Hosea 4:2

2 Curse, and leasing, and man-quelling, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood. (Curses, and lies, and man-killing, or murder, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood.)

Hosea 4:2 Meaning and Commentary

Hosea 4:2

By swearing, and lying
Which some join together, and make but one sin of it, false swearing, so Jarchi and Kimchi; but that swearing itself signifies, as the Targum interprets it; for it not only takes in all cursing and imprecations, profane oaths, and taking the name of God in vain, and swearing by the creatures, but may chiefly design perjury; which, though one kind of "lying", may be distinguished from it here; the latter intending "lying" in common, which the devil is the father of, mankind are incident unto, and which is abominable to God, whether in civil or in religious things: "and killing, and stealing and committing adultery"; murders, thefts, and adulteries, were very common with them; sins against the sixth, eighth, and seventh commandments: they break out;
through all the restraints of the laws of God and man, like an unruly horse that breaks his bridle and runs away; or like wild beasts, that break down the fences and enclosures about them, and break out, and get away; or like a torrent of water, that breaks down its dams and banks, and overflows the meadows and plains; such a flood and deluge of sin abounded in the nation. Some render it, "they thieve" F15; or act the part of thieves and robbers: and the Targum,

``they beget sons of their neighbours' wives;''
and so Abarbinel interprets it of breaking through the hedge of another man's wife; but these sins are observed before: and blood toucheth blood;
which some understand of sins in general, so called, because filthy and abominable; and of the addition and multiplication of them, there being as it were heaps of them, or rather a chain of them linked together. So the Targum, ``and they add sins to sins.'' Others interpret it of impure mixtures, of incestuous lusts, or marriages contrary to the ties of blood, and laws of consanguinity, ( Leviticus 18:6 ) ( Ezekiel 22:11 ) , or rather it is to be understood of the great effusion of blood, and frequency of murders; so that there was scarce any interval between them, but a continued series of them. Some think respect is had to the frequent slaughter of their kings; Zachariah the son of Jeroboam was slain by Shallum, when he had reigned but six months; and Shallum was slain by Menahem when he had reigned but one month; and this Menahem was a murderer of many, smote many places, and ripped up the women with child; Pekahiah his son was killed by Pekah the son of Remaliah, and he again by Hoshea, ( 2 Kings 15:8 2 Kings 15:10 2 Kings 15:13 2 Kings 15:14 2 Kings 15:16 2 Kings 15:25 2 Kings 15:30 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F15 (wurp) "latrocinantur, [vel] latrones agunt", Schmidt

Hosea 4:2 In-Context

1 Sons of Israel, hear ye the word of the Lord, for why doom is to the Lord with the dwellers of earth; for why truth is not, and mercy is not, and knowing of the Lord is not in earth. (Israelites, hear ye the word of the Lord, for judgement is with the Lord for the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, or love, or knowledge of the Lord, in the land.)
2 Curse, and leasing, and man-quelling, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood. (Curses, and lies, and man-killing, or murder, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood.)
3 For this thing the earth shall mourn, and each that dwelleth in that land shall be sick, in the beast of the field, and in the bird of the air; but also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together. (For this thing the land shall mourn, and everyone who liveth in that land shall die, and with them the wild beasts, and the birds of the air; and even the fish of the sea shall be gathered together, and taken away.)
4 Nevertheless each man deem not, and a man be not reproved; for thy people is as they that against-say the priest. (Nevertheless let no one judge the people, and let no one rebuke them; for my quarrel is with you, false priest/s.)
5 And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee; in the night I made thy mother to be still (and in the night I shall make thy mother Israel to die).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.