The Meaning of Hosea 10:5 Explained

Hosea 10:5

KJV: The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

YLT: For the calves of Beth-Aven fear do inhabitants of Samaria, Surely mourned on account of it hath its people, And its priests on account of it leap about, Because of its honour, for it hath removed from it,

Darby: The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calf of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the idolatrous priests thereof shall tremble for it, for its glory, because it is departed from it.

ASV: The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calves of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced over it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The inhabitants  of Samaria  shall fear  because of the calves  of Bethaven:  for the people  thereof shall mourn  over it, and the priests  thereof [that] rejoiced  on it, for the glory  thereof, because it is departed  from it. 

What does Hosea 10:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When God destroyed Israel"s altars ( Hosea 10:2), specifically the golden calf at Beth-aven (i.e, Bethel, cf. Hosea 10:8; Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8), the Israelites who lived in Samaria, Israel"s capital, would fear. Beth-aven may stand not merely for Bethel but also for the whole official, semi-pagan religious set-up in Israel. [1] The people would mourn, and the idolatrous priests (Heb. kemarim; cf. 2 Kings 23:5; Zephaniah 1:4) who served there would bewail the demise of this altar, since its glory had departed from the land.

Context Summary

Hosea 10:1-15 - "break Up Your Fallow Ground"
Israel brought forth fruit, but not such as God could delight in. It was corrupt and evil. How great a disappointment to the Great Cultivator! The land was covered with obelisks and altars, the symbols of idolatry, and the Canaanites themselves had not been more shameless in sin. But notice the terrible judgments that must befall. There would be revolution, for when men say, We fear not the Lord, they will go on to say, We fear not the king. Beth-aven, the "house of vanity," would replace Beth-el, the "house of God." The golden calves would be carried off by the conqueror. The king would perish as foam upon the water. The yoke of conquest would be placed on Ephraim's fair neck. The fortresses of Israel would be carried by assault, with all the accompaniments of savage warfare. Is it not "an evil thing and bitter" to forsake the Lord!
Is it not time that we should look into our hearts and lives, break up the fallow ground, now covered with thorns and thistles, and begin to sow in righteousness? Let us ask God to drive the plowshares of deep soul-searching and conviction across the hard and sterile acres of our hearts, and sow them with His good seed. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 10

1  Israel is reproved and threatened for their impiety and idolatry,
12  and exhorted to repentance

What do the individual words in Hosea 10:5 mean?

Because of the calf of Beth Aven Fear the inhabitants of Samaria for mourn for it its people and its priests shriek upon its glory because has departed from it
לְעֶגְלוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית אָ֔וֶן יָג֖וּרוּ שְׁכַ֣ן שֹֽׁמְר֑וֹן כִּי־ אָבַ֨ל עָלָ֜יו עַמּ֗וֹ וּכְמָרָיו֙ יָגִ֔ילוּ עַל־ כְּבוֹד֖וֹ כִּֽי־ גָלָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנּוּ

לְעֶגְלוֹת֙  Because  of  the  calf 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עֶגְלָה 
Sense: heifer.
אָ֔וֶן  Beth  Aven 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֵּית אָוֶן  
Sense: a city east of Bethel, site unknown.
יָג֖וּרוּ  Fear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גּוּר 
Sense: to sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely.
שְׁכַ֣ן  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׁכֵן  
Sense: inhabitant, neighbour.
שֹֽׁמְר֑וֹן  of  Samaria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֹׁמְרֹון  
Sense: the region of northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the 0 tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by Jeroboam.
אָבַ֨ל  mourn 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָבַל 
Sense: to mourn, lament.
עָלָ֜יו  for  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עַמּ֗וֹ  its  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וּכְמָרָיו֙  and  its  priests 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כֹּמֶר  
Sense: priest, idolatrous priest.
יָגִ֔ילוּ  shriek 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גִּיל  
Sense: to rejoice, exult, be glad.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כְּבוֹד֖וֹ  its  glory 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
כִּֽי־  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
גָלָ֥ה  has  departed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּלָה  
Sense: to uncover, remove.
מִמֶּֽנּוּ  from  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.