A vivid image of helplessness and insignificance in Hosea's prophecy against Samaria. The king will be destroyed like a twig or splinter on water - carried away, unable to direct his own course, utterly powerless. This metaphor captures political impotence perfectly: rulers who seemed mighty will prove as ineffectual as debris floating on currents they cannot control. The term contrasts with 'wrath' (qetseph), sharing only consonants but opposing in meaning. One signifies power and fury; the other represents fragility and helplessness. When God's judgment comes, mighty kings become floating twigs.