And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
- KJV And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
- NKJV It shall come to pass in that day That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
- NASB On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
- NLT I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God foretells the shattering of Israel's military strength in the same valley of Jezreel. Their trusted power will be broken there.
Overview
Breaking 'the bow' signifies the collapse of Israel's army and defensive might. The valley of Jezreel, a strategic plain, would witness the undoing of the nation's strength rather than its glory. The verse reinforces that no human power can shield a people who have abandoned their God, a sober reminder that security apart from the Lord is an illusion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 17:16“The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”
- Judg 6:33Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
- Jer 51:56For a destroyer is coming against her—against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken, for the LORD is a God of retribution; He will repay in full.
- Ps 37:15But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
- Jer 49:34–35This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.
- Hos 2:18On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish bow and sword and weapons of war in the land, and will make them lie down in safety.
- Ps 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
- 2 Kgs 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.
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Christ at the center
God's relentless love for an unfaithful bride dramatizes the gospel: 'Out of Egypt I called my son' is fulfilled in Jesus, who redeems an adulterous people at his own cost.
How Hosea 1:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.