19 May 2025

If Hoshea performed less evil than the previous kings of Israel, why was his generation the one that was punished?

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The following is a translation by Sefaria.org of the Talmud Gittin 88a on the subject of Hoshea the son of Elah and why the ten tribes went into exile during his days.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: The first destruction of Eretz Yisrael did not occur until seven dynasties and their courts committed idol worship in it, and they are these: Jeroboam, son of Nevat; and Baasa, son of Ahijah; and Ahab, son of Omri; and Jehu, son of Nimshi; and Pekah, son of Remaliah; and Menahem, son of Gadi; and Hoshea, son of Elah, as it is stated: “She who has given birth to seven languishes; her spirit droops; her sun is gone down while it was yet day, she is ashamed and confounded” (Jeremiah 15:9).

Rabbi Ammi said: What is the verse from which it is derived that it was seven dynasties? “When you will beget children, and children’s children, and you will have been long in the land, and will deal corruptly, and make a graven image, even the form of anything…you will soon utterly perish from off the land” (Deuteronomy 4:25–26). The phrase “when you will beget children and children’s children” is interpreted homiletically as indicating seven generations. This is because the term “you will beget [tolid],” written in the singular form, indicates one generation, and the word “children,” written in the plural form, indicates two generations. Since the word “children” is mentioned three times, seven generations are indicated in total.
Rav Kahana and Rav Asi said to Rav: It is written with regard to Hoshea ben Elah: “And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel that were before him” (II Kings 17:2). But it is written subsequently: “Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria” (II Kings 17:3) and exiled the people of Israel. If Hoshea performed less evil than the previous kings of Israel, why was his generation the one that was punished?
Rav said to them: Hoshea came and canceled those guards [pardesei’ot] that Jeroboam placed on the roads in order to prevent the subjects of the kingdom of Israel from ascending to Jerusalem on the pilgrimage Festival, and even so the subjects of the kingdom of Israel did not ascend to Jerusalem on the pilgrimage Festival. The Holy One, Blessed be He, therefore said that for those years that the subjects of the kingdom of Israel did not ascend to Jerusalem on the pilgrimage Festival they will go into captivity.

Tanna D’vei Eliyahu Zuta chapter 9 agrees with this Talmudic passage but adds a key lesson of morality for those that want to correct the evil of past kings.

Below is the ChatGPT translation of the passage which in this case is acceptable.

Tanna D’vei Eliyahu Zuta (Ish Shalom edition), Section 9:

In the days of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, the land was conquered and the Ten Tribes were exiled during his reign.

Why was Hoshea son of Elah different from all the kings of Israel who came before him, that the land should be conquered and the Ten Tribes exiled in his days?

Rather, from the time that Jeroboam son of Nebat arose until Hoshea son of Elah, sin was associated with the individual. And it is difficult before the Merciful One to exile the community for the sin of an individual.

But when Hoshea son of Elah came, he arose and abolished all the guards (i.e., border patrols), and would proclaim and say: “Whoever wishes to go up to Jerusalem, let him go and go up.”

And about him it is said:

“And he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who were before him” (II Kings 17:2–3).

[Because of this,] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, etc.

He (Hoshea) removed the yoke (or collar) from his own neck and hung it on the neck of the many (i.e., he transferred responsibility to the people).

From here they said:
Anyone who begins a mitzvah but does not complete it—this person is liable for his own life and for all that he has; and he will bury his wife and his two sons. {end of quote}

To restate the point in a more clear way, Hoshea should have used his political authority to actually bring the ten tribes to Jerusalem instead of just saying whoever wants to go can go. In contrast King YeChizkiyahu (Hezekiah) did all that he could to get the ten tribes to ascend to Jerusalem. See II Chronicles, Chapter 30. The rabbis considered YeChizkiyahu (Chizkiyahu) as being a near miss of being the Messiah. See the post: The Messianic Rule Breaker Where The Hebrew letter, Pronounced As Mem, Changes From Its Normal Shape in the Middle of a Word for details.