Hosea 7:1-11

Ephraim's Iniquity

1 When I ¹would heal Israel, The iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered, And the evil deeds of Samaria, For they deal ²falsely; The thief enters in, ³Bandits raid outside,

2 And they do not consider in their hearts That I ⁴remember all their wickedness. Now their ⁵deeds are all around them; They are before My face.

3 ⁶With their wickedness they make the ⁷king glad, And the princes with their ⁸lies.

4 They are ⁹all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

5 On the day of our king, the princes ¹⁰became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with ¹¹scoffers,

6 For their hearts are like an ¹²oven As they approach their plotting; Their anger smolders all night, In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.

7 All of them are hot like an oven, And they consume their ¹³rulers; All their kings have fallen. ¹⁴None of them calls on Me.

8 Ephraim ¹⁵mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned.

9 ¹⁶Strangers devour his strength, Yet he ¹⁷does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.

10 Though the ¹⁸pride of Israel testifies against him, Yet ¹⁹they have not returned to the LORD their God, Nor have they sought Him, for all this.

11 So ²⁰Ephraim has become like a silly dove, ²¹without sense; They call to ²²Egypt, they go to ²³Assyria.

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Hosea 7:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO HOSEA 7

This chapter either begins a new sermon, discourse, or prophecy, or it is a continuation of the former; at least it seems to be of the same argument with the latter part of it, only it is directed to Israel alone; and consists of complaints against them because of their manifold sins, and of denunciations of punishment for them. They are charged with ingratitude to God, sinning in a daring manner against mercy, and with falsehood, thefts, and robberies, Ho 7:1; with want of consideration of the omniscience of God, and his notice of their sins, which surrounded them, Ho 7:2; with flattery to their king and princes, Ho 7:3; with adultery, which lust raged in them like a heated oven, Ho 7:4; with drunkenness, aggravated by drawing their king into it, Ho 7:5; with raging lusts, which devoured their judges, made their kings to fall, and brought on such a general corruption, that there were none that called upon the Lord, Ho 7:6,7; with mixing themselves with the nations of the earth, and so learning their ways, and bringing their superstition and idolatry into the worship of God, so that they were nothing in religion, like a half baked cake, Ho 7:8; with stupidity and insensibility of their declining state, Ho 7:9; with pride, impenitence, and stubbornness, Ho 7:10; with folly, in seeking to Egypt and Assyria for help, and not to the Lord; for which they would be taken as birds in a net, and sorely chastised, Ho 7:11,12; with ingratitude, hypocrisy, and deceitfulness; for all which they are threatened with destruction, Ho 7:13-16.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 23

1. Ezekiel 24:13; Hosea 6:4; Hosea 7:13; Hosea 11:8
2. Hosea 4:2
3. Hosea 6:9
4. Psalms 25:7; Jeremiah 14:10; Jeremiah 17:1; Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:9; Amos 8:7
5. Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 4:18; Hosea 4:9
6. Romans 1:32
7. Jeremiah 28:1-4; Hosea 7:5; Micah 7:3
8. Hosea 4:2; Hosea 11:12
9. Jeremiah 9:2; Jeremiah 23:10
10. Isaiah 28:1, 7
11. Isaiah 28:14
12. Psalms 21:9
13. Hosea 13:10
14. Isaiah 64:7
15. Psalms 106:35
16. Isaiah 1:7; Hosea 8:7
17. Hosea 4:6
18. Hosea 5:5
19. Isaiah 9:13
20. Hosea 11:11
21. Hos 4:6, 11, 14; Hosea 5:4
22. Hosea 8:13; Hosea 9:3, 6
23. Hosea 5:13; Hosea 8:9; Hosea 12:1

Footnotes 7

[a]. Lit "say to their heart"
[b]. I.e. a festive occasion
[c]. Lit "ambush"
[d]. So with some ancient versions; M.T. "baker"
[e]. Lit "sleeps"
[f]. Lit "peoples"
[g]. Lit "heart"