It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

HOSEA 10:6KJV
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Hosea 10:6 (KJV)

What does Hosea 10:6 mean?

Hosea 10:6 says that Israel’s idol will be taken away to Assyria as a gift for a foreign king, and that the people of Ephraim and Israel will be disgraced because of their own choices. The verse describes a coming humiliation: what Israel trusted in will be lost, and their own plans will bring them shame.

In this verse, the prophet Hosea is warning the northern kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim) about the consequences of their idolatry and political schemes. The "present to king Jareb" refers to sending their idol or treasure to the king of Assyria, hoping for help or favor. Instead of saving them, this act will lead to public shame, showing that their own advice and strategies have failed.

The Hebrew behind Hosea 10:6

  • "Carried" (יובל, yuval): This word means to be led or taken away, often used for something being forcibly removed. Here, it emphasizes that Israel’s idol is not just leaving, but is being taken as spoil.
  • "Present" (מִנְחָה, minchah): This word means a gift or offering, often one given to seek favor. Israel’s idol is being sent as a tribute, showing desperation and loss.
  • "Shame" (בֹּשֶׁת, boshet): This word means disgrace or humiliation. The verse stresses that the result of Israel’s actions will not be honor, but deep embarrassment.

Why Hosea 10:6 matters

  • Hosea 10:6 clarifies that trusting in idols or foreign alliances, instead of God, leads to disappointment and disgrace.
  • The verse connects Israel’s political and religious choices, showing that both their worship and their strategies are being judged.
  • This verse helps explain why later in Hosea, Israel’s exile and suffering are described as the natural result of their own decisions, not just random misfortune.

Where else these words appear

“Jareb” Hebrew H3377 · used in 2 verses

  • Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

“carried” Hebrew H2986 · used in 18 verses

  • Job 10:19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
  • Psalms 60:9 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
  • Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

“counsel” Hebrew H6098 · used in 85 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.
  • Job 21:16 Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
  • Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

“ashamed” Hebrew H954 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
  • Psalms 109:28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.
  • Isaiah 65:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: