Hosea 7:4

4 All of them commit adultery, like a burning oven whose baker has stopped from stirring the fire, and from kneading [the] dough until it is leavened.

Hosea 7:4 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 7:4

They [are] all adulterers
King, princes, priests, and people, both in a spiritual and corporeal sense; they were all idolaters, given to idols try, eager of it, and constant in it, as the following metaphors show; and they were addicted to corporeal adultery; this was a prevailing vice among all ranks and degrees of men. So the Targum,

``they all desire to lie with their neighbours' wives;''

see ( Jeremiah 5:7 Jeremiah 5:8 ) ( 9:2 ) ; as an oven heated by the baker;
which, if understood of spiritual adultery or idolatry, denotes their eagerness after it, and fervour in it, excited by their king, or by the devil and his instruments, the priests and false prophets; and if of bodily uncleanness, it is expressive of the heat of that lust, which is sometimes signified by burning; and is stirred up by the devil and the corrupt hearts of men to such a degree as to be raised to a flame, and be like a raging fire, or a heated oven; see ( Romans 1:27 ) ( 1 Corinthians 7:9 ) ; [who] ceaseth from raising;
that is, the baker, having heated his oven, ceaseth from raising up the women to bring their bread to the bake house; or he ceaseth from waking, or from watching his oven; he lays himself down to sleep, and continues in it: after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened;
having kneaded the dough, and put in the leaven, he lets it alone to work till the whole mass is leavened, taking his rest in the mean while: as the former clause expresses the vehement desire of the people after adultery, spiritual or corporeal, this may signify their continuance in it; or rather the wilful negligence of the king, priests, and prophets, who, instead of awaking them out of their sleep on a bed of adultery, let them alone in it, until they were all infected with it.

Hosea 7:4 In-Context

2 {But they did not consider} that I remember all their wickedness. Now their deeds surround them; they are before my face.

3 By their wickedness they make [the] king glad, and [the] officials by their treacheries.

4 All of them commit adultery, like a burning oven whose baker has stopped from stirring the fire, and from kneading [the] dough until it is leavened.

5 [On] the day of our king, the princes became sick [with] the heat of wine; he stretched out his hand with mockers.

6 Because they are kindled like an oven, their heart burns within them; all night their anger {smolders}, [in the] morning it blazes like a flaming fire.