Hosea 4:11

false religious practices.

Description of Israel’s idolatry

11 Wine and new wine destroy understanding.

Hosea 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 4:11

Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart.
] Uncleanness and intemperance besot men, deprive them of reason and judgment, and even of common sense, make them downright fools, and so stupid as to do the following things; or they take away the heart from following the Lord, and taking heed to him, and lead to idolatry; or they "occupy" ^F26 the heart, and fill it up, and cause it to prefer sensual lusts and pleasures to the fear and love of God: their stupidity brought on hereby is exposed in the next verse; though it seems chiefly to respect the priests, who erred in vision through wine and strong drink, and stumbled in judgment, ( Isaiah 28:7 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (bl xqy) "occupant cor", so some in Calvin and Rivet; "occupavit cor", Schmidt.

Hosea 4:11 In-Context

9 The priest will be just like the people; I will punish them for their ways, and judge them for their deeds.

10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will have sex like prostitutes, but they will not have children, because they have rejected the LORD to devote themselves to

11 false religious practices. Wine and new wine destroy understanding.

12 My people take advice from a piece of wood, and their divining rod gives them predictions. A spirit of prostitution has led them astray; they have left God to follow other gods.

13 They offer sacrifices on mountaintops, and make entirely burned offerings on hills; they offer sacrifices under various green trees, because their shade is pleasant. Therefore, your daughters act like prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.