Then, like now, inner tensions and conflicts weaken nations and make it easier for enemies from outside to dismantle what’s left. In Hosea’s 8th Century BCE reality, the discord within the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the mounting tensions with their neighbor, the Southern Kingdom of Judah would lead to a catastrophe, no matter how loud his howls.
In today’s chapter he adds more information about a lesser known civil war that ravaged Israel and opened the path to the Assyrian conquest. You’d have to read between the lines to hear not only his despair but also the incriminating details that pin-point his protest.
Chapter 5 picks up where the previous left off - critical of the ruling classes, Hosea blasts society on a whole for blatant disregard for law, morals, justice and faith. And then he turns to the alarming soundtrack of battle:
תִּקְע֤וּ שׁוֹפָר֙ בַּגִּבְעָ֔ה חֲצֹצְרָ֖ה בָּרָמָ֑ה הָרִ֙יעוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אָ֔וֶן אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ בִּנְיָמִֽין׃
Sound a ram’s horn in Gibeah,
A trumpet in Ramah;
Give the alarm in Beth-aven;
After you, Benjamin!
Hosea 5:8
The shofar serves here as a siren and the battle cry ‘After you Benjamin’ seems familiar from the ancient battles that we read about back in the Books of Kings. But what is this skirmish all about? What is the prophet protesting?
The clue can be found in the previous verse, where Hosea blames the people for transgressions and adds one very specific detail that indicates the political scene - but to understand what’s going on, scholars insert a missing word - king.
בַּיהֹוָ֣ה בָּגָ֔דוּ כִּי־בָנִ֥ים זָרִ֖ים יָלָ֑דוּ עַתָּ֛ה יֹאכְלֵ֥ם חֹ֖דֶשׁ אֶת־חֶלְקֵיהֶֽם׃
“They have broken faith with YHWH,
Because they have begotten
Foreign children.
Therefore, the new moon (king)
Shall devour their portion.”
Hosea 5:7
What Hosea is likely alluding to is the alarming anarchy in Israel, as the dynasty of King Jehu collapsed because of inner coups and tribal disputes. Zechariah son of Jeroboam the Second ruled for only six months before being assassinated and replaced by one of the generals, Shallum of Yavesh - who only lasted a single month before killed and replaced by Menachem who became the 16th king of Israel. It would be King Menachem who would appeal to Assyria for support, in return for heavy taxation that would eventually make Israel a vassal state of the ascendant Assyrian Empire and finally lead to the Northern Kingdom’s fall. He is witnessing the bitter battle between sections within the Israelite society, eventually leading to total collapse, eventually engaging the Southern Kingdom in battle and bringing them all down.
Hosea's warning is to both Israel and Judah. Both peoples - sister kingdoms - violated fundamental covenants of alliance by battling among themselves, and seeking assistance from the enemy in order to weaken the other.
And where is God in all of this? Too disappointed to handle the mess, YHWH withdraws, waiting for the people to plead for help and get their act together:
אֵלֵ֤ךְ אָשׁ֙וּבָה֙ אֶל־מְקוֹמִ֔י עַ֥ד אֲשֶֽׁר־יֶאְשְׁמ֖וּ וּבִקְשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י בַּצַּ֥ר לָהֶ֖ם יְשַׁחֲרֻֽנְנִי׃
And I will return to My abode—
Till they realize their guilt.
In their distress, they will seek Me
And beg for My favor.
It’s not clear where it is that YHWH will return to — possibly up above the mortal coil of Israel’s chaos. At least for a while.
What Hosea tells us of the lesser known civil wars of his time will echo through the generations, some details more known, some less, but the same message repeating itself like a bad spell, like intergenerational trauma: In-fighting will bring us down, distance us from our core, collective wellbeing and any chance of stability. And while he watches in horror, we have yet to learn, and maybe do what’s possible to avoid another civil war in Israel and help the healing begin.
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