4895. mastemah
Lexical Summary
mastemah: Hostility, enmity, animosity

Original Word: מַשְׂטֵמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mastemah
Pronunciation: mas-teh-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (mas-tay-maw')
KJV: hatred
NASB: hostility
Word Origin: [from the same as H7850 (שׁוֹטֵט - whip)]

1. enmity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
hatred

From the same as shotet; enmity -- hatred.

see HEBREW shotet

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from satam
Definition
animosity
NASB Translation
hostility (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַשְׂטֵמָה noun feminine animosity; — Hosea 9:7 + Hosea 9:8 (strike out We, compare Now).

שׂטן (√ of following).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

מַשְׂטֵמָה appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures, both in Hosea 9, and denotes the settled, active hatred that erupts against God’s prophetic word and His messengers. While several Hebrew terms convey anger or animosity, this noun highlights a deep-seated enmity that has matured into open persecution.

Occurrences in Hosea

Hosea 9:7: “The prophet is a fool; the inspired man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and great hostility.”
Hosea 9:8: “The watchman of Ephraim is with my God, yet the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways—hostility is in the house of his God.”

Both verses place the term on Israel’s side of the ledger, not God’s. The nation’s own moral collapse produces hostility toward prophetic correction. This reversal—God sends truth, but His people respond with hatred—forms the immediate context for impending judgment (“the days of punishment,” Hosea 9:7).

Historical Context

Hosea ministered in the eighth century BC during the terminal decline of the Northern Kingdom. Political instability, idolatry, and alliances with pagan powers marked the era (2 Kings 15–17). The prophets, commissioned to expose sin and call for covenant faithfulness, met fierce resistance. מַשְׂטֵמָה captures that resistance at its peak. Instead of heeding the “watchman,” the people viewed him as a public enemy, thereby proving their spiritual blindness and sealing their fate at the hands of Assyria (2 Kings 17:6).

Theological Significance

1. Sin’s Hostility toward Revelation: Hosea shows that habitual rebellion naturally progresses into hatred for the messenger of truth (compare Proverbs 29:27; John 3:19–20).
2. Covenant Breakdown: The term underscores how forsaking love for God (Hosea 4:1) inevitably breeds hatred within the community, even “in the house of his God” (Hosea 9:8).
3. Divine Vindication of Prophets: Although the people deem the prophet “insane,” Hosea’s words stand vindicated by history. Scripture thereby affirms the reliability of genuine prophetic warning despite popular rejection (Jeremiah 26:11–15; Acts 7:51–52).

Intertextual Echoes

While מַשְׂטֵמָה itself is rare, its thematic thread runs throughout Scripture:
Genesis 3:15—perpetual enmity between the serpent and the woman’s seed.
Psalm 55:12–14—betrayal “in the house of God.”
John 15:18–25—worldly hatred toward Christ and His disciples fulfills prior prophetic experience.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus embodies the ultimate “watchman” (Ezekiel 33:7; Mark 13:34). Like Hosea, He faced escalating hostility culminating in the Cross (Luke 23:18–23). Yet His resurrection demonstrates that human enmity cannot thwart God’s redemptive plan (Acts 2:23–24). Thus מַשְׂטֵמָה foreshadows the clash between divine truth and human rebellion ultimately resolved in Christ.

Ministry Application

1. Expect Opposition: Faithful proclamation may attract the same hostility Hosea endured (2 Timothy 3:12).
2. Guard the House of God: Hosea 9:8 warns that enmity can infiltrate worshiping communities. Leaders must shepherd with vigilance and tenderness (Acts 20:28–31).
3. Respond with Grace and Resolve: The prophet did not abandon his post. Modern servants likewise hold fast, speaking truth in love while entrusting vindication to God (1 Peter 2:23).

Summary

מַשְׂטֵמָה crystallizes the aggressive hatred that blossoms when persistent sin collides with prophetic light. Its brief Old Testament footprint belies a profound lesson: where truth confronts unrepentant hearts, hostility arises; yet God remains faithful to His word, sustaining His messengers and completing His redemptive purposes.

Forms and Transliterations
מַשְׂטֵמָ֖ה מַשְׂטֵמָֽה׃ משטמה משטמה׃ maś·ṭê·māh masteMah maśṭêmāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Hosea 9:7
HEB: עֲוֹנְךָ֔ וְרַבָּ֖ה מַשְׂטֵמָֽה׃
NAS: of your iniquity, And [because] your hostility is [so] great.
KJV: and the great hatred.
INT: of your iniquity is great and your hostility

Hosea 9:8
HEB: כָּל־ דְּרָכָ֔יו מַשְׂטֵמָ֖ה בְּבֵ֥ית אֱלֹהָֽיו׃
NAS: his ways, [And] there is [only] hostility in the house
KJV: in all his ways, [and] hatred in the house
INT: all his ways is hostility the house of his God

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4895
2 Occurrences


maś·ṭê·māh — 2 Occ.

4894b
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