ASV
Hosea 4
1Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
3Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
4Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
5And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.
6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
7As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
8They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity.
9And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings.
10And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.
11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding.
12My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot, [departing] from under their God.
13They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters play the harlot, and your brides commit adultery.
14I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for [the men] themselves go apart with harlots, and they sacrifice with the prostitutes; and the people that doth not understand shall be overthrown.
15Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth.
16For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
17Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.
18Their drink is become sour; they play the harlot continually; her rulers dearly love shame.
19The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices.
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Adultery: General Scriptures Concerning Hosea 4:1, 2, 11
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. / Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Alliances: Political with Idolaters Forbidden Hosea 4:17
Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
Backsliders: Backsliding of Israel Hosea 4:6, 10, 16
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. / They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have stopped obeying the LORD. / For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer. Can the LORD now shepherd them like lambs in an open meadow?
Backsliding: Israel Hosea 4:16
For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer. Can the LORD now shepherd them like lambs in an open meadow?
Beasts: Often Cut off for the Sins of Men Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
Being Ignored Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Beth-Aven: A Place on the Mountains of Benjamin Hosea 4:15
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
Birds: Often Suffered for Man's Sin Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
Blindness: Spiritual Hosea 4:1, 6, 14
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. / I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.
Character of the Wicked: Ignorant of God Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!
Christian Minister: False and Corrupt Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Church: Backslidden Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!
Church: Corruption In Hosea 4:9
And it shall be like people, like priest. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
Company: Evil Hosea 4:17
Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
Covetousness: General Scriptures Concerning Hosea 4:18
When their liquor is gone, they turn to prostitution; their rulers dearly love disgrace.
Crime: Partial Lists of Hosea 4:1, 2
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
Dishonesty: General Scriptures Concerning Hosea 4:1, 2
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
Divination: Effected Through: Rods Hosea 4:12
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.
Dowsing Hosea 4:12
My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.
Dressing Up for Church Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Drunkenness: General Scriptures Concerning Hosea 4:11
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Drunkenness: Takes Away the Heart Hosea 4:11
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Elm: General Scriptures Concerning Hosea 4:13
They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
Ephraim: A Tribe of Israel: Applied to the Ten Tribes Hosea 4:17
Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
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Hosea 4:1-19 Henceforth the Prophet Speaks Plainly and without Symbol, in
Terse, Sententious Propositions. In this chapter he reproves the people and priests for their sins in the interregnum which followed Jeroboam's death; hence there is no mention of the king or his family; and in Ho 4:2 bloodshed and other evils usual in a civil war are specified.
Hosea 4:1 Verse 1
Israel--the ten tribes. controversy--judicial ground of complaint (Isa 1:18; Jer 25:31; Mic 6:2). no ... knowledge of God--exhibited in practice (Jer 22:16).
Hosea 4:2 Verse 2
they break out--bursting through every restraint. blood toucheth blood--literally, "bloods." One act of bloodshed follows another without any interval between (see 2Ki 15:8-16, 25; Mic 7:2).
Hosea 4:3 Verse 3
land ... languish--(Isa 19:8; 24:4; Joe 1:10, 12). sea--including all bodies of water, as pools and even rivers (see on Isa 19:5). A general drought, the greatest calamity in the East, is threatened.
Hosea 4:4 Verse 4
let no man ... reprove--Great as is the sin of Israel, it is hopeless to reprove them; for their presumptuous guilt is as great as that of one who refuses to obey the priest when giving judgment in the name of Jehovah, and who therefore is to be put to death (De 17:12). They rush on to their own destruction as wilfully as such a one. thy people--the ten tribes of Israel; distinct from Judah (Ho 4:1).
Hosea 4:5 Verse 5
fall in the day--in broad daylight, a time when an attack would not be expected (see on Jer 6:4, 5; Jer 15:8). in ... night--No time, night or day, shall be free from the slaughter of individuals of the people, as well as of the false prophets. thy mother--the Israelitish state, of which the citizens are the children (Ho 2:2).
Hosea 4:6 Verse 6
lack of knowledge--"of God" (Ho 4:1), that is, lack of piety. Their ignorance was wilful, as the epithet, "My people," implies; they ought to have known, having the opportunity, as the people of God. thou--O priest, so-called. Not regularly constituted, but still bearing the name, while confounding the worship of Jehovah and of the calves in Beth-el (1Ki 12:29, 31). I will ... forget thy children--Not only those who then were alive should be deprived of the priesthood, but their children who, in the ordinary course would have succeeded them, should be set aside.
Hosea 4:7 Verse 7
As they were increased--in numbers and power. Compare Ho 4:6, "thy children," to which their "increase" in numbers refers. so they sinned--(Compare Ho 10:1 and Ho 13:6). will I change their glory into shame--that is, I will strip them of all they now glory in (their numbers and power), and give them shame instead. A just retribution: as they changed their glory into shame, by idolatry (Ps 106:20; Jer 2:11; Ro 1:23; Php 3:19).
Hosea 4:8 Verse 8
eat ... sin of my people--that is, the sin offerings (Le 6:26; 10:17). The priests greedily devoured them. set their heart on their iniquity--literally, "lift up the animal soul to lust after," or strongly desire. Compare De 24:15, Margin; Ps 24:4;