Introduction to Hosea 5:1: A Multi-Level Call to Account
Hosea 5:1 opens with a sharp prophetic rebuke structured around three vocatives and a climactic declaration of judgment. The verse strategically builds tension by summoning three key leadership groups—priests, the house of Yisra’el, and the royal house—and declares that the judgment (מִשְׁפָּט) pertains directly to them. The syntax reflects careful rhetoric: imperative verbs, escalating audience focus, and metaphorical accusations (snare, net). This article analyzes the grammatical construction of the vocative forms, second-person plural usage, and poetic metaphor to show how the verse functions as both legal indictment and rhetorical strategy.
שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֨את הַכֹּהֲנִ֜ים וְהַקְשִׁ֣יבוּ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וּבֵ֤ית הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ֙ הַאֲזִ֔ינוּ כִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם הַמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט כִּֽי־פַח֙ הֱיִיתֶ֣ם לְמִצְפָּ֔ה וְרֶ֖שֶׁת פְּרוּשָׂ֥ה עַל־תָּבֹֽור׃
Analysis of Vocatives and Imperative Syntax
1. Vocative Escalation: הַכֹּהֲנִים, בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ
- הַכֹּהֲנִים – “O priests”: direct address, plural masculine definite
- בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל – “O house of Yisra’el”: collective term for the people
- בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ – “O house of the king”: the royal family or monarchy
This triple vocative introduces a legal summons to all three power structures in Israelite society: religious, civic, and political. The sequence is deliberate, escalating from cultic leadership to national identity to monarchical power. This structure reflects the covenantal principle of accountability across all layers of society.
2. Imperative Verbs: שִׁמְעוּ, הַקְשִׁיבוּ, הַאֲזִינוּ
- שִׁמְעוּ – Qal imperative 2mp of שׁ־מ־ע, “Hear!”
- הַקְשִׁיבוּ – Hiphil imperative 2mp of ק־שׁ־ב, “Give attention!”
- הַאֲזִינוּ – Hiphil imperative 2mp of א־ז־ן, “Listen attentively!”
Each verb intensifies the demand for attention. While שִׁמְעוּ is a general call to hear, הַקְשִׁיבוּ implies mental attentiveness, and הַאֲזִינוּ connotes deep, deliberate listening, often associated with divine declarations (cf. Deut 32:1). The ascending imperative verbs reflect the escalating seriousness of the accusation.
Judgment and Metaphor: Covenant Violation Described as a Snare
3. כִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם הַמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט – “For the judgment is for you”
- לָכֶ֖ם – second person plural pronoun, dative of advantage/emphasis: “it pertains to you”
- הַמִּשְׁפָּט – noun, “the judgment,” the divine lawsuit (cf. רִיב in Hosea 4:1)
This short clause delivers the heart of the indictment. The prepositional phrase לָכֶם indicates direct responsibility: the judgment is not general—it is targeted at the addressed groups. The use of the definite article in הַמִּשְׁפָּט shows this is not just any legal matter—it is the prophetic verdict from YHWH.
4. כִּֽי־פַח֙ הֱיִיתֶ֣ם לְמִצְפָּ֔ה – “For you have become a snare at Mitzpah”
- פַח – “snare, trap,” metaphor for entrapment and danger
- הֱיִיתֶם – Qal perfect 2mp of ה־י־ה, “you have become”
- לְמִצְפָּה – “at Mitzpah,” a location likely associated with religious-political centers
The metaphor of a פַח (snare) reverses the expected role of leaders. Instead of protecting, they are entrapping the people. Mitzpah was a site of assembly, judgment, and worship, now ironically turned into a place of spiritual danger. The perfect form הֱיִיתֶם makes this an accomplished fact, not a future risk.
5. וְרֶשֶׁת פְּרוּשָׂה עַל־תָּבֹור – “and a net spread over Tavor”
- רֶשֶׁת – “net,” parallel metaphor to פַח
- פְּרוּשָׂה – Qal passive participle fs of פ־ר־שׂ, “spread out”
- תָּבֹור – Mount Tabor, a significant hill in northern Yisra’el, symbolically representing another corrupted high place
This second metaphor complements the first, extending the imagery of entrapment to another location. Both Mitzpah and Tavor represent centers of leadership and worship, now twisted into instruments of corruption and ensnarement. The participial form פְּרוּשָׂה adds an ongoing aspect—the net is already laid out.
Vocatives as Judicial Summons: A Prophetic Courtroom Scene
Hosea 5:1 is structured like a summons in a divine courtroom. The three imperatives draw in all societal leaders, and the second-person plural forms make the accusation personal and direct. The use of metaphors—snare and net—heightens the poetic intensity and casts the leaders as not merely negligent but actively dangerous. The climactic phrase כִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם הַמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט makes clear that accountability begins at the top.
Prophetic Rhetoric and Syntactic Severity in Divine Indictment
The verse masterfully blends grammar and theology. Through vocative escalation, imperative appeal, and metaphorical accusation, Hosea delivers a divine lawsuit targeting those entrusted with leadership. The poetic devices are reinforced by precise syntactic choices—second-person plural forms, passive participles, and location-based irony—that highlight the reversal of divine order. The people meant to guide Yisra’el have become the very snares from which YHWH must now deliver His people.
