Hosea 5:2 — Word Study
WLCוְשַׁחֲטָ֥ה שֵׂטִ֖ים הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ וַאֲנִ֖י מוּסָ֥ר לְכֻלָּֽם׃
BSA◂The rebelssêṭ [revolters, those who turn away from what is right] are deepʻâmaq■ [profound, having gone far into sin] ◂in slaughtershâchaṭ [to massacre, making victims] but Iʼănîy [the Lord, the one who disciplines] will chastise themmûwçâr [discipline, correct] allkôl [everything, the entirety of their being]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְשַׁחֲטָ֥ה | and slaughtering | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| שֵׂטִ֖ים | rebels | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ | they have made deep | Verb, Hiphil, perfect third person common plural |
| וַאֲנִ֖י | and I | Conjunction, pronoun |
| מוּסָ֥ר | [am] discipline | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| לְכֻלָּֽם׃ | to all of them | 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 | The rebels are deep in slaughter; but I will chastise them all. |
| KJV | And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. |
| ASV | And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter; but I am a rebuker of them all. |
| YLT | And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, And I [am] a fetter to them all. |
| WEB | The rebels are deep in slaughter, but I discipline all of them. |
| BBE | They have gone deep in the evil ways of Shittim, but I am the judge of all. |
Where they part company is מוּסָר — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a contrasting clause introduced by 'but', highlighting the tension between the people's actions and God's response.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectשֵׂט
verbעָמֹק
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 5:2
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 — Judgment Against Israelgenerated
Hosea 5:2 illustrates the severity of Israel's rebellion, depicted as being deeply entrenched in slaughter. The Lord declares His intention to discipline them, emphasizing His role as a corrective force amidst their wrongdoing. This passage highlights the consequences of turning away from righteousness, as well as God's commitment to address their sins.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hosea 6:9 | Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities. |
| 2 | Hosea 9:15 | All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I hated them. I will drive them from My house for the wickedness of their deeds. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 6:28 | All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt. |
| 4 | Psalm 64:3–6 | who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows, |
| 5 | Psalm 140:1–5 | Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 17 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שַׁחֲטָה, ve.sha.cha.Tahgenerated
The word שַׁחֲטָה (shaḥaṭah) is a noun derived from the root שָׁחַט (shachat), which means to slaughter. It often refers to the act of killing, particularly in a sacrificial or violent context. In this verse, it conveys the idea of massacre, illustrating the grave consequences of rebellion against God.
This term appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, indicating its significance in discussions of sin and judgment. The parsing as a feminine singular noun suggests it refers to a specific act or condition, in this case, the slaughter resulting from the people's rebellion.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as the KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse contains two main clauses: the first describes the state of the rebels, while the second introduces the Lord's intention to discipline. The finite verb הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ (he'amikū) governs the description of the rebels' actions.
The structure highlights a contrast between the depth of the rebels' actions and God's response, emphasizing His authority and intention to correct.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates שַׁחֲטָה as ἀγρεύοντες (agreuontes), which means 'to slaughter' or 'to take by force.' This choice reflects a similar understanding of the violence associated with rebellion.
The use of κατέπηχαν for the verb 'they have made deep' suggests a focus on the act of deepening the state of rebellion, aligning with the Hebrew's emphasis on the profound nature of their sin.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Hosea 5:2 describes how the people of Israel have become deeply involved in violence and wrongdoing. God, however, declares that He will discipline them all, indicating His desire to correct their behavior.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies that the people are profoundly engaged in acts of violence and sin, indicating a serious moral decline.
It shows that despite their rebellion, God is committed to correcting and disciplining them, highlighting His role as a loving but firm authority.
This verse illustrates God's justice in addressing sin while also demonstrating His desire for repentance and restoration.
It serves as a warning against turning away from righteousness and the consequences that follow, as well as the importance of responding to God's discipline.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life might I be turning away from what is right, similar to the rebels in this verse?
- How can I better understand and accept God's discipline in my own life?
- What steps can I take to ensure I am not deepening my own involvement in wrongdoing?
- How can I encourage others to seek correction and turn back to righteousness?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Hosea 5:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd the revolters are profound to make slaughter,.... The revolters are the king, priests, and people, who had revolted from the true worship and ways of God unto idolatry.
Read John Gill on Hosea 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. And the revolters - apostates.
Read Robert Jamieson on Hosea 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe revolters; all those that have cast off the law of God, both in matters of religion and civil government. Are profound; dig deep to hide their counsels, or have taken deep root since their apostasy from God, and revolt from the house of David. To make slaughter: all their religion is but a butchering of cattle, no sacrifice to God; or, which is worse, a murdering of men. Though I, Hosea, have been a rebuker; a preacher, who ill the name and word of God have sharply inveighed against their brutish religion and their bloody slaughters. Of them all: none that have been guilty have escaped the reproof; I have declaimed against idolatrous priests and bloody usurpers, such as were in those…
Read Matthew Poole on Hosea 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsHosea 5:2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I [have been] a rebuker of them all.Ver. 2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter] They lay their nets and snares deep, and lie down upon the ground, that they may take the silly birds that dread no danger. He "croucheth and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall into his strong paws," Psalms 10:10. He studies the devil’ s depths, Revelation 2:24; poisonous and pestilent policies, Machiavellian mysteries of mischief. His head is a forge and fountain of wicked wiles: he hath store and strength of strange traps and trains, frauds and fetches, to draw in and deceive the silly simple. That these seducers were deeply…
Read John Trapp on Hosea 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(2) Are profound to make slaughter.—Ewald, followed recently by Nowack, is right in interpreting the Heb. text as meaning, “The apostates have gone deep in iniquity.” In the last clause the Authorised version is again incorrect. Render, But I (i.e., Jehovah) am chastisement to them all. The deceivers and deceived shall alike perish.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Hosea 5 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 2. The revolters are profound to make slaughter] Here may be a reference to the practice of hunters, making deep pits in the ground, and lightly covering them over, that the beasts, not discovering them, might fall in, and become a prey. Though I have been a Rebuker] "I will bring chastisement on them all." As they have made victims of others to their idolatry, I will make victims of them to my justice. Some have thought that as many as wished to depart from the idolatrous worship set up by Jeroboam, were slaughtered; and thus Jeroboam the son of Nebat MADE Israel to sin.
Read AdamClarke on Hosea 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter] The expressions used have a most un-Hebraic cast, and what can the ‘slaughter’ refer to? There is nothing at all in the context to suggest that the slaying of sacrifices is meant (as many after St Jerome have supposed), and it is very harsh to understand it as a fresh image for the priests’ abuse of their position. It is better to render (changing a Teth into a Tβv), The apostates are gone deep in corrupting (comp. Hosea 9:9). The ancient versions already found the passage obscure. The Septuagint (and similarly the Peshito) renders δ (sc. τὸδίκτυον) οἱἀγρεύοντεςτὴνθήρανκατέπηξαν. Possibly they had had a somewhat different text. Certainty…
Read Cambridge on Hosea 5 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAnd the revolters are profound to make slaughter - Literally, “They made the slaughter deep,” as Isaiah says, “they deeply corupted themselves” Isaiah 31:6; and our old writers say “He smote deep.”
Read Albert Barnes on Hosea 5 →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
The rebels are deep in slaughter; but I will chastise them all.
The rebels are deep in slaughter, but I discipline all of them.
The rebels are deep in slaughter; but I will chastise them all.
Those who revolt are knee-deep in slaughter, but I will discipline them all.
Tyndale line
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter; but I am a rebuker of them all.
And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter; but I am a rebuker of them all.
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
Yet they were profounde, to decline to slaughter, though I haue bene a rebuker of them all.
Strictly literal
And they have plunged themselves in the corruption of apostasy, but I will be a chastiser of them all.
And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, And I [am] a fetter to them all.
And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, || And I [am] a chain to them all.
And for murdering they who had rebelled [against God] concealed themselves in deep places; but I will inflict correction on them all.
The rebels stand deep in slaughter, but I will punish all of them.
From the Latin
And you have turned aside victims into the depth: and I am, the teacher of them all.
Simplified
Judgment belongs with you because you have been a snare set at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor. You dug a deep trap in Shittim, but I will punish you for all these things you have done.
They have gone deep in the evil ways of Shittim, but I am the judge of all.
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 and the Septuagint show agreement in the overall message of the verse, with four out of six words matched. The Septuagint's word order differs, but it conveys a similar meaning regarding the state of the rebels and the Lord's response.
וְשַׁחֲטָ֥ה שֵׂטִ֖ים הֶעְמִ֑יקוּ וַאֲנִ֖י מוּסָ֥ר לְכֻלָּֽם׃
4 of the 6 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.
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 5:2
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.
שָׁחַט (shachat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to slaughter or kill, often in the context of sacrifice. It can refer to the slaughtering of animals for food or ritual purposes, as well as the killing of people in a sacrificial context. The noun form שַׁחֲטָה (shachat) is noted as a doubtful term, with a reference in Hosea 5:2.
שָׁחַט 84 vb. slaughter, beat
Qal slaughter
Niph. be slaughtered for food
base
שַׁחֲטָה n.f. doubtful word;—Ho 5:2 RV (cf. AV) the revolters are gone deep in slaughtering
ref
H7819a שָׁחַט slaughter, beat H7819b שַׁחֲטָה doubtful word
7819 shachat shaw-khat'
a primitive root; to slaughter (in sacrifice or
massacre):--kill, offer, shoot out, slay, slaughter.
שָׁחַט (sha.chat) — to slaughter.
v
1) to kill, slaughter, beat
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to slaughter
1a1a) beast for food
1a1b) sacrifice
1a1c) person in human sacrifice
1a1d) beaten, hammered (of shekels)
1b) (Niphal) to be slaughtered, be slain (of food or sacrifice)
Also means: sha.chat (שָׁחוּט "beaten" H7820)
שַׁחֲטָה (sha.cha.tah) — slaughtering.
1) (BDB) slaughtering
1a) word doubtful
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
שֵׂט (set) refers to a departure from the right path, often associated with sin or rebellion. It encompasses meanings like swerver and revolter, indicating actions that deviate from what is considered correct. The word is built from the root related to turning aside, and it highlights themes of rebellion in moral or ethical contexts.
[שֵׂט, סֵט] n.[m.] swerver, revolter (?), deeds that swerve (fr. the right?)
base
H7846 שֵׂט, סֵט
7846 set sayte
or cet {sayt}; from 7750; a departure from right, i.e.
sin:--revolter, that turn aside.
see HEBREW for 07750
שֵׂט (set) — rebellion.
swerver, revolter, rebel, deeds that swerve
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
עָמֹק (amaq) means 'to be deep' or 'to make deep,' with applications in both literal and figurative contexts. It is a primitive root that conveys depth or profundity. The word appears in various forms, including Qal and Hiphil, indicating both a state of being deep and the action of making something deep, as noted in Psalm 92:6.
[עָמֹק] vb. be deep
Qal ψ 92:6
Hiph. make deep
base
H6009 [עָמֹק] be deep
6009 `amaq aw-mak'
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) deep (literally
or figuratively):--(be, have, make, seek) deep(-ly), depth,
be profound.
עָמֹק (a.maq) — be deep.
1) to be deep, be profound, make deep
1a) (Qal) to be deep
1b) (Hiphil) to make deep, make profound
V-Hiphil-Perf-3cp — Verb · Hiphil · perfect third person common pluralHVhp3cp
אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I
589 'aniy an-ee'
contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X
which, X who.
see HEBREW for 0595
אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.
I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronounHC/Pp1bs
מוּסָר (mūsar) refers to discipline, chastening, and correction, particularly of a moral nature. It encompasses concepts like reproof, warning, and instruction, and can also imply restraint or bonds. The entries consistently highlight its focus on moral and instructional aspects, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
מוּסָר n.m. discipline (of the moral nature), chastening, correction
base
H4148 מוּסָר discipline (of the moral nature), chastening, correction
4148 muwcar moo-sawr'
from 3256; properly, chastisement; figuratively, reproof,
warning or instruction; also restraint:--bond, chastening
((-eth)), chastisement, check, correction, discipline,
doctrine, instruction, rebuke.
see HEBREW for 03256
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline.
: discipline/punishment
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline: instruction.
: instruction
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline: bonds.
: bonds/noose
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
dis'-i-plin (mucar): In the King James Version only in Job 36:10, where it refers to moral discipline, the strenuous cultivation of the righteous life; the Revised Version (British and American) "instruction." the Revised Version (British and American) in 2Ti 1:7 has "discipline" for a Greek word (sophronismos) meaning "sobering"; in 2Ti 3:16 margin, for Greek paideia, "instruction." In classic Greek paideia means "education," mental culture. Through the influence of the Septuagint, which translates the Hebrew mucar by paideia, the meaning of "chastisement" accompanies paideia in the New Testament. Compare Heb 12:5,7,8,11.
→ Of armies, for disobedience of orders Jos 7:10-26; Jud 21:5-12
→ See ARMIES
→ CHURCH DISCIPLINE
See CHURCH, DISCIPLINE IN
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp