What is the meaning of Hosea 11:5? Will they not return to the land of Egypt? • God’s question points back to the Exodus, the great deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 20:2). Israel’s craving for idols and alliances (Hosea 7:11; 8:13) now threatens to drag them toward the very slavery He once shattered. • Though the bulk of the Northern Kingdom would be carted off by Assyria, many fugitives would indeed flee south-west to Egypt for safety (2 Kings 17:4; Jeremiah 42:19–22). What sounds ironic is tragically literal—running to the old oppressor instead of running to the Lord. • At heart, “Egypt” also embodies the broader idea of life outside God’s covenant care—any place of self-chosen bondage (Deuteronomy 17:16). The question shocks the hearer: “Will you really march back into chains?” and be ruled by Assyria • Assyria was the rising superpower God warned of repeatedly (Hosea 9:3; 10:6; Isaiah 7:17). The deportation came in 722 BC when “the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away” (2 Kings 17:6). • The phrase makes clear that Israel’s political maneuvers could not outfox divine judgment. Alliances with Assyria (2 Kings 15:19-20) bought only a brief lull before that same nation became their master. • Notice the progression: flight to Egypt proves futile, and domination by Assyria becomes certain. God allows the very powers they trusted to discipline them. because they refused to repent • This is the linchpin. Repeated calls—“Come, let us return to the LORD” (Hosea 6:1)—were met with stubborn hearts: “My people are bent on turning from Me” (Hosea 11:7). • Repentance would have cancelled the sentence (2 Chronicles 7:14; Jonah 3:10), yet hardness sealed their fate. The exile is not capricious; it is the predictable outcome of covenant rebellion (Leviticus 26:27-33). • For every believer today, the principle stands: refusal to turn from sin forfeits blessing and invites discipline (Hebrews 12:6-11). summary Hosea 11:5 sets out a sober cause-and-effect. By spurning God’s call to repent, Israel chooses a path that circles back to “Egypt-like” slavery and delivers them into Assyrian rule. The verse reminds us that trusting worldly powers over the Lord leads to renewed bondage, while humble repentance keeps us in the freedom won by our Redeemer. |
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