John Calvin Commentary Hosea 10:6

"It also shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel." — Hosea 10:6 (ASV)

Here the Prophet expresses more clearly the cause of mourning to the priests and to the whole people. He says, The calf shall be carried into Assyria, and carried as a present to king Jareb. It is probable that when extreme danger came, the king of Israel was constrained either to cast the calf into a new form or to break it in pieces to secure peace from the Assyrian king.

Since the whole kingdom was then reduced to great hardship, we may infer from this passage that the calf or calves were carried into Assyria to pacify the king. The Israelites saw that they were stripped of their protection (for they were now without any hope of safety, as there was no God among them).

The Prophet had previously mentioned their grief, but he now shows that exile was near. This exile was not only for the Israelites but also for the calves they worshipped, and with whose help they believed themselves to be secure and safe in their country.

There is a particular emphasis in the particle גם, gam, as though the Prophet said, “Not only shall the Israelites migrate, but the calf itself shall also be carried into Assyria.” Concerning the word “Jareb,” we have spoken about this in the commentary on Hosea 5; it seems to have been the proper name of a man.

Some conjecture “Jareb” to be a city in Assyria, though not mentioned by writers. Others think it is the name of a king neighboring the Assyrian, but without basis, and they are refuted by this very passage, for the Prophet undoubtedly points out the Assyrian king here.

Yet the Prophet calls him Jareb. Perhaps he was still a private citizen at that time, or the Prophet may have called him this by way of reproach; however, this is uncertain. Jerome translates the word as “avenger.”

But it is sufficiently evident that it was a proper name—not of a city or place, but, as has been said, of a man. And I am inclined to think that the Prophet calls him king Jareb by way of contempt. This contempt was prevalent among the Israelites as long as they thought themselves strong enough to resist.

But the Lord afterward checked this pride. Therefore, the Prophet now says in a cutting manner, “The calf shall be carried into Assyria to pacify king Jareb.”

He afterward adds, Ephraim shall receive shame, or reproach; Israel shall be made ashamed of his counsel. He says the same thing in different ways, and not without reason, for it was difficult at first to persuade the Israelites that what they thought had been wisely contrived would turn out to their shame.

King Jeroboam the first, when he erected temples, indeed thought it the best strategy to prevent the people, if they were to repent, from submitting themselves again to the posterity of David. Therefore, he thought that the ten tribes were completely torn away when he established that peculiar worship, which had nothing in common with that of the tribe of Judah.

And undoubtedly, if the ten tribes had worshipped the true God at Jerusalem, this shared worship might have been the means of reuniting them again into one body under one head. Therefore, King Jeroboam thought that he had provided well for his kingdom, to make it permanent, by cutting off all communication between the two peoples.

And there was no one in Israel who did not approve of this counsel, for they took delight in their wealth, in the number of their men, and in other advantages.

Since the kingdom of Judah was then much inferior, the Israelites were vastly pleased with themselves. This is the reason why the Prophet says, Ephraim shall receive shame; Israel shall be made ashamed of his counsel.

But this, as I have said, could not have seemed credible at first. For people promise themselves the success they wish for through their own craftiness, and therefore it also happens that they dare to attempt anything they please without God’s help.

This is the reason why the Prophet repeats the same sentence. He says, “Ephraim shall receive shame; Israel shall be made ashamed”—for what? For their counsel. They think that their own counsel will be most useful to them; indeed, they place their safety in their own craftiness.

But the Lord will turn whatever they have devised to their shame.