The Meaning of Hosea 10:8 Explained

Hosea 10:8

KJV: The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

YLT: And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

Darby: And the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up upon their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us! and to the hills, Fall on us!

ASV: The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The high places  also of Aven,  the sin  of Israel,  shall be destroyed:  the thorn  and the thistle  shall come up  on their altars;  and they shall say  to the mountains,  Cover  us; and to the hills,  Fall  on us. 

What does Hosea 10:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Assyrians would also destroy the sites of the idolatrous shrines at Aven (wickedness, i.e, Bethel), where the Israelites had sinned. Ironically, when the Israelites had entered the Promised Land, the Lord had commanded them to destroy such places ( Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 12:2-3). Since they had not obeyed, the Lord would use the Assyrians to fulfill His command. The pagan altars there would become overgrown with wild thorns and thistles. The Israelites would then express their terror over this judgment by calling on the mountains and hills to cover them (cf. Luke 23:30; Revelation 6:16). They would prefer death to life (cf. Jeremiah 8:3; Revelation 9:6).

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 10:8 mean?

And shall be destroyed the high places of Aven the sin of Israel the thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars and they shall say to the mountains Cover us and to the hills Fall on us -
וְנִשְׁמְד֞וּ בָּמ֣וֹת אָ֗וֶן חַטַּאת֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל ק֣וֹץ וְדַרְדַּ֔ר יַעֲלֶ֖ה עַל־ מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑ם וְאָמְר֤וּ לֶֽהָרִים֙ כַּסּ֔וּנוּ וְלַגְּבָע֖וֹת נִפְל֥וּ עָלֵֽינוּ ס

וְנִשְׁמְד֞וּ  And  shall  be  destroyed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁמַד  
Sense: to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated.
בָּמ֣וֹת  the  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
אָ֗וֶן  of  Aven 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
חַטַּאת֙  the  sin 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
ק֣וֹץ  the  thorn 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹוץ 
Sense: thorn, thornbush.
וְדַרְדַּ֔ר  and  thistle 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דַּרְדַּר  
Sense: thistles, thorns.
יַעֲלֶ֖ה  shall  grow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑ם  their  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
וְאָמְר֤וּ  and  they  shall  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לֶֽהָרִים֙  to  the  mountains 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
כַּסּ֔וּנוּ  Cover  us 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural, first person common plural
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
וְלַגְּבָע֖וֹת  and  to  the  hills 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
נִפְל֥וּ  Fall 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
עָלֵֽינוּ  on  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
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.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation