The Meaning of Hosea 5:13 Explained

Hosea 5:13

KJV: When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

YLT: And see doth Ephraim his sickness, and Judah his wound, And Ephraim goeth unto Asshur, And sendeth unto a warlike king, And he is not able to give healing to you, Nor doth he remove from you a scar.

Darby: When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sore, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb; but he was unable to heal you, nor hath he removed your sore.

ASV: When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah'saw his wound, then went Ephraim to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When Ephraim  saw  his sickness,  and Judah  [saw] his wound,  then went  Ephraim  to the Assyrian,  and sent  to king  Jareb:  yet could  he not heal  you, nor cure  you of your wound. 

What does Hosea 5:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Both Israel and Judah appealed to the king of Assyria for help, but he was unable to save them. King Ahaz of Judah did this ( 2 Kings 16:5-9), and so did King Menahem of Israel ( 2 Kings 15:19-20) and King Hoshea of Israel (cf. 2 Kings 17:3). Rather than assisting, the Assyrians attacked both nations.

Context Summary

Hosea 5:1-15 - God's Rebuke Of Apostasy
The prophet continues his grave indictment of his people. The court and the priesthood were chiefly responsible for the awful degeneracy that was eating out the national heart. The seductions of idolatry that abounded everywhere resembled the snares and nets set by hunters on the wooded heights of Gilead and Tabor.
Suddenly, within a month, Hosea 5:7, an alarm sounds from hill to hill. The foreign invader has entered the country and is slowly marching southward. Even Benjamin is threatened. Ephraim must suffer because of the institutions of Omri and Ahab, Hosea 5:11; and Judah, because her princes were grasping and fraudulent. Though message after message was sent to procure the help of Jareb-a symbolical name for Assyria, "the warlike," he would not be able to avert the approaching dissolution of the Jewish state. You cannot stop the dry-rot by grand alliances. Nothing can save a nation in whose heart the worst forms of corruption are being nourished, except a wholesale return of God and a seeking of His face. It is certain that if this lesson were profoundly learned and then practiced, the horrors of a world in arms would come to a speedy and a blessed end. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 5

1  The judgments of God are denounced against the priests, people, and princes,
9  both of Israel and Judah, for their manifold sins
15  An intimation is given of mercy on their repentance

What do the individual words in Hosea 5:13 mean?

And when saw Ephraim - his sickness and Judah [saw] his wound and went Ephraim to Assyria and sent King Jareb And yet he cannot could cure you nor heal you of your wound
וַיַּ֨רְא אֶפְרַ֜יִם אֶת־ חָלְי֗וֹ וִֽיהוּדָה֙ מְזֹר֔וֹ וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ אֶל־ אַשּׁ֔וּר וַיִּשְׁלַ֖ח מֶ֣לֶךְ יָרֵ֑ב וְה֗וּא לֹ֤א יוּכַל֙ לִרְפֹּ֣א לָכֶ֔ם וְלֹֽא־ יִגְהֶ֥ה מִכֶּ֖ם מָזֽוֹר

וַיַּ֨רְא  And  when  saw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אֶפְרַ֜יִם  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
חָלְי֗וֹ  his  sickness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֳלִי  
Sense: sickness.
וִֽיהוּדָה֙  and  Judah  [saw] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
מְזֹר֔וֹ  his  wound 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָזׄור  
Sense: wound.
וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ  and  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
אַשּׁ֔וּר  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֖ח  and  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  King 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יָרֵ֑ב  Jareb 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵב  
Sense: an epithet given to the king of Assyria.
וְה֗וּא  And  yet  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
לֹ֤א  cannot 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יוּכַל֙  could 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
לִרְפֹּ֣א  cure 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רָפָא  
Sense: to heal, make healthful.
וְלֹֽא־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִגְהֶ֥ה  heal 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּהָה  
Sense: (Qal) to depart.
מָזֽוֹר  of  your  wound 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָזׄור  
Sense: wound.