Hosea 10:11 (ASV)

Passage

And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out [the grain]; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

Nearby Context

Hosea 10:9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood; the battle against the children of iniquity doth not overtake them in Gibeah.

Hosea 10:10 When it is my desire, I will chastise them; and the peoples shall be gathered against them, when they are bound to their two transgressions.

Hosea 10:11 And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out [the grain]; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ephraim", "heifer", "taught", "loveth", "tread", "grain", "passed", and "over". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ephraim" and "heifer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "When it is my desire I will..." into verse 12's "Sow to yourselves in righteousness reap according...", so "ephraim" and "heifer" belong inside that flow. In Hosea context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ephraim" and "heifer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.