Hosea 10:11 (DRB)

Passage

Ephraim is a heifer taught to love to tread out corn, but I passed over upon the beauty of her neck: I will ride upon Ephraim, Juda shall plough, Jacob shall break the furrows for himself.

Nearby Context

Hosea 10:9 From the days of Gabaa, Israel hath sinned, there they stood: the battle in Gabaa against the children of iniquity shall not overtake them.

Hosea 10:10 According to my desire, I will chastise them: and the nations shall be gathered together against them, when they shall be chastised for their two iniquities.

Hosea 10:11 Ephraim is a heifer taught to love to tread out corn, but I passed over upon the beauty of her neck: I will ride upon Ephraim, Juda shall plough, Jacob shall break the furrows for himself.

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves in justice, and reap in the mouth of mercy, break up your fallow ground: but the time to seek the Lord is, when he shall come that shall teach you justice.

Hosea 10:13 You have ploughed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity, you have eaten the fruit of lying: because thou hast trusted in thy ways, in the multitude of thy strong ones.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ephraim", "heifer", "taught", "love", "tread", "corn", "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 "According to my desire I will chastise..." into verse 12's "Sow for yourselves in justice and reap...", 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.