Hosea 13:9 — Word Study
WLCשִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כִּֽי־ בִ֥י בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃
BSAYou are destroyedshâchath■ [utterly ruined, brought to nothing] O IsraelYisrâʼêl [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants] because you arekîy against your helperʻêzer [the one who provides aid, your only support, in Me]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ | it will destroy you | Verb piel perfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | O Israel | Noun proper |
| כִּֽי־ | for | Particle |
| בִ֥י | in me | Preposition, suffix |
| בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃ | in helper your | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against Me— against your helper. |
| KJV | ¶ O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. |
| ASV | It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help. |
| YLT | And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field doth rend them. |
| WEB | You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. |
| BBE | I have sent destruction on you, O Israel; who will be your helper? |
The translations agree on the main message of destruction, with variations in the emphasis on Israel's relationship with God.
The sentence has one main clause and two subordinate clauses, highlighting the cause and effect of Israel's actions.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Hosea 13:9
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Consequences of Rejectiongenerated
Hosea 13:9 warns Israel of the dire consequences of turning against God, their helper. The surrounding verses illustrate the severity of God's judgment, comparing it to a bear attacking its prey. This context emphasizes the seriousness of Israel's rebellion and the urgency of returning to God for help.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hosea 14:1 | Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. |
| 2 | 2 Kings 17:7–17 | All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods |
| 3 | Proverbs 6:32 | He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. |
| 4 | Proverbs 8:36 | But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.” |
| 5 | Isaiah 3:9–11 | The expression on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster upon themselves. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 17 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥, shi.chet.Khagenerated
The verb שָׁחַת (shachath) means to ruin or destroy. In this verse, it indicates a complete devastation resulting from Israel's actions. The parsing as a piel perfect verb shows that this destruction is a completed action, emphasizing the certainty of the outcome.
The use of the second person suffix indicates a direct address to Israel, making the warning personal and urgent. This form highlights the relationship between Israel and God, where their rebellion leads to their own downfall.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse is structured around one main clause: שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, You are destroyed, O Israel. This is followed by a subordinate clause providing the reason for this destruction: כִּֽי־, because, which connects the cause to the effect.
The prepositional phrases בִ֥י and בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃ elaborate on the nature of Israel's rebellion against God, emphasizing that they are turning away from their only source of help.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ is rendered as σου (sou), meaning 'your.' This choice reflects a more direct translation, focusing on the personal aspect of the destruction faced by Israel.
The Greek translation does not capture the full nuance of destruction implied in the Hebrew, which encompasses both physical ruin and moral decay.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Hosea 13:9 tells us that Israel is facing destruction because they are against God, who is their helper. This verse warns of the consequences of turning away from the one who provides support and aid.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that Israel faces complete ruin due to their rebellion against God, who is their source of help.
Israel is referred to as God's chosen people, and their actions directly impact their relationship with Him.
Describing God as a helper emphasizes His role in providing support and assistance to His people, highlighting their dependence on Him.
We can learn the importance of remaining faithful to God and recognizing that turning away from Him leads to destruction.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I sometimes turn away from God, my helper?
- How can I better recognize the help God offers in my life?
- What steps can I take to ensure I am not opposing God's will?
- How does understanding God's role as a helper change my perspective on challenges?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse highlights Israel's rejection of God as their king and helper, emphasizing the consequences of such actions.
"Your destruction, Israel, only your help is with me. Where is your king? May he save you now in all your cities; and your judges, of whom you said: Give me a king and princes: I will give you a king in my fury,Early Church Fathers on Hosea 13 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Hosea 13:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleO Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,.... Though the Lord was a lion, a leopard, and a bear to them, yet their destruction was not owing to him, but to themselves; he was not chargeable with it, but
Read John Gill on Hosea 13 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryO Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me. Thou and ME stand in contrast.
Read Robert Jamieson on Hosea 13 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThou hast destroyed thyself; after these menaces it might seem I had destroyed thee, but thou thyself hast done it by thy sins. It is the rebel that destroys himself, though he fall by the sword of his provoked sovereign: thou art the cause and author of thine own ruin. But in me is thy help; or, for I was always ready and able to help thee, and would certainly have saved thee; but thy sins, thy wickedness carried thee toward other helps, which were lies, and have disappointed thee; and now thou dost perish under thine own choice, whereas hadst thou chosen me I would have helped and saved thee. Or else thus the whole verse: This hath destroyed thee, O Israel, for thou hast rebelled against…
Read Matthew Poole on Hosea 13 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsHosea 13:9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me [is] thine help.Ver. 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself] Heb. He, or, It hath marred thee, O Israel; that is, either thy sin of self-exaltation and forgetfulness of me, as Hosea 13:6; or thy king, in whom thou trustest, as Hosea 13:10; or thy calf, whom thou worshippedst, hath been the cause of thy confusion. Or thy feigned comforts, as Aben Ezra will have it; thy soothing up thyself in sinful practices. Or, one hath destroyed thee; or; somewhat hath undone thee, but not without thee. Whatever it is that hath done it, it is not I, what hard thoughts soever thou mayest have of me, because I appear thus dreadful to thee, as in…
Read John Trapp on Hosea 13 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) In me . . . Help.—The close of this verse is rhetorically abrupt, which is altogether missed in the English version. Render, but against Me thy help. We must supply “Thou hast rebelled,” the construction being the same as in Hosea 13:16. “Thy captivity, O Israel, is from thee; thy redemption is from Me; thy perishing is from thee: thy salvation is from Me” (Pusey).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Hosea 13 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself] These evils come not by my immediate infliction; they are the consequences of thy own crimes. In the above terrifying figures of the ferocious beasts, the prophet only shows what they would meet with from the hand of the Assyrians in the war, the famine, and the captivity; God being represented as doing what he only permits to be done. But in me is thine help.] "Though thou hast destroyed thyself, yet in me alone can thy help be found" - Newcome. And others read, And who will help thee? reading מי mi, who, for בי bi, in me. Though this is countenanced by the Syriac, yet there is no evidence of it in any of the MSS. yet collated, nor do I think…
Read AdamClarke on Hosea 13 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9–15. An alternation of cries expressive of the contending thoughts and emotions of the tender-hearted but truthful prophet. The punishment is inevitable; yea, it is begun. Yet—if Israel would only repent! Indeed, his Father must interpose. And yet, on the other hand, rebellion must be punished.
Read Cambridge on Hosea 13 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleO Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me is thy help - This is one of the concise sayings of Hosea, which is capable of many shades of meaning.
Read Albert Barnes on Hosea 13 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against Me— against your helper.
You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against Me—against your helper.
I will destroy you, O Israel! Who is there to help you?
Tyndale line
¶ O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help.
It is thy destruction, O Israel, that thou art against me, against thy help.
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help.
O Israel, one hath destroyed thee, but in me is thine helpe.
Strictly literal
It is thy destruction, O Israel, that [thou art] against me, against thy help.
And I consume them there as a lioness, A beast of the field doth rend them.
You have destroyed yourself, O Israel, || But in Me [is] your help;
Thou hast destroyed thyself, O Israel; for against me, against thy helper [didst thou rebel.]
I will destroy you, Israel; who will be able to help you?
From the Latin
Destruction is thy own, O Israel: thy help is only in me.
Simplified
You have destroyed yourselves, Israel, for your only help is in me.
I have sent destruction on you, O Israel; who will be your helper?
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text presents the verse as שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כִּֽי־ בִ֥י בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃. The Septuagint matches only 2 of the 5 words, reflecting a different word order and interpretation. The Dead Sea Scrolls show no variation from the Masoretic Text, but five words are supplied by an editor.
שִֽׁחֶתְךָ֥ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כִּֽי־ בִ֥י בְעֶזְרֶֽךָ׃
2 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
[שחת׳כה] [ישראל] [כי] [ב׳י] [בעזר׳כה]
nothing on the leather here — 5 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Hosea 13:9
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
שָׁחַת (shachath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to ruin or corrupt. It encompasses a range of actions including decay, spoilage, and moral perversion, with various grammatical forms indicating different nuances of destruction or corruption. The word appears in contexts that suggest both physical and moral degradation.
[שָׁחַת] 161 vb. go to ruin (?)
Niph. be marred, spoiled
Pi.
spoil, ruin
pervert, corrupt
Hiph.
spoil, ruin
pervert, corrupt
Hoph. spoiled, ruined
base
H7843 [שָׁחַת] go to ruin (?) . be marred, spoiled
. . spoil, ruin
. pervert, corrupt
. . spoil, ruin
. pervert, corrupt
. spoiled, ruined
7843 shachath shaw-khath'
a primitive root; to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin
(literally or figuratively):--batter, cast off, corrupt(-er,
thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill,
spoiler, X utterly, waste(-r).
שָׁחַת (sha.chat) — to ruin.
1) to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay
1a) (Niphal) to be marred, be spoiled, be corrupted, be corrupt, be injured, be ruined, be rotted
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to spoil, ruin
1b2) to pervert, corrupt, deal corruptly (morally)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to spoil, ruin, destroy
1c2) to pervert, corrupt (morally)
1c3) destroyer (participle)
1d) (Hophal) spoiled, ruined (participle)
Aramaic equivalent: she.chat (שְׁחַת "to corrupt" H7844)
V-Piel-Perf-3ms | Suff — Verb piel perfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVpp3ms/Sp2ms
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) refers to both the second name of Jacob, meaning 'God prevails,' and the name of the Hebrew nation descended from him. It is derived from roots meaning 'to rule' and 'God.' The term encompasses Jacob's descendants and is used historically for the northern kingdom of Israel and the nation as a whole after the Babylonian exile.
יִשְׂרָאֵל 2507 n.pr.m. et gent. Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth)
n.pr.m. second name of Jacob
n.pr.gent. name of Hebrew nation
base
H3478 יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth) . n. pr. m. second name of Jacob
. n. pr. gent. name of Hebrew nation
3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale'
from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical
name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:
--Israel.
see HEBREW for 08280
see HEBREW for 0410
יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis.ra.el) — Israel.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26;
son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259);
brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A);
father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently
§ Israel = "God prevails"
1) the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel
2) the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob
2a) the name of the nation until the death of Solomon and the split
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
iz'-ra-el.
See JACOB.
Israel
The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel (Gen. 32:28), because “as a prince he had power with God and prevailed.” (See JACOB.) This is the common name given to Jacob’s descendants. The whole people of the twelve tribes are called “Israelites,” the “children of Israel” (Josh. 3:17; 7:25; Judg. 8:27; Jer. 3:21), and the “house of Israel” (Ex. 16:31; 40:38).
This name Israel is sometimes used emphatically for the true Israel (Ps. 73:1: Isa. 45:17; 49:3;
(the prince that prevails with God). The name given, (Genesis 32:28) to Jacob after his wrestling with the angel, (Hosea 12:4) at Peniel. Gesenius interprets Israel "soldier of God." It became the national name of the twelve tribes collectively. They are so called in (Exodus 3:16) and afterward. It is used in a narrower sense, excluding Judah, in (1 Samuel 11:8; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16) Thenceforth it was assumed and accepted as the name of the northern kingdom. After the Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed the name Israel as the designation of…
Who prevails with God, a name given to Jacob, after having wrestled with the Angel-Jehovah at Penuel. Ge 32:1,2,28,30 Ho 12:3. See JACOB. By the name Israel is sometimes understood all the posterity of Israel, the seed of Jacob, 1Co 10:18; sometimes all true believers, his spiritual seed, Ro 9:6; and sometimes the kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, as distinct from the kingdom of Judah.
כִּי (ki) is a conjunction primarily meaning 'that,' 'for,' or 'when.' It indicates causal relationships and can express conditions like 'if' or 'though.' The word is versatile, appearing in various contexts to convey certainty, exception, or concession. Notably, it can combine with other particles to modify its meaning, such as in the phrase כִּי אם־ (ki im), meaning 'that if.'
כִּי conj. that, for, when
that
Of time, when, of the past
elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם
when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though
Because, since
base
כִּי אם־
each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:
that if
for if
(About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—
limiting the prec. clause, except
the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but
after an oath, surely
base
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
base
H3588a כִּי that, for, when . that
. . Of time, when, of the past
. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם
. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though
. Because, since
H3588b כִּי אם־ . each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause: . that if
. for if
. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause— . limiting the prec. clause, except
. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but
. after an oath, surely
H3588c כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
3588 kiy kee
a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional
prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent
or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative
conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by
other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch,
where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else,
even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, +
nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then,
therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when,
whether, while, whom, yea, yet.
כִּי (ki) — for.
1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since
1a) that
1a1) yea, indeed
1b) when (of time)
1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force)
1c) because, since (causal connection)
1d) but (after negative)
1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if
1f) but rather, but
1g) except that
1h) only, nevertheless
1i) surely
1j) that is
1k) but if
1l) for though
1m) forasmuch as, for therefore
כִּי [אם] (ki im) — that if: except.
1) except if
1a) but if
1b) even though
כִּי [עַל כֵּן] (ki [al ken]) — for as that: since.
1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since
1a) that
1a1) yea, indeed
1b) when (of time)
1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force)
1c) because, since (causal connection)
1d) but (after negative)
Conj — ParticleHTc
for (ki (conjunction), le, from 'el (preposition), and various other words. In the New Testament also the words are various, chiefly gar, kai gar, hoti (conjunctions); anti apo eis dia (accusative), epi (dative and accusative), peri (genitive), pros (genitive and accusative), huper (genitive) (prepositions)): the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version give in many cases more literal or more accurate renderings than those in the King James Version.
In the New Testament the most important preps. from a doctrinal point of view are anti, "face to face," "over against," "instead," "on behalf of," peri, "around," "about," "concerning," huper, "over," "on behalf of." The first has been claimed as stating the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice as contrasted with huper and peri, more frequently used of it. But, although anti in the New Testament often means…
נִי (ni) — me.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp1bs
עֵ֫זֶר (ezer) means help or succour, referring to assistance or support. It can denote both the act of helping and a person who provides help. The term is derived from a root meaning to aid. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning as a source of assistance.
עֵ֫זֶר n.m. help, succour
help, succour
concr. = one who helps
base
H5828 עֵ֫זֶר help, succour
5828 `ezer ay'-zer
from 5826; aid:--help.
see HEBREW for 05826
עֵ֫זֶר (e.zer) — helper.
1) help, succour
1a) help, succour
1b) one who helps
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms