The Meaning of Hosea 13:8 Explained

Hosea 13:8

KJV: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

YLT: I do meet them as a bereaved bear, And I rend the enclosure of their heart.

Darby: I will meet them as a bear bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the covering of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lioness: the beast of the field shall tear them.

ASV: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart; and there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I will meet  them as a bear  [that is] bereaved  [of her whelps], and will rend  the caul  of their heart,  and there will I devour  them like a lion:  the wild  beast  shall tear  them. 

What does Hosea 13:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Hosea 13:1-14 - To Oppose God Is Destruction
Again, a very tender chapter. The lips that speak with trembling betray the heart that God can exalt. But when we turn to Baal, the emblem of self-confidence, we pass as the morning cloud the dew, the chaff, and the smoke.
In Hosea 13:4 we again get the sweet strain of early memory. God had not changed and was waiting to save. They had refused His help and had destroyed themselves, and He who would have done His best for them had been constrained to act as though He were a lion, a leopard, or a bear. In the wilderness we are thankful enough for His help, but when we reach the land of the vine and olive, we follow the devices and desires of our own hearts.
What a magnificent outburst is that which declares the divine intention to ransom even from death and the grave! We all know the New Testament setting of these words. Our Savior by His death destroyed him that had the power of death. He is death's plague and the grave's destruction. The sting of death is sin, but Jesus has borne sin away. The strength of sin is a violated law, but He has fulfilled the law. He is more than conqueror, and the soul that is one with Him shall share His triumph. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 13

1  Ephraim's glory vanishes
4  God's anger
9  God's mercy
15  The judgment of Samaria

What do the individual words in Hosea 13:8 mean?

I will meet them like a bear deprived [of her cubs] and I will tear open cage their rib and I will devour them there like a lion beast the wild shall tear them
אֶפְגְּשֵׁם֙ כְּדֹ֣ב שַׁכּ֔וּל וְאֶקְרַ֖ע סְג֣וֹר לִבָּ֑ם וְאֹכְלֵ֥ם שָׁם֙ כְּלָבִ֔יא חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה תְּבַקְּעֵֽם

אֶפְגְּשֵׁם֙  I  will  meet  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: פָּגַשׁ  
Sense: to meet, join, encounter.
כְּדֹ֣ב  like  a  bear 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דֹּב  
Sense: bear.
שַׁכּ֔וּל  deprived  [of  her  cubs] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: שַׁכּוּל 
Sense: childless (through bereavement).
וְאֶקְרַ֖ע  and  I  will  tear  open 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרַע  
Sense: to tear, tear in pieces.
סְג֣וֹר  cage 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סְגֹור  
Sense: enclosure, encasement, fine gold.
לִבָּ֑ם  their  rib 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
וְאֹכְלֵ֥ם  and  I  will  devour  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
כְּלָבִ֔יא  like  a  lion 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶבֶא 
Sense: lion.
חַיַּ֥ת  beast 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה  the  wild 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
תְּבַקְּעֵֽם  shall  tear  them 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּקַע  
Sense: to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear.