Hosea 9:5

Study note

Setting — The prophet addresses the northern kingdom of Israel regarding their impending exile and loss of cultic practice. The question follows a declaration that their sacrifices are defiled and cannot be brought to the temple.

The words — The verse hinges on מַה (mah, "what") and תַּעֲשׂוּ (ta'asu, "will you do"), framing a direct inquiry about their future actions. It specifically names לְיוֹם מוֹעֵד (le-yom mo'ed, "to the appointed day") and יְהוָה חַג (Yahweh chag, "the festival of Yahweh") as the temporal markers.

The thread — This rhetorical question echoes Isaiah 10:3, which asks what Israel will do when distant devastation arrives on the day of reckoning. It also anticipates Hosea 2:11, where God declares He will end all their appointed feasts and sacred assemblies.

Why it lands — The text forces the audience to confront the practical reality of observing sacred times without a temple or land. It demands a clear assessment of how they will maintain religious life when their offerings are rejected and their territory is overrun.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.