Hosea 7

The baking / pancake analogy has perhaps a touch of humour. It is tempting to apply the ancient prophets to the current situation among those who think they are the beloved Ephraim. We might be happy to apply Ephraim to ourselves if love is the result, but when it is chastening, or correction, or getting the leaders that years of prejudice, hatred, and self-protection has earned us, then we are slow to learn and re like a burned pancake to not turn ourselves over on the hotplate.

Verses 5 and 13 are the only two that do not begin on the tonic. Verse 5 begins on the dominant. It's content interrupts the baking metaphor. Verse 13 woe begins on a C, an appropriate plaintive note of impending destruction.

If someone else is destroyed, are we safe on the sidelines? I think this is not true. Someone else's destruction draws us into the fire. There was a time when the world was small enough to walk away. No more.

The unready bow of verse 16 recalls Psalm 78. The rate of shared words for that segment of the Psalm is not significant < 20%.

I have added the Low and High note of these verses to begin to see patterns of sequences of the music. In this case, the tone is high to begin with and in verses 7, 9, 12-14. Full music here.

Hosea 7		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
כְּרָפְאִ֣י לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְנִגְלָ֞ה עֲוֺ֤ן אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וְרָע֣וֹת שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן כִּ֥י פָעֲל֖וּ שָׁ֑קֶר וְגַנָּ֣ב יָב֔וֹא פָּשַׁ֥ט גְּד֖וּד בַּחֽוּץ	1		As I was about to heal Israel, then uncovered was the iniquity of Ephraim and the evil of Samaria, for they work falsehood. The thief comes. A raiding party pillages outside.	3e	4C	25 11
וּבַל־יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ לִלְבָבָ֔ם כָּל־רָעָתָ֖ם זָכָ֑רְתִּי עַתָּה֙ סְבָב֣וּם מַֽעַלְלֵיהֶ֔ם נֶ֥גֶד פָּנַ֖י הָיֽוּ	2		And they do not say in their hearts, All their evil I remember. Now their practices surround them. In front of my face they are.	3e	4B	14 15
בְּרָעָתָ֖ם יְשַׂמְּחוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ וּבְכַחֲשֵׁיהֶ֖ם שָׂרִֽים	3		With their evil they make glad a king, and in their dissimulation, nobility.	3e	4A	8 7
כֻּלָּם֙ מְנָ֣אֲפִ֔ים כְּמ֣וֹ תַנּ֔וּר בֹּעֵ֖רָה מֵֽאֹפֶ֑ה יִשְׁבּ֣וֹת מֵעִ֔יר מִלּ֥וּשׁ בָּצֵ֖ק עַד־חֻמְצָתֽוֹ	4		All of them adulterers, like an oven kindled by a baker, who ceases from arousal by kneading the dough until leavened.	3e	4B	16 12
י֣וֹם מַלְכֵּ֔נוּ הֶחֱל֥וּ שָׂרִ֖ים חֲמַ֣ת מִיָּ֑יִן מָשַׁ֥ךְ יָד֖וֹ אֶת־לֹצְצִֽים	5	B	The day of our king, nobility has made him sick from the heat of wine. He drags out his hand with scorners.	3e	4B	14 7
כִּֽי־קֵרְב֧וּ כַתַּנּ֛וּר לִבָּ֖ם בְּאָרְבָּ֑ם כָּל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ יָשֵׁ֣ן אֹֽפֵהֶ֔ם בֹּ֕קֶר ה֥וּא בֹעֵ֖ר כְּאֵ֥שׁ לֶהָבָֽה	6		For their close combat is like an oven in their heart while they lie in wait. All the night long their baker sleeps. Morning it is kindled as a flaming fire.	3c	4B	11 19
כֻּלָּ֤ם יֵחַ֙מּוּ֙ כַּתַּנּ֔וּר וְאָכְל֖וּ אֶת־שֹֽׁפְטֵיהֶ֑ם כָּל־מַלְכֵיהֶ֣ם נָפָ֔לוּ אֵין־קֹרֵ֥א בָהֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי	7		All of them are heated like an oven and they eat their judges. All their kings have fallen. There is none calling among them to me.	3e	4C	15 14
אֶפְרַ֕יִם בָּעַמִּ֖ים ה֣וּא יִתְבּוֹלָ֑ל אֶפְרַ֛יִם הָיָ֥ה עֻגָ֖ה בְּלִ֥י הֲפוּכָֽה	8		Ephraim, among the peoples he has mingled himself. Ephraim is a pancake that has not been turned over.	3d	4B	9 11
אָכְל֤וּ זָרִים֙ כֹּח֔וֹ וְה֖וּא לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע גַּם־שֵׂיבָה֙ זָ֣רְקָה בּ֔וֹ וְה֖וּא לֹ֥א יָדָֽע	9		Strangers have eaten his power and he does not know it. Also grey hairs are peppered on him, and he does not know it.	3e	4C	11 11
וְעָנָ֥ה גְאֽוֹן־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָנָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־שָׁ֙בוּ֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א בִקְשֻׁ֖הוּ בְּכָל־זֹֽאת	10		And the pride of Israel answers in his face, and they do not turn to Yahweh their God and they do not seek him in all this.	3e	4B	11 18
וַיְהִ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם כְּיוֹנָ֥ה פוֹתָ֖ה אֵ֣ין לֵ֑ב מִצְרַ֥יִם קָרָ֖אוּ אַשּׁ֥וּר הָלָֽכוּ	11		And Ephraim is like a seduced dove without a heart. Egypt they call on. Ashur they go to.	3e	4B	11 10
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵלֵ֗כוּ אֶפְר֤וֹשׂ עֲלֵיהֶם֙ רִשְׁתִּ֔י כְּע֥וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם אֽוֹרִידֵ֑ם אַיְסִרֵ֕ם כְּשֵׁ֖מַע לַעֲדָתָֽם ס	12		For as they go I will spread my net on them. As the fowl of the heavens I will come down on them. I will chasten them as their assembly has heard.	3e	4C	21 11
א֤וֹי לָהֶם֙ כִּֽי־נָדְד֣וּ מִמֶּ֔נִּי שֹׁ֥ד לָהֶ֖ם כִּֽי־פָ֣שְׁעוּ בִ֑י וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֶפְדֵּ֔ם וְהֵ֕מָּה דִּבְּר֥וּ עָלַ֖י כְּזָבִֽים	13	C	Woe to them, for they have fled from me. Devastation to them, for they have transgressed against me. And I myself ransomed them, but they have spoken lies against me.	3e	4C	17 16
וְלֹֽא־זָעֲק֤וּ אֵלַי֙ בְּלִבָּ֔ם כִּ֥י יְיֵלִ֖ילוּ עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם עַל־דָּגָ֧ן וְתִיר֛וֹשׁ יִתְגּוֹרָ֖רוּ יָס֥וּרוּ בִֽי	14		And they did not appeal to me in their heart when they howled on their litters. For grain and new wine they amass themselves. They are stubborn with me.	3c	4C	19 14
וַאֲנִ֣י יִסַּ֔רְתִּי חִזַּ֖קְתִּי זְרֽוֹעֹתָ֑ם וְאֵלַ֖י יְחַשְּׁבוּ־רָֽע	15		And I, I have made stubborn, I have been resolute with their seed, but to me they devise evil.	3e	4B	13 7
יָשׁ֣וּבוּ ׀ לֹ֣א עָ֗ל הָיוּ֙ כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת רְמִיָּ֔ה יִפְּל֥וּ בַחֶ֛רֶב שָׂרֵיהֶ֖ם מִזַּ֣עַם לְשׁוֹנָ֑ם ז֥וֹ לַעְגָּ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם	16		They turn not over. They are like an unready bow. Their nobility will fall by the sword for the indignation of their tongues. This is their derision in the land of Egypt.	3d	4B	27 9