is laid up in secret; it is hid; the sinner himself is not aware of it. It is bound up in God's omniscience, in the sinner's own conscience. Note, The sin of sinners is not forgotten till it is pardoned, but an exact account is kept of it, which will be opened in proper time.
2.They make no haste to repent and help themselves when they are under divine rebukes; they are their own ruin because they will not do what they should do towards their own salvation, Hos 13:13.
(1.)They are brought into trouble and distress by sin: The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him. They shall smart for sin, and so be made sensible of it; they shall be thrown into pangs and agonies by it, very sharp and severe, and yet, like the pains of a woman in labour, hopeful and promising, and in order to deliverance; and by these, though God corrects them, yet he designs their good. They are chastened, that they may not be destroyed. But,
(2.)They are not by these forwarded as they ought to be towards repentance and reformation, which would cause their sorrows to issue in true joy: He is an unwise son, for he should not stay long, as he does, in the place of the breaking forth of children, but, being brought to the birth, should struggle to get forth, lest he be stifled and still-born at last. Were the child which the mother is in travail of capable of understanding its own case, we should reckon it an unwise child that would choose to stay long in the birth; for the captive exile hasteth to be loosed, lest he die in the pit, Isa 51:14. Note, Those may justly be reckoned their own destroyers who defer and put off their repentance, by which alone they might help themselves. Those are in danger of miscarrying in conversion who delay it, and will not put forth themselves to speed the work and bring it to an issue.
3.Therefore they are destroyed because they have done that which will be their certain ruin and neglected that which would have been their only relief. Here is a sad description of the desolation they are doomed to, Hos 13:15, Hos 13:16. It is here taken for granted that Ephraim is fruitful among his children; his name signifies fruitfulness. He is fruitful in respect of the plentiful products of his country and the great numbers of its inhabitants; it was both a rich and a populous tribe, as was foretold concerning it; but sin turns this fruitful tribe into barrenness. Joseph was a fruitful bough, but for sin it was blasted. The instrument is an east wind, representing a foreign enemy that should invade it. It is called the wind of the Lord, not only because it shall be a very great and strong wind, but because it shall be sent by divine direction; it shall come from the Lord, and do whatever he appoints; and see what effect it shall have upon that flourishing tribe, what desolations war shall make.
(1.)Was it a rich tribe? The foreign enemy shall make it poor enough. This wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, a freezing blasting wind, and shall dry up the springs and fountains with which this tree is watered, shall exhaust the sources of its wealth. The invader shall waste the country and so impoverish the husbandman, shall intercept trade and commerce and so impoverish the merchant; and let not the great men, whose wealth lies in their rich furniture, think that they shall be exempted from the judgment, for he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. See the folly of those that lay up their treasure on earth, that lay it up in pleasant vessels (vessels of desire, so the word is), on which they set their affections, and in which they place their comfort and satisfaction. This is treasure that may be spoiled and that they may be spoiled of; it is what either moth or rust may corrupt, or what thieves and soldiers may steal and carry away. But wise and happy are those who have laid up their treasures in heaven, and in the pleasant things of that world, which cannot be spoiled, which they cannot be stripped of; ever happy are they, and therefore truly wise.
(2.)Was it a populous tribe, and numerous? The enemy shall depopulate it and make its men few: Samaria shall become desolate, without inhabitants.
[1.]Those shall be cut off who are the guard and joy of the present generation; the men who bear arms shall bear them to no purpose, for they shall fall by the sword, so that there shall be none to make head against the fury of the conqueror nor to take care of the concerns either of the public or of private families.
[2.]Those shall be cut off who are the seed and hope of the next generation, who should rise up in the places of those who fell by the sword; the whole nation must be rooted out, and therefore the infants shall be dashed to pieces, in the most cruel and barbarous manner, and, which is if possible yet more inhuman, the women with child shall be ripped up. Thus shall the glory of Samaria flee away from the birth, and from the womb, Hos 9:11; Hos 10:14. See instances of this cruelty, Kg2 8:12; Kg2 15:16; Amo 1:13.
II.Let us now see how God was the help of this self-destroying people, how he was their only help (Hos 13:10):
I will be thy King, to rule and save thee. Though they had refused to be his subjects and had rebelled against him, yet he would still be their King and would not abandon them. The business and care of a good king is to keep his people, not only from ruined by foreign enemies, but from ruining themselves and one another. Thus will God yet be Israel's King, as he was their King of old. Note, Our case would be sad indeed if God were not better to us than we are to ourselves.
1.God will be their King when they have no other king; he will protect and save them when those are cut off and gone who should have been their protectors and saviours: I will be he (so Hos 13:10 may be read), he that shall help thee. "Where is the king that may save thee in all thy cities, that may go in and out before thee, and fight thy battles, when thy cities are invaded by a foreign power, and suppress the more dangerous quarrels of thy citizens among themselves? Where are thy judges, who by administering public justice should preserve the public peace? For it is righteousness and peace that kiss each other. Where are thy judges that thou hadst such a desire of and such a dependence upon, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? This refers,
(1.)To the foolish wicked desire which the whole nation had of a kingly government, being weary of the theocracy, or divine government, which they had been under during the time of the Judges, because it looked too mean for them. They rejected Samuel, and in him the Lord, when they said, Give us a king like the nations, whereas the Lord was their King.
(2.)To the desire which the ten tribes had of a kingly government different from that of the house of David, because they thought that was too absolute and bore too hard upon them, and they hoped to better themselves by setting up Jeroboam. Both these are instances,
[1.]Of men's improvidence for themselves. When they are uneasy with their present lot they are fond of novelty, and think to better themselves by a change; but they are commonly disappointed, and do not find that advantage in the alteration which they promised themselves.
[2.]Of men's impiety towards God, in thinking to refine upon his appointments and amend them. God gave Israel judges and prophets for their guidance; but they were weary of them, and cried, Give us a king and princes. God gave them the house of David, established it by a covenant of royalty; but they were soon weary of that too, and cried, We have no part in David. Those destroy themselves who are not pleased with what God does for them, but think they can do better for themselves. Well, in both these requests, Providence humoured them, gave them Saul first, and afterwards Jeroboam. And what the better were they for them? Saul was given in anger (given in thunder, Sa1 12:18, Sa1 12:19) and soon after was taken away in wrath, upon Mount Gilboa. The kingly government of the ten tribes was given in anger, not only against Solomon for his defection, but against the ten tribes that desired it, for their discontent and disaffection to the house of David; and God was now about to take that away in wrath by the power of the king of Assyria. And then, where is thy King? He is gone, and thou shalt abide many days without a king, and without a prince (Hos 3:4), shalt have none to save thee, none to rule thee. Note, First, God often gives in anger what we sinfully and inordinately desire, gives it with a curse, and with it gives us up to our own hearts' lusts. Thus he gave Israel quails. Secondly, What we inordinately desire we are commonly disappointed in, and it cannot save us, as we expected it should. Thirdly, What God gives in anger he takes away in wrath; what he gives because we did not desire it well he takes away because we did not use it well. It is the happiness of the saints that, whether God gives or takes, it is all in love, and furnishes them with matter for praise. To the pure all things are pure. It is the misery of the wicked that, whether God gives or takes, it is all in wrath; to them nothing is pure, nothing is comfortable.
2.God will do that for them which no other king could do if they had one (Hos 13:14): I will ransom them from the power of the grave. Though Israel, according to the flesh, be abandoned to destruction, God has mercy in store for his spiritual Israel, in whom all the promises were to have their accomplishment, and this among the rest, for to them the apostle applies it (Co1 15:55), and particularly to the blessed resurrection of believers at the great day, yet not excluding their spiritual resurrection from the death of sin to a holy, heavenly, spiritual, and divine life. It is promised,
(1.)That the captives shall be delivered, shall be ransomed, from the power of the grave. Their deliverance shall be by ransom; and we know who it was that paid their ransom, and what the ransom was, for it was the Son of man that gave his life a ransom for many, Mat 20:28. It is he that thus redeemed them. Those who, upon their repenting and believing, are, for the sake of Christ's righteousness, acquitted from the guilt of sin and saved from death and hell, which are the wages of sin, are those ransomed of the Lord that shall, in the great day, be brought out of the grave in triumph, and it shall be as impossible for the banks of death to hold them as it was to hold their Master.
(2.)That the conqueror shall be destroyed: O death! I will be thy plagues. Jesus Christ was the plague and destruction of death and the grave when by death he destroyed him that had the power of death, and when in his own resurrection he triumphed over the grave. But the complete destruction of them will be in the resurrection of believers at the great day, when death shall for ever be swallowed up in victory, and it is the last enemy that shall be destroyed. But the word which we translate I will may as well be rendered Ubi nunc - Where now are thy plagues? And so the apostle took it: 'O death! where is thy plague, or sting, with which thou hast so long pestered the world? O grave! where is thy victory, or thy destruction, wherewith thou has destroyed mankind?" Christ has abolished death, has broken the power of it and altered the property of it, and so enabled us to triumph over it. This promise he has made, and it shall be made good to all that are his; for repentance shall be hidden from his eyes; he will never recall this sentence passed on death and the grave, for he is not a man that he should repent. Thanks be to God therefore who gives us the victory.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
"Your destruction, Israel, only your help is with me. Where is your king? May he save you now in all your cities; and your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and princes: I will give you a king in my fury, and take away in my indignation." LXX: "Who will help you in your corruption, O Israel? Where is your king? May he save you in all your cities and judge you as you said: 'Give me a king and prince.' I gave you a king and prince in my anger and took away in my fury." Because the seventy interpreted it as "I have had," everyone translated "I took away." Unhappy is Israel and worthy of eternal curse, who has descended into such profound impiety that he can be saved only by the mercy of God. Yet this may be read in Hebrew and understood in this sense: "May you perish, Israel, because there is nothing left for you except that you be preserved by my mercy alone." But the meaning in the LXX is different: "To your corruption, Israel, who will give assistance?" that is, who will be able to provide help for your captivity and ultimate servitude, those whom you esteemed as your princes? Where is your king, whom you said to Samuel: 'Establish a king over us, to judge us, just as the other nations have'? (2 Kings 8:5). And when he objected, you replied: 'No, but we will have a king, and we will be like all the other nations, and our king will judge us, and he will go out before us and fight for us.' Therefore, where is the promise you made that he would wage your wars, that now he may come to your aid in this time of need, and liberate all your cities from servitude? Where are your judges? Where are your kings? For you have said: "Give me a king and princes"; therefore I gave you Saul as king in my anger, so much so that in the days of the harvest I brought rain contrary to the nature of the province of Judah. "I have removed," he says, "the king in my indignation," that is to say, Zedekiah, "whom I gave in anger, and whom I took away in indignation." Others believe that Jeroboam the son of Nabat was given as king in anger, and the last king of the ten tribes, Hoshea, was taken away in indignation. What we have explained, I gave you a king and took away a king in my indignation, the Hebrews report for future times. At that time, when you said, "Give me a king and princes," I would respond to you through Samuel that I would give it to you in my fury and take it away in my indignation. Every heretic is lost and handed over to corruption; for he who corrupts the temple of God, the Lord will corrupt him: he has no aid in any other way except in the mercy of God, which he attains through penitence. This king and judges are the devil and demons, or all the princes of perverse dogmas, who could not free them in times of necessity and distress, who were given in fury, and taken away in indignation: not that the Lord wanted to have such kings: otherwise he would not take away those whom he had given willingly, but because he left them to their own wills: so that they, eating and fattening up their flesh, would become nauseous, and vomit through their noses, and begin to hate those whom they had so eagerly followed.
Praise wicked King Saul, because he also was a punishment for sinners, as the Lord says: “I gave you a king in my wrath.” Praise the demon that king suffered, because it also was punishment for a sinner. Praise the blindness of heart that has befallen Israel, and do not be silent about why it is said, “Until the full number of the Gentiles should enter,” although you will perhaps deny this is a punishment. If you were a lover of the inner light, you would cry out that it is not merely a punishment but a very great punishment.
But let no one who suffers such a ruler blame him who he suffers. His being subject to the power of a wicked ruler was no doubt of his own deserving. Let him, therefore, rather blame the fault of his own evil doings rather than the injustice of his ruler. For it is written, “I gave you a king in my anger.” Why, then, do we scorn their being set over us, whose authority over us we endure from the anger of the Lord? If we receive rulers according to our deserving, from the wrath of God, we infer from their conduct how we really think in our estimate of ourselves. However, even the elect are frequently placed under the reprobate. Therefore David also for a long time endured Saul. But it is proved by a subsequent sin of adultery that he then deserved to be heavily oppressed by the cruelty of the one who was set over him.
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Summary
Hosea 13:11 powerfully encapsulates the tragic trajectory of Israel's monarchy, particularly the Northern Kingdom, revealing God's sovereign hand in both the establishment and removal of human leadership. This verse declares that God, in His righteous displeasure, conceded to Israel's demand for a king and subsequently removed that king and the subsequent line of unfaithful rulers in His just wrath, highlighting the profound consequences of rejecting divine rule in favor of human institutions.
Context
Literary Context
Hosea 13 is a chapter steeped in divine judgment against Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom of Israel) for its persistent idolatry and spiritual rebellion. Following a lament over Israel's spiritual decline and a reminder of their past faithfulness (Hosea 13:1-3), the prophet details the nation's ingratitude and forgetfulness of God, their true deliverer (Hosea 13:4-8). The immediate verses leading up to Hosea 13:11 describe Israel's self-destruction and their failure to recognize God as their only help (Hosea 13:9-10). This verse, therefore, serves as a retrospective indictment of Israel's foundational sin of demanding a human king, a decision that set the stage for their subsequent spiritual apostasy and eventual downfall, culminating in the Assyrian conquest. It underscores the theme of divine sovereignty over human choices and their consequences.
Historical & Cultural Context
The prophet Hosea ministered to the Northern Kingdom during its final, tumultuous decades before its fall to Assyria in 722 BC. This period was marked by extreme political instability, with numerous kings assassinated and short, violent reigns. The cultural landscape was dominated by the syncretistic worship of Yahweh alongside Baal and other Canaanite deities, a direct violation of God's covenant. The historical backdrop for "I gave thee a king in mine anger" refers to Israel's original demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8, where they rejected God as their direct ruler, desiring to be "like all the nations." This was a profound act of distrust and rebellion against the theocratic rule God had established. The subsequent "took him away in my wrath" broadly encompasses the tumultuous history of the Northern Kingdom's monarchy, which saw a rapid succession of unrighteous kings, many of whom met violent ends, culminating in the Assyrian conquest and the end of their independent kingdom.
Key Themes
Hosea 13:11 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the book of Hosea and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates Divine Sovereignty Amidst Human Rebellion. Even when Israel actively rejected God's perfect will by demanding a king, God remained sovereign, allowing their choice but retaining control over the outcomes, including the rise and fall of their leaders. Secondly, the verse highlights the Consequences of Rejecting God's Rule. Israel's desire for a human king, driven by a lack of trust in God, led directly to a cycle of unrighteous leadership, political instability, and eventual national destruction, emphasizing the danger of prioritizing human solutions over divine guidance. Finally, the explicit mention of "anger" and "wrath" underscores God's Righteous Indignation Against Idolatry and Disobedience. These terms are not arbitrary human emotions but reflect God's just response to Israel's persistent spiritual infidelity and their breaking of the covenant, as seen throughout Hosea.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root is remarkably broad in its application, meaning "to give" in the widest sense, but also "to put, make, appoint, allow." In this context, it signifies God's active role in establishing the monarchy, not necessarily as His ideal will, but as a concession to Israel's demand. It implies a divine permission or appointment, even if born out of displeasure.
Derived from a root meaning "to rule," this word simply denotes a monarch or royal figure. Its significance here lies in the contrast between the human institution of kingship, which Israel desired for earthly security, and God's divine kingship, which they rejected. The word itself is neutral, but its context in Hosea 13:11 is laden with the negative implications of Israel's choice.
This feminine noun denotes an "outburst of passion," specifically "anger" or "rage." It signifies intense, burning indignation. Paired with "anger" (ʼaph), it emphasizes the severity and righteous nature of God's displeasure, indicating a profound and justified divine response to Israel's persistent rebellion and idolatry.
Verse Breakdown
"I gave thee a king in mine anger"
This clause refers to God's response to Israel's demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8. God, through Samuel, explicitly stated that in desiring a king, Israel had rejected Him as their true ruler. Therefore, the giving of a king, starting with Saul, was not an act of divine pleasure or ideal will, but a concession made in God's righteous displeasure (anger) at their stubbornness and lack of faith. It signifies a divine allowance of human choice, even when that choice is contrary to God's perfect plan and carries inherent negative consequences.
"and took [him] away in my wrath"
This second clause speaks to God's subsequent actions regarding the monarchy. While it can specifically refer to the rejection and eventual death of Saul (1 Samuel 15:23), it more broadly encompasses the entire tumultuous history of the Northern Kingdom's monarchy. This kingdom experienced frequent assassinations and coups, with many kings reigning for only short periods before being violently overthrown. Ultimately, the entire monarchy of Israel was "taken away" with the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC. This removal was a direct manifestation of God's intense, burning indignation (wrath) against their persistent idolatry, covenant breaking, and reliance on human power rather than on Him.
Literary Devices
Hosea 13:11 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound theological message. The most prominent is Anthropomorphism, where God is described as experiencing human emotions of "anger" (ʼaph) and "wrath" (ʻebrâh). This is not to suggest God is subject to irrational human passions, but rather to communicate the intensity and righteousness of His divine displeasure and judgment against sin. The pairing of "anger" and "wrath" also functions as a form of Parallelism or Merism, where two closely related terms are used together to emphasize the totality and severity of God's indignation. This creates a powerful rhetorical effect, underscoring the depth of divine disapproval. Furthermore, there is a strong element of Irony present: Israel desired a king to be "like all the nations" and to provide security, yet the kings God "gave" and "took away" became a source of profound instability, injustice, and ultimately, national destruction. This highlights the futility of human solutions apart from divine guidance.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hosea 13:11 serves as a stark reminder of God's absolute sovereignty over human affairs, including the rise and fall of nations and their leaders. It underscores that even when humanity chooses a path contrary to divine wisdom, God remains in control, orchestrating events to fulfill His righteous purposes, often through judgment. This verse challenges the human tendency to seek security and solutions in earthly power structures rather than in God alone, revealing that such reliance often leads to instability and divine displeasure. It also highlights the profound seriousness of rejecting God's direct rule and the severe consequences that follow from persistent disobedience and idolatry.
Reflection and Application
Hosea 13:11 carries timeless lessons for believers today, urging us to examine our own desires and allegiances. It prompts us to consider whether we, like ancient Israel, are prone to seeking human solutions, earthly security, or popular approval over God's perfect will and divine guidance. The verse challenges us to trust in God's sovereignty even when circumstances are difficult or when His ways seem contrary to our expectations. It reminds us that God's anger and wrath are not arbitrary but are righteous responses to sin, idolatry, and a rejection of His covenant. This should cultivate a spirit of humility, repentance, and a deep desire to live in obedience to His commands, recognizing that true peace and stability come only from submitting to His benevolent rule.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Did God truly give Israel a king "in anger," or was it part of His plan?
While God ultimately permitted Israel to have a king, Hosea 13:11 indicates that this was not His ideal or perfect will for them at that time, but rather a concession made in His righteous displeasure. In 1 Samuel 8:7, God tells Samuel, "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." Israel's demand for a king was rooted in a lack of faith and a desire to be "like all the nations," rather than trusting in God's unique theocratic rule. Therefore, God's "anger" reflects His holy displeasure at their rebellion and distrust, even as He sovereignly allowed their choice to unfold, knowing the consequences it would bring. It was part of His overarching plan to demonstrate the futility of human rule apart from Him, ultimately paving the way for the true, divine King.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hosea 13:11, with its somber portrayal of a king given in anger and taken away in wrath, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Unlike the earthly kings of Israel, who were chosen by human desire and often ruled in unrighteousness, leading to instability and judgment, Jesus is the King given not in anger, but in the boundless love of God for humanity (John 3:16). His kingdom is not of this world, nor is it subject to human whims or divine wrath; rather, it is an eternal, righteous, and unshakable kingdom (John 18:36; Luke 1:32-33). The kings of Israel were "taken away in wrath" due to their sin and the nation's rebellion, but Jesus, the perfect King, was "taken away" (crucified) not for His own sin, but as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His death was a substitutionary act that absorbed God's wrath against sin, making a way for reconciliation. He is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel's longing for a righteous ruler, the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whose reign brings salvation, not judgment, to all who believe (Revelation 19:16).