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Selected Verse: Hosea 1:5 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ho 1:5	Strong Concordance	And it shall come to pass at that day [03117], that I will break [07665] the bow [07198] of Israel [03478] in the valley [06010] of Jezreel [03157].
	King James	And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
bow--the prowess (Jer 49:35; compare Gen 49:24). valley of Jezreel--afterwards called Esdraelon, extending ten miles in breadth, and in length from Jordan to the Mediterranean near Mount Carmel, the great battlefield of Palestine (Jdg 6:33; Sa1 29:1).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

bow--the prowess (Jer 49:35; compare Gen 49:24).

valley of Jezreel--afterwards called Esdraelon, extending ten miles in breadth, and in length from Jordan to the Mediterranean near Mount Carmel, the great battlefield of Palestine (Jdg 6:33; Sa1 29:1).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel - The valley of Jezreel is a beautiful and a broad valley or plain, stretching, from West to East, from Mount Carmel and the sea to the Jordan, which it reaches through two arms, between the Mountains of Gilboa, little Hermon, and Tabor; and from South to North from the Mountains of Ephraim to those of Galilee. Nazareth lay on its northern side. It is called "the great plain" (1 Macc. 12:49), "the great plain of Esdraelon" (Judith 1:8). There God had signally executed His judgments against the enemies of His people, or on His people, when they became His enemies. There He gave the great victories over the invading hosts of Sisera (Jdg 4:4 ff), and of Midian, with the children of the East. Jdg 6:33. There also He ended the life and kingdom of Saul Sa1 29:1; Sa1 31:1, Sa1 31:7, Sa1 31:10, visiting upon him, when his measure of iniquity was full, his years of contumacy, and his persecution of David, whom God had chosen. Jezreel became a royal residence of the house of Ahab Kg1 18:46; Kg1 21:1-3; Kg2 9:10, Kg2 9:25, Kg2 9:30; Kg2 10:1, Kg2 10:11. There, in the scenes of Ahab's wickedness and of Jehu's hypocritical zeal; there, where he drave furiously, to avenge, as he alleged, on the house of Ahab, the innocent blood which Ahab had shed in Jezreel, Hosea foretells that the kingdom of Israel should be broken In the same plain, at the battle with Shalmaneser, near Betharbel (see the note at Hos 10:14), Hosea lived to see his prophecy fulfilled. The strength of the kingdom was there finally broken; the sufferings there endured were one last warning before the capture of Samaria (see the note at Hos 10:15). The name of Jezreel blends the sins with the punishment. It resembles, in form and in sound, the name of Israel, and contains a reversal of the promise contained in the name of Israel, in which they trusted. "Yisrael" (as their name was originally pronounced) signifies, "he is a prince with God; Yidsreel, God shall scatter." They who, while they followed the faith, for which their forefather Jacob received from God the name of Israel, had been truly Israel, i. e., "princes with God," should now be "Yidsreel," "scattered by God."

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel - The valley of Jezreel is a beautiful and a broad valley or plain, stretching, from West to East, from Mount Carmel and the sea to the Jordan, which it reaches through two arms, between the Mountains of Gilboa, little Hermon, and Tabor; and from South to North from the Mountains of Ephraim to those of Galilee. Nazareth lay on its northern side. It is called "the great plain" (1 Macc. 12:49), "the great plain of Esdraelon" (Judith 1:8). There God had signally executed His judgments against the enemies of His people, or on His people, when they became His enemies. There He gave the great victories over the invading hosts of Sisera (Jdg 4:4 ff), and of Midian, with the children of the East. Jdg 6:33. There also He ended the life and kingdom of Saul Sa1 29:1; Sa1 31:1, Sa1 31:7, Sa1 31:10, visiting upon him, when his measure of iniquity was full, his years of contumacy, and his persecution of David, whom God had chosen. Jezreel became a royal residence of the house of Ahab Kg1 18:46; Kg1 21:1-3; Kg2 9:10, Kg2 9:25, Kg2 9:30; Kg2 10:1, Kg2 10:11. There, in the scenes of Ahab's wickedness and of Jehu's hypocritical zeal; there, where he drave furiously, to avenge, as he alleged, on the house of Ahab, the innocent blood which Ahab had shed in Jezreel, Hosea foretells that the kingdom of Israel should be broken In the same plain, at the battle with Shalmaneser, near Betharbel (see the note at Hos 10:14), Hosea lived to see his prophecy fulfilled. The strength of the kingdom was there finally broken; the sufferings there endured were one last warning before the capture of Samaria (see the note at Hos 10:15).

The name of Jezreel blends the sins with the punishment. It resembles, in form and in sound, the name of Israel, and contains a reversal of the promise contained in the name of Israel, in which they trusted. "Yisrael" (as their name was originally pronounced) signifies, "he is a prince with God; Yidsreel, God shall scatter." They who, while they followed the faith, for which their forefather Jacob received from God the name of Israel, had been truly Israel, i. e., "princes with God," should now be "Yidsreel," "scattered by God."

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
"And it cometh to pass in that day, that I break in pieces the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." The indication of time, "in that day," refers not to the overthrow of the house of Jehu, but to the breaking up of the kingdom of Israel, by which it was followed. The bow of Israel, i.e., its might (for the bow, as the principal weapon employed in war, is a synecdochical epithet, used to denote the whole of the military force upon which the continued existence of the kingdom depended (Jer 49:35), and is also a symbol of strength generally; vid., Gen 49:24; Sa1 2:4), is to be broken to pieces in the valley of Jezreel. The paronomasia between Israel and Jezreel is here unmistakeable. And here again Jezreel is not introduced with any allusion to its appellative signification, i.e., so that the mention of the name itself is intended to indicate the dispersion or breaking up of the nation, but simply with reference to its natural character, as the great plain in which, from time immemorial, even down to the most recent period, all the great battles have been fought for the possession of the land (cf. v. Raumer, Pal. pp. 40, 41). The nation which the Lord had appointed to be the instrument of His judgment is not mentioned here. But the fulfilment shows that the Assyrians are intended, although the brief historical account given in the books of Kings does not notice the place in which the Assyrians gained the decisive victory over Israel; and the statement made by Jerome, to the effect that it was in the valley of Jezreel, is probably simply an inference drawn from this passage. With the name of the first child, Jezreel, the prophet had, as it were with a single stroke, set before the king and the kingdom generally the destruction that awaited them. In order, however, to give further keenness to this threat, and cut off every hope of deliverance, he now announces two other births. Sa1 2:6. "And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And He (Jehovah) said to him, Call her name Unfavoured; for I will no more favour the house of Israel, that I should forgive them." The second birth is a female one, not in order to symbolize a more degenerate race, or the greater need of help on the part of the nation, but to get a name answering to the idea, and to set forth, under the figure of sons and daughters, the totality of the nation, both men and women. Lō' ruchâmâh, lit., she is not favoured; for ruchâmâh is hardly a participle with the מ dropped, since לא is never found in close connection with the participle (Ewald, 320, c.), but rather the third pers. perf. fem. in the pausal form. The child receives this name to indicate that the Lord will not continue (אוסיך) to show compassion towards the rebellious nation, as He hitherto has done, even under Jeroboam II (Kg2 13:23). For the purpose of strengthening לא ארחם, the clause כּי נשׂא וגו is added. This can hardly be understood in any other way than in the sense of נשׂא עון ל, viz., to take away sin or guilt, i.e., to forgive it (cf. Gen 18:24, Gen 18:26, etc.). The explanation, "I will take away from them, sc. everything" (Hengstenberg), has no tenable support in Hos 5:14, because there the object to be supplied is contained in the context, and here this is not the case.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

"And it cometh to pass in that day, that I break in pieces the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." The indication of time, "in that day," refers not to the overthrow of the house of Jehu, but to the breaking up of the kingdom of Israel, by which it was followed. The bow of Israel, i.e., its might (for the bow, as the principal weapon employed in war, is a synecdochical epithet, used to denote the whole of the military force upon which the continued existence of the kingdom depended (Jer 49:35), and is also a symbol of strength generally; vid., Gen 49:24; Sa1 2:4), is to be broken to pieces in the valley of Jezreel. The paronomasia between Israel and Jezreel is here unmistakeable. And here again Jezreel is not introduced with any allusion to its appellative signification, i.e., so that the mention of the name itself is intended to indicate the dispersion or breaking up of the nation, but simply with reference to its natural character, as the great plain in which, from time immemorial, even down to the most recent period, all the great battles have been fought for the possession of the land (cf. v. Raumer, Pal. pp. 40, 41). The nation which the Lord had appointed to be the instrument of His judgment is not mentioned here. But the fulfilment shows that the Assyrians are intended, although the brief historical account given in the books of Kings does not notice the place in which the Assyrians gained the decisive victory over Israel; and the statement made by Jerome, to the effect that it was in the valley of Jezreel, is probably simply an inference drawn from this passage.

With the name of the first child, Jezreel, the prophet had, as it were with a single stroke, set before the king and the kingdom generally the destruction that awaited them. In order, however, to give further keenness to this threat, and cut off every hope of deliverance, he now announces two other births. Sa1 2:6. "And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And He (Jehovah) said to him, Call her name Unfavoured; for I will no more favour the house of Israel, that I should forgive them." The second birth is a female one, not in order to symbolize a more degenerate race, or the greater need of help on the part of the nation, but to get a name answering to the idea, and to set forth, under the figure of sons and daughters, the totality of the nation, both men and women. Lō' ruchâmâh, lit., she is not favoured; for ruchâmâh is hardly a participle with the מ dropped, since לא is never found in close connection with the participle (Ewald, 320, c.), but rather the third pers. perf. fem. in the pausal form. The child receives this name to indicate that the Lord will not continue (אוסיך) to show compassion towards the rebellious nation, as He hitherto has done, even under Jeroboam II (Kg2 13:23). For the purpose of strengthening לא ארחם, the clause כּי נשׂא וגו is added. This can hardly be understood in any other way than in the sense of נשׂא עון ל, viz., to take away sin or guilt, i.e., to forgive it (cf. Gen 18:24, Gen 18:26, etc.). The explanation, "I will take away from them, sc. everything" (Hengstenberg), has no tenable support in Hos 5:14, because there the object to be supplied is contained in the context, and here this is not the case.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
At that day - When my vengeance hath overtaken the house of Jehu. Break - Weaken and by degrees quite break. The bow - All their warlike provision, power and skill. Jezreel - In this valley it is probable the bloodiest battles in the civil wars were fought; the reason whereof might be, because whoever carried the victory in this place, were soon masters of Samaria and Jezreel, and consequently of the kingdom.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
In the valley of Jezreel - This also is supposed to relate either to some signal defeat of the Israelites by the Assyrians, which took place in the valley of Jezreel; or to the death of Zechariah, the fourth lineal descendant of Jehu, which may have happened here. See Kg2 15:10. - Newcome.

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¹ Now the Philistines [06430] gathered together [06908] all their armies [04264] to Aphek [0663]: and the Israelites [03478] pitched [02583] by a fountain [05869] which is in Jezreel [03157].

³³ Then all the Midianites [04080] and the Amalekites [06002] and the children [01121] of the east [06924] were gathered [0622] together [03162], and went over [05674], and pitched [02583] in the valley [06010] of Jezreel [03157].

²⁴ But his bow [07198] abode [03427] in strength [0386], and the arms [02220] of his hands [03027] were made strong [06339] by the hands [03027] of the mighty [046] God of Jacob [03290]; (from thence is the shepherd [07462], the stone [068] of Israel [03478]:)

³⁵ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635]; Behold, I will break [07665] the bow [07198] of Elam [05867], the chief [07225] of their might [01369].

¹⁵ So [03602] shall Bethel [01008] do [06213] unto you because [06440] of your great [07451] wickedness [07451]: in a morning [07837] shall the king [04428] of Israel [03478] utterly [01820] be cut off [01820].

¹⁴ Therefore shall a tumult [07588] arise [06965] among thy people [05971], and all thy fortresses [04013] shall be spoiled [07703], as Shalman [08020] spoiled [07701] Betharbel [01009] in the day [03117] of battle [04421]: the mother [0517] was dashed in pieces [07376] upon her children [01121].

¹¹ So Jehu [03058] slew [05221] all that remained [07604] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256] in Jezreel [03157], and all his great men [01419], and his kinsfolks [03045], and his priests [03548], until he left [07604] him none remaining [08300].

¹ And Ahab [0256] had seventy [07657] sons [01121] in Samaria [08111]. And Jehu [03058] wrote [03789] letters [05612], and sent [07971] to Samaria [08111], unto the rulers [08269] of Jezreel [03157], to the elders [02205], and to them that brought up [0539] Ahab's [0256] children, saying [0559],

³⁰ And when Jehu [03058] was come [0935] to Jezreel [03157], Jezebel [0348] heard [08085] of it; and she painted [07760] [06320] her face [05869], and tired [03190] her head [07218], and looked out [08259] at a window [02474].

²⁵ Then said [0559] Jehu to Bidkar [0920] his captain [07991], Take up [05375], and cast [07993] him in the portion [02513] of the field [07704] of Naboth [05022] the Jezreelite [03158]: for remember [02142] how that, when I and thou rode [07392] together [06776] after [0310] Ahab [0256] his father [01], the LORD [03068] laid [05375] this burden [04853] upon him;

¹⁰ And the dogs [03611] shall eat [0398] Jezebel [0348] in the portion [02506] of Jezreel [03157], and there shall be none to bury [06912] her. And he opened [06605] the door [01817], and fled [05127].

¹ And it came to pass after [0310] these things [01697], that Naboth [05022] the Jezreelite [03158] had a vineyard [03754], which was in Jezreel [03157], hard by [0681] the palace [01964] of Ahab [0256] king [04428] of Samaria [08111].
² And Ahab [0256] spake [01696] unto Naboth [05022], saying [0559], Give [05414] me thy vineyard [03754], that I may have it for a garden [01588] of herbs [03419], because it is near [07138] unto [0681] my house [01004]: and I will give [05414] thee for it a better [02896] vineyard [03754] than it; or, if it seem good [02896] to thee [05869], I will give [05414] thee the worth [04242] of it in money [03701].
³ And Naboth [05022] said [0559] to Ahab [0256], The LORD [03068] forbid [02486] it me, that I should give [05414] the inheritance [05159] of my fathers [01] unto thee.

⁴⁶ And the hand [03027] of the LORD [03068] was on Elijah [0452]; and he girded up [08151] his loins [04975], and ran [07323] before [06440] Ahab [0256] to the entrance [0935] of Jezreel [03157].

¹⁰ And they put [07760] his armour [03627] in the house [01004] of Ashtaroth [06252] [01045]: and they fastened [08628] his body [01472] to the wall [02346] of Bethshan [01052].

⁷ And when the men [0582] of Israel [03478] that were on the other side [05676] of the valley [06010], and they that were on the other side [05676] Jordan [03383], saw [07200] that the men [0582] of Israel [03478] fled [05127], and that Saul [07586] and his sons [01121] were dead [04191], they forsook [05800] the cities [05892], and fled [05127]; and the Philistines [06430] came [0935] and dwelt [03427] in them.

¹ Now the Philistines [06430] fought [03898] against Israel [03478]: and the men [0582] of Israel [03478] fled [05127] from before [06440] the Philistines [06430], and fell down [05307] slain [02491] in mount [02022] Gilboa [01533].

¹ Now the Philistines [06430] gathered together [06908] all their armies [04264] to Aphek [0663]: and the Israelites [03478] pitched [02583] by a fountain [05869] which is in Jezreel [03157].

⁴ And Deborah [01683], a prophetess [05031], the wife [0802] of Lapidoth [03941], she judged [08199] Israel [03478] at that time [06256].

¹⁴ For I will be unto Ephraim [0669] as a lion [07826], and as a young lion [03715] to the house [01004] of Judah [03063]: I, even I, will tear [02963] and go away [03212]; I will take away [05375], and none shall rescue [05337] him.

²⁶ And the LORD [03068] said [0559], If I find [04672] in Sodom [05467] fifty [02572] righteous [06662] within [08432] the city [05892], then I will spare [05375] all the place [04725] for their sakes.

²⁴ Peradventure there be [03426] fifty [02572] righteous [06662] within [08432] the city [05892]: wilt thou also destroy [05595] and not spare [05375] the place [04725] for [04616] the fifty [02572] righteous [06662] that are therein [07130]?

²³ And the LORD [03068] was gracious [02603] unto them, and had compassion [07355] on them, and had respect [06437] unto them, because of [04616] his covenant [01285] with Abraham [085], Isaac [03327], and Jacob [03290], and would [014] not destroy [07843] them, neither cast [07993] he them from his presence [06440] as yet [05704].

⁶ The LORD [03068] killeth [04191], and maketh alive [02421]: he bringeth down [03381] to the grave [07585], and bringeth up [05927].

⁴ The bows [07198] of the mighty men [01368] are broken [02844], and they that stumbled [03782] are girded [0247] with strength [02428].

³⁵ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635]; Behold, I will break [07665] the bow [07198] of Elam [05867], the chief [07225] of their might [01369].

¹⁰ And Shallum [07967] the son [01121] of Jabesh [03003] conspired [07194] against him, and smote [05221] him before [06905] the people [05971], and slew [04191] him, and reigned [04427] in his stead.