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Hosea 10:14
Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces uponher children.

Hosea 13:16
Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Leviticus 26:31,33
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours…

consume.

Psalm 80:11-16
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river…

Isaiah 9:14
Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

Isaiah 18:5
For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take awayand cut down the branches.

because.

Hosea 10:6
It shall be also carried unto Assyriafor a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

Psalm 106:39,43
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions…

Isaiah 30:1
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

it will destroy the bars of their gates
The "bars of their gates" symbolize security and protection. In ancient cities, gates were crucial for defense, and their destruction signifies complete vulnerability and defeat. This imagery underscores the totality of the judgment that would leave the cities defenseless against their enemies. The destruction of gates is a common motif in biblical narratives of conquest, as seen in the fall of Jerusalem in2 Kings 25:10. It also serves as a metaphor for the removal of divine protection due to Israel's covenant unfaithfulness.

and consume them in their own plans.
This phrase highlights the self-destructive nature of Israel's actions. Their plans, likely referring to political alliances and idolatrous practices, would lead to their downfall. This reflects the biblical principle that turning away from God leads to ruin, as seen inProverbs 14:12, which states that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. The consumption by their own plans suggests that their strategies, rather than providing safety, would result in their destruction, emphasizing the futility of relying on human wisdom over divine guidance.

• The Lord pictures a sudden, irresistible invasion—“A sword will flash through their cities” (Hosea 11:6).

• Just as Hosea earlier warned, “The roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated” (Hosea 10:14), the coming Assyrian armies would sweep across Israel’s towns with terrifying speed.

•2 Kings 17:5–6 records the literal fulfillment: “The king of Assyria invaded the entire land … and carried Israel away into exile.”

•Amos 3:11 echoes the same certainty: “An enemy will surround the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your citadels”.

• The flashing sword reminds us that judgment is not accidental but divinely directed, asDeuteronomy 32:41 promises, “When I sharpen My flashing sword … I will take vengeance on My adversaries.”

• Gates and their iron or wooden crossbars were a city’s main defense. Breaking them meant complete exposure.

• Hosea’s phrase points to total breach: no wall high enough, no lock strong enough.

•Nahum 3:13 paints the same helplessness: “The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies”.

• InLamentations 2:9, after Jerusalem fell, “Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and broken her bars.” What Judah later tasted, Israel would first endure.

• The image warns every generation that human fortifications—military, financial, or intellectual—cannot stand when God removes His protecting hand (Psalm 127:1).

• Israel’s downfall would come, not only from foreign swords, but from the collapse of their own misguided schemes.

•Hosea 10:13 already accused them: “You have cultivated wickedness … You have eaten the fruit of deception.”

• Their alliances with Egypt and Assyria (Hosea 7:11–12) were political “plans” that backfired; those very partners turned into predators.

•Proverbs 11:6 observes, “The faithless are trapped by their own desires,” whilePsalm 7:15–16 shows the boomerang effect of sin: the pit a man digs becomes his own grave.

• God’s justice often lets sin devour the sinner: the strategy that seemed clever becomes the very instrument of ruin (Galatians 6:7).

Hosea 11:6 delivers a triple warning: sudden warfare will sweep Israel’s cities, defenses will crumble, and the nation’s self-made plans will prove suicidal. The verse underscores the certainty of divine judgment on persistent rebellion, yet it also highlights God’s righteous consistency—He lets the sword, the shattered gate, and the collapsing scheme all bear witness that trusting anything above the Lord leads to devastation.

(1) "the sword," as the principal weapon in ancient warfare and the symbol of war's destructive power shallsweep round in, circulate, or make the round of the cities of Israel; but

(2) others," whirl down," "light on ;" thus both Rashi and Kimchi. Again,בַדּים is, as already intimated, variously rendered. The most appropriate translation

(a) is (literally, "poles for carrying the ark,"Exodus 25:13) "bolts or bars" for securing gates, the root beingבדד, to separate. . . .

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