Hosea 10:5
“The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The people of Samaria will tremble for their calf-idol at Bethaven, mourning as its glory is carried away.
What Does Hosea 10:5 Mean?
Bethaven means house of vanity, Hosea's mocking rename for Bethel, house of God, where Israel had set up golden calves to worship. Now the prophet foresees the people and their idol-priests trembling and grieving, because the calf they prized is about to be stripped of its glory and taken from them.
There is deep irony in mourning an idol that cannot save. What people exalt as their glory, if it is not God, will one day depart and leave only grief. The verse exposes the emptiness of trusting in what human hands have made, and turns the heart instead toward the unfading glory of the living God, who does not depart from those who seek Him.
In the Original Language
Beth-aven (בֵּית אָוֶן), 'house of vanity' -- a deliberate distortion of Bethel, 'house of God,' marking what idolatry had made of it.