Hosea 4:4-19

4 ¹Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is ²my contention, O priest.^[a]

5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy ³your mother.

6 My people are destroyed ⁴for lack of knowledge; ⁵because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you ⁶from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, ⁷I also will forget your children.

7 ⁸The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; ⁹I will change their glory into shame.

8 ¹⁰They feed on the sin^[b] of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.

9 ¹¹And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.

10 ¹²They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish

11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which ¹³take away the understanding.

12 My people ¹⁴inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For ¹⁵a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.

13 ¹⁶They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, ¹⁷under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for ¹⁸the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with ¹⁹cult prostitutes, and a people ²⁰without understanding shall come to ruin.

15 Though you play the whore, O ²¹Israel, let not ²²Judah become guilty. ²³Enter not into ²⁴Gilgal, nor go up to ²⁵Beth-aven, and swear not, "As the LORD lives."

16 Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?

17 ²⁶Ephraim is joined to idols; ²⁷leave him alone.

18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; ²⁸their rulers^[c] dearly love shame.

19 ²⁹A wind has wrapped them^[d] in its wings, and they shall ³⁰be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Hosea 4:4-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 4

This chapter contains a new sermon or prophecy, delivered in proper and express words, without types and figures, as before; in which the people of Israel are summoned to appear at the tribunal of God, to hear the charge brought against them, and the sentence to be pronounced upon them, and which would be executed. They are charged with sins of omission and commission; with want of truth and mercy to men, and with ignorance of God; with swearing, lying, murder, theft, and adultery, Ho 4:1,2, the punishment threatened is the sword, famine, and pestilence; which should affect the whole land, and all creatures in it, men, beasts, fowls, and fishes, Ho 4:3, then the priests and false prophets are threatened with falling into calamities along with the people, and with rejection from their office, and forgetfulness of their posterity, and a taking away their glory from them, because of their striving with the true prophets; their rejection of knowledge; forgetfulness of the law of God; covetousness, adultery, and drunkenness, Ho 4:4-11, then the discourse is turned to the people again, who are charged with divination and idolatry, which is spiritual adultery; and therefore, by way of retaliation, their wives and daughters would be left to commit adultery and fornication, Ho 4:12-14, and the chapter is concluded with advice to Israel not to tempt Judah to sin; or to Judah not to do the like, after the example of Israel, who were backsliders, idolaters, left of God and alone; guilty of bribery, and the like shameful things, and would be suddenly filled with shame, Ho 4:15-19.

Cross References

• 1. [ver. 17]
• 2. [Deuteronomy 17:12]
• 3. Hosea 2:2
• 4. [ver. 1; Isaiah 5:13]
• 5. [Proverbs 1:29]
• 6. [Exodus 19:6]
• 7. [Jeremiah 23:39]
• 8. [Hosea 13:6]
• 9. 1 Samuel 2:30; Malachi 2:9
• 10. [Leviticus 6:25, 26; Leviticus 10:17]
• 11. Isaiah 24:2
• 12. Leviticus 26:26; Micah 6:14; Haggai 1:6
• 13. [1 Kings 11:4; Proverbs 20:1]
• 14. [Judges 18:5]
• 15. Hosea 5:4; [Hosea 2:2]
• 16. Ezekiel 6:13
• 17. [Isaiah 1:29]
• 18. [Hosea 9:10]
• 19. Deuteronomy 23:17
• 20. [ver. 1, 6]
• 21. See Hosea 6:4
• 22. See Hosea 6:4
• 23. Amos 4:4, 5; Amos 5:5
• 24. Hosea 9:15; Hosea 12:11
• 25. Hosea 5:8; Hosea 10:5; [Hosea 10:8; 1 Kings 12:29; Amos 1:5]
• 26. [ver. 12; Hosea 5:3]
• 27. [Matthew 15:14]
• 28. [Hosea 9:10]
• 29. Hosea 13:15; Jeremiah 4:11; Jeremiah 51:1; [Zechariah 5:9]
• 30. [Isaiah 1:29]

Footnotes

• [a]. Or for your people are like those who contend with the priest
• [b]. Or sin offering
• [c]. Hebrew shields
• [d]. Hebrew her