גֶּפֶן בּוֹקֵק יִשְׂרָאֵל פְּרִי יְשַׁוֶּה־לּוֹ כְּרֹב לְפִרְיוֹ הִרְבָּה למִּזְבְּחוֹת כְּטוֹב לְאַרְצוֹ הֵטִיבוּ מַצֵּבוֹת

Israel, which was initially like a vine producing much-welcomed grapes in the wilderness (9:10), is now a rotted vine, dry and bereft of fruit, and yet it will presume to produce its superior fruit. When its fruit was abundant, it made abundant its altars for idolatry; when its land was bountiful, they, the Israelites, took advantage of their good fortune and enhanced monuments for idolatry.

חָלַק לִבָּם עַתָּה יֶאְשָׁמוּ הוּא יַעֲרֹף מִזְבְּחוֹתָם יְשֹׁדֵד מַצֵּבוֹתָם

Their heart has separated from God; now they will be punished. He, the enemy who will come upon them, will demolish their altars, and he will break their monuments.

כִּי עַתָּה יֹאמְרוּ אֵין מֶלֶךְ לָנוּ כִּי לֹא יָרֵאנוּ אֶת־ה' וְהַמֶּלֶךְ מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ

For now, in the last years of rule in Samaria, probably after the reign of Yorovam, when the kingdom was subject to constant attacks, they will say: We have no king, as we did not fear the Lord, and the king, what can he do for us? In a society where there is no fear of God, each person does as he pleases, and not even kings have much power.

דִּבְּרוּ דְבָרִים אָלוֹת שָׁוְא כָּרֹת בְּרִית וּפָרַח כָּרֹאשׁ מִשְׁפָּט עַל תַּלְמֵי שָׂדָי

They spoke words that are not good, false oaths, establishing false covenants; judgment, the retribution that will be visited upon them, will sprout like the bitter and poisonous hemlock, spreading in the furrows of the field and damaging the crops.

לְעֶגְלוֹת בֵּית אָוֶן יָגוּרוּ שְׁכַן שֹׁמְרוֹן כִּי אָבַל עָלָיו עַמּוֹ וּכְמָרָיו עָלָיו יָגִילוּ עַל־כְּבוֹדוֹ כִּי־גָלָה מִמֶּנּוּ

Due to the calves of Beit Aven, a reference to the golden calves, one of which was in Beit El, referred to here as Beit Aven, the dwellers of Samaria will quail, for the calf will not be left in its place, and its people and its priests who formerly rejoiced over it will mourn over its glory, because they are exiled from it upon the downfall and plunder of the kingdom.

גַּם־אוֹתוֹ לְאַשּׁוּר יוּבָל מִנְחָה לְמֶלֶךְ יָרֵב בָּשְׁנָה אֶפְרַיִם יִקָּח וְיֵבוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעֲצָתוֹ

It too, the golden calf, will be carried to Assyria with the rest of the spoils, a gift to the rival king, a reference to the king of Assyria (see 5:13). He will take the shame, the idol, of Ephraim, and, faced with the spoiling of the calf and the destruction of the center of its cult, Israel will be ashamed of its counsel, of their forefathers’ decision and initiative to create the calf.

נִדְמֶה שֹׁמְרוֹן מַלְכָּהּ כְּקֶצֶף עַל־פְּנֵי־מָיִם

Samaria is terminated; its king lacks influence and power and is like insubstantial foam upon the water.

וְנִשְׁמְדוּ בָּמוֹת אָוֶן חַטַּאת יִשְׂרָאֵל קוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר יַעֲלֶה עַל־מִזְבְּחוֹתָם וְאָמְרוּ לֶהָרִים כַּסּוּנוּ וְלַגְּבָעוֹת נִפְלוּ עָלֵינוּ

The shrines of Aven, meaning the idol worship which is the sin of Israel, will be destroyed. Thorn and thistle will sprout and arise on their altars, and they will say to the mountains in embarrassment, or out of fear that everything might collapse on them and crush them: Cover and protect us, and to the hills they will say: Fall on us so that we will not be seen or be vulnerable.

מִימֵי הַגִּבְעָה חָטָאתָ יִשְׂרָאֵל שָׁם עָמָדוּ לֹא־תַשִּׂיגֵם בַּגִּבְעָה מִלְחָמָה עַל בְּנֵי עַלְוָה

God tells Israel that He did not just begin to take their sins into account during the time of the kingdom of Samaria: Already since the days of Giva, the rape of the concubine in Giva (see 9:9 above), you have sinned, Israel. There, in that state, they stood, and they have not amended their ways since then. And yet they are tempted to think that in Giva, the war against the iniquitous people will not overtake them.

בְּאַוָּתִי וְאֶסֳּרֵם וְאֻסְּפוּ עֲלֵיהֶם עַמִּים בְּאָסְרָם לִשְׁתֵּי עוֹנוֹתָם

In My passion I will afflict them, and peoples will gather against them when they are yoked, for the enemy will force them to plow their two furrows, metaphorically, in the field of oppression.

וְאֶפְרַיִם עֶגְלָה מְלֻמָּדָה אֹהַבְתִּי לָדוּשׁ וַאֲנִי עָבַרְתִּי עַל־טוּב צַוָּארָהּ אַרְכִּיב אֶפְרַיִם יַחֲרוֹשׁ יְהוּדָה יְשַׂדֶּד לוֹ יַעֲקֹב

Ephraim is similar to a trained calf that loves to thresh and work. I stroked My hand over the fineness of his fair neck upon which he bore the yoke, as a sign of approval for his good work. I have raised up Ephraim, or set him to plow; Judah has plowed; Jacob has harrowed for him and prepared the field. You have shown yourself to be capable of following the right path and doing good work, and therefore I call upon you:

זִרְעוּ לָכֶם לִצְדָקָה קִצְרוּ לְפִי־חֶסֶד נִירוּ לָכֶם נִיר ועֵת לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־ה' עַד יָבוֹא וְיוֹרֶה צֶדֶק לָכֶם

Sow righteousness for yourselves by spreading righteousness in the world, and then you will reap according to kindness. You will benefit from the fruits of the righteousness that you have sown. Plow yourselves a furrow, and when you do so it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and reveals Himself, and rains righteousness upon you, like a farmer who prepares the field, sows it, and prays for rainfall.

חֲרַשְׁתֶּם־רֶשַׁע עַוְלָתָה קְצַרְתֶּם; אֲכַלְתֶּם פְּרִי־כָחַשׁ כִּי־בָטַחְתָּ בְדַרְכְּךָ בְּרֹב גִּבּוֹרֶיךָ

You should have followed the proper path, but you chose otherwise: Rather than sowing righteousness, you plowed wickedness, and therefore instead of reaping kindness, you reaped iniquity in the form of an immoral society; you ate the fruit of deceit because you relied on your way, in the multitude of your mighty ones. You thought that you would be able to withstand all threats through the strength of your state and your army and that you had no need for God’s assistance.

וְקָאם שָׁאוֹן בְּעַמֶּיךָ וְכָל־מִבְצָרֶיךָ יוּשָּׁד כְּשֹׁד שַׁלְמַן בֵּית אַרְבֵאל בְּיוֹם מִלְחָמָה אֵם עַל־בָּנִים רֻטָּשָׁה

Therefore a tumult of the enemy will arise among your people, and all your fortresses will be plundered and destroyed, as Shalman, possibly Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, or some other since-forgotten figure, plundered and meted out harsh judgments upon Beit Arbel on the day of battle, when mother and children were torn apart by his forces, or when mothers and children were torn from their husbands and fathers, who were killed.

כָּכָה עָשָׂה לָכֶם בֵית־אֵל מִפְּנֵי רָעַת רָעַתְכֶם בַּשַּׁחַר נִדְמֹה נִדְמָה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל

So has the calf in Beit El done this great evil to you, due to your great evil. At the dawn of the war, it will be clear that the king of Israel will be vanquished. Alternatively, the expression “at dawn” refers to the suddenness of this revelation.