Tag Archives: Hosea 10:1

“A Luxuriant Vine is Yisra’el”: Construct Chains and Idolatrous Fruitfulness in Hosea 10:1

גֶּ֤פֶן בֹּוקֵק֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל פְּרִ֖י יְשַׁוֶּה־לֹּ֑ו כְּרֹ֣ב לְפִרְיֹ֗ו הִרְבָּה֙ לַֽמִּזְבְּחֹ֔ות כְּטֹ֣וב לְאַרְצֹ֔ו הֵיטִ֖יבוּ מַצֵּבֹֽות׃ (Hosea 10:1) Yisra’el is a luxuriant vine; he produces fruit for himself. According to the abundance of his fruit, he multiplied altars; as the goodness of his land, they improved sacred pillars. Fertility Imagery as Prophetic Irony Hosea 10:1 opens with an agricultural metaphor—Yisra’el is likened to a luxuriant vine—but the fruit of that vine is not righteousness; it is idolatry. This verse masterfully uses construct chains, comparative clauses, and grammatical amplification to illustrate how material prosperity led to spiritual perversion.… Learn Hebrew
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