10:8a

The high places of Aven will be destroyed: The LORD will use the Assyrian army to destroy the shrines and altars in Israel. The Hebrew word for destroyed indicates severe destruction.

high places of Aven: This phrase refers to places on the tops of mountains or hills where the people worshiped idols. high places were shrines that included altars for sacrificing animals.

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible transliterates as Aven is ’awen. There are two main interpretations of this Hebrew word in this context:

(1) This word is a place name. It is a short form of “Beth-aven,” the name that Hosea uses for Bethel. For example:

The hilltop shrines of Aven, where the people of Israel worship idols, will be destroyed. (Good News Translation)

(2) This is the regular Hebrew word for “wickedness” or “falseness.” It is not a place name here. For example:

The places of false worship will be destroyed (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

A cross-reference to Hosea 10:5 or a footnote such as the following one may be helpful here:

Aven is a reference to Beth-aven; see 10:5a and the note there. (New Living Translation (2004))

it is the sin of Israel: The full Hebrew clause is literally “[the] high places of Aven the sin of Israel.” Here Hosea describes the high places of Aven as the sin of Israel. The phrase the sin does not imply that Israel had only one sin. Rather, it indicates that idol worship at Aven was the chief sin of the people of Israel.

Here are other ways to translate this verse part:

The illegal worship sites of Aven will be destroyed. Israel sins there. (God’s Word)
-or-
And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel’s sin, will crumble. (New Living Translation (2004))

10:8b

thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars: This clause indicates that the destruction of the high places will be complete. The expression thorns and thistles is a poetic way to describe a place that is ruined and deserted. Hosea also uses a similar description of weeds in 9:6d–e to describe desolation and God’s displeasure.

Thorns and thistles are undesirable plants with sharp barbs that cause pain when touched. If you do not have words for plants like these, use a word for an undesirable plant that grows in deserted places. For example:

Thorns and weeds will grow up over their altars. (Good News Translation)

their altars: This phrase probably refers to altars that were widespread throughout Israel, such as in 10:1–2. It is also possible that the reference may be specifically to the altars at Bethel.

10:8c–d

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

8c
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”

8d
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

There is an ellipsis in 10:8d. In some languages, it will be necessary to supply the missing verb phrase from 10:8c. For example:

8d
and ⌊they will say ⌋ to the hills, “Fall on us!”

In these lines, the people of Israel express their desire to die. It is a desperate cry that indicates their suffering is so severe that they want to die quickly to end it.

Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”: These requests to the mountains and the hills imply that the people want a landslide to bury them under rock and dirt.

Some versions make the people’s desperation more explicit by using words such as “plead” or “call out” instead of say. For example:

The people will call out to the mountains, “Hide us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” (Good News Translation)
-or-
They will beg the mountains, “Bury us!” and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!” (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 10:8c–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these parallel lines. See 10:8c–d (combined/reordered) in the Display for an example.

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