The Meaning of Hosea 13:11 Explained

Hosea 13:11

KJV: I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

YLT: I give to thee a king in Mine anger, And I take away in My wrath.

Darby: I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

ASV: I have given thee a king in mine anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I gave  thee a king  in mine anger,  and took  [him] away in my wrath. 

What does Hosea 13:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God conceded to His people"s request for a king (Saul and or Jeroboam I), but it made Him angry because it expressed their reluctance to trust and obey Him. When these kings proved ineffective, since they did not trust in Yahweh, the Lord removed them, which also made Him angry. King Hoshea was the last of the Northern Kingdom kings. The Lord had removed the Ephraimite kings because they followed the pattern of Saul, and He would continue to do so until none were left. The sins and bad times that all these Northern Kingdom kings" reigns brought on Israel were unnecessary and displeasing to the Lord who wanted His people to enjoy peace and prosperity.

Context Summary

Hosea 13:1-14 - To Oppose God Is Destruction
Again, a very tender chapter. The lips that speak with trembling betray the heart that God can exalt. But when we turn to Baal, the emblem of self-confidence, we pass as the morning cloud the dew, the chaff, and the smoke.
In Hosea 13:4 we again get the sweet strain of early memory. God had not changed and was waiting to save. They had refused His help and had destroyed themselves, and He who would have done His best for them had been constrained to act as though He were a lion, a leopard, or a bear. In the wilderness we are thankful enough for His help, but when we reach the land of the vine and olive, we follow the devices and desires of our own hearts.
What a magnificent outburst is that which declares the divine intention to ransom even from death and the grave! We all know the New Testament setting of these words. Our Savior by His death destroyed him that had the power of death. He is death's plague and the grave's destruction. The sting of death is sin, but Jesus has borne sin away. The strength of sin is a violated law, but He has fulfilled the law. He is more than conqueror, and the soul that is one with Him shall share His triumph. [source]

Chapter Summary: Hosea 13

1  Ephraim's glory vanishes
4  God's anger
9  God's mercy
15  The judgment of Samaria

What do the individual words in Hosea 13:11 mean?

I gave you a king in My anger and took [him] away in My wrath -
אֶֽתֶּן־ לְךָ֥ מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בְּאַפִּ֔י וְאֶקַּ֖ח בְּעֶבְרָתִֽי ס

אֶֽתֶּן־  I  gave 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
מֶ֙לֶךְ֙  a  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בְּאַפִּ֔י  in  My  anger 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
וְאֶקַּ֖ח  and  took  [him]  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
בְּעֶבְרָתִֽי  in  My  wrath 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶבְרָה  
Sense: outpouring, overflow, excess, fury, wrath, arrogance.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation