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The Prophets · Old Testament

Hosea 4

Hosea 4: the Lord's controversy with the land, its priests and Ephraim

General context

The children of Israel are called to hear because "the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land," where there is "no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God." Swearing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery break out, and "blood toucheth blood." The land will mourn, and beasts, fowls and fishes will be taken away. A "thou" is addressed: the people are like those "that strive with the priest"; he will fall by day and the prophet by night. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"; because the addressee has rejected knowledge, he will be no priest, and his children will be forgotten. As they increased they sinned; "they eat up the sin of my people." It will be "like people, like priest." They will eat and not have enough, commit whoredom and not increase. Wine and whoredom take away the heart. The people ask counsel at wooden stocks and sacrifice on mountain tops under oaks, poplars and elms; their daughters and spouses will commit whoredom and adultery, and the speaker will not punish the women because the men themselves "sacrifice with harlots." Israel plays the harlot, but Judah is told not to offend, not to come to Gilgal or Beth-aven, nor swear "The Lord liveth." Israel slides back "as a backsliding heifer." "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." Their drink is sour, their rulers love "Give ye," and "The wind hath bound her up in her wings."

Cited passages: Hosea 4:1, Hosea 4:2, Hosea 4:3, Hosea 4:4, Hosea 4:5, Hosea 4:6, Hosea 4:7, Hosea 4:8, Hosea 4:9, Hosea 4:10, Hosea 4:11, Hosea 4:12, Hosea 4:13, Hosea 4:14, Hosea 4:15, Hosea 4:16, Hosea 4:17, Hosea 4:18, Hosea 4:19

Hosea 4 (KJV)

1Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2By swearing, and lying, 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 with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

4Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

5Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall 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 will also forget thy children.

7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

8They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

9And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

10For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

13They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

14I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.

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, The Lord liveth.

16For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

18Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.

19The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The addressee shifts through the chapter. Verse 1 speaks to "ye children of Israel"; verses 4 to 6 turn to a singular "thou" who is told "thou shalt be no priest to me," so a priest, or the priesthood, is being addressed there; verse 15 names Israel and Judah separately; verse 17 names Ephraim, the first time the book uses that name for the northern people. Judah is warned rather than condemned in this chapter: "let not Judah offend." Two places are named, Gilgal and Beth-aven, as sites not to visit, without any description of what happens there. The speaker is the Lord, marked by "my people" and "I will also reject thee." No king is named. Some lines are hard to follow in the KJV as printed: "thy people are as they that strive with the priest" does not say who "thy" is, and "her rulers with shame do love, Give ye" has no clear subject for "her." The chapter does not say what the "stocks" and "staff" consulted in verse 12 are, only that counsel is sought from them.

Cited passages: Hosea 4:1, Hosea 4:6, Hosea 4:15, Hosea 4:17, Hosea 4:4, Hosea 4:18, Hosea 4:12

Literary context

The chapter is framed as a lawsuit, "a controversy," and its first charge is a triple absence, "no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God," followed by a list of five acts joined by "and." Knowledge returns as the hinge: "destroyed for lack of knowledge" and "thou hast rejected knowledge." Verse 6 turns the accused's actions back on him in matched pairs, reject and reject, forget and forget. The proverb "like people, like priest" makes the two parties share one fate. Verse 10 uses futility pairs, eating without enough and whoredom without increase. Country images close the chapter: a backsliding heifer, a lamb in a large place, a wind that binds. The whoredom language of chapters 1 to 3 is carried into the accusation against the people, and the chapter ends without any promise, unlike chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 5 continues with a summons to priests, house of Israel and house of the king.

Cited passages: Hosea 4:1, Hosea 4:2, Hosea 4:6, Hosea 4:9, Hosea 4:10, Hosea 4:16, Hosea 4:19, Hosea 5:1

Key moments

  1. A controversy with the land (Hosea 4:1). The Lord's case against the inhabitants of the land opens with no truth, mercy or knowledge of God.
  2. Blood toucheth blood (Hosea 4:2). Swearing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery break out across the land.
  3. Destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). The priest who rejected knowledge is rejected, and his children forgotten.
  4. Like people, like priest (Hosea 4:9). People and priest are to share the same punishment for their ways.
  5. Sacrifice under the trees (Hosea 4:13). They sacrifice on mountain tops under oaks, poplars and elms because the shade is good.
  6. Judah warned (Hosea 4:15). Judah is told not to offend or go to Gilgal and Beth-aven though Israel plays the harlot.
  7. Ephraim joined to idols (Hosea 4:17). Ephraim is joined to idols and is to be left alone.

For reflection

The speaker says he will not punish the daughters and spouses for their whoredom because the men themselves sacrifice with harlots. What does it mean that the chapter directs its charge at those who set the pattern rather than those who follow it?

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