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Hosea 4

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The LORD’s Controversy with Israel 1–3

1
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. ​
2
There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood. ​
3
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. ​

The Failure of the Priests and People 4–6

4
Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. ​
5
And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother. ​
6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. ​

Judgment on the Corrupt Leaders 7–10

7
As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. ​
8
They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity. ​
9
And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings. ​
10
And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah. ​

Idolatry and Spiritual Harlotry 11–14

11
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding. ​
12
My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot, departing from under their God. ​
13
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters play the harlot, and your brides commit adultery. ​
14
I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go apart with harlots, and they sacrifice with the prostitutes; and the people that doth not understand shall be overthrown. ​

A Warning to Judah 15–19

15
Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth. ​
16
For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place. ​
17
Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. ​
18
Their drink is become sour; they play the harlot continually; her rulers dearly love shame. ​
19
The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Hosea 4

Verse 1

the LORD hath a controversy — Riv is a legal case, brought by the LORD 'with his people' (Mic 6:2) and 'with Judah' (12:2). The charge is the absence of 'truth' (emet), 'mercy' (chesed, covenant loyalty) and 'knowledge of God', and the knowledge of God returns in v.6 as the cause of the nation's ruin.

Verse 2

they break out — 'Killing', 'stealing' and 'committing adultery' are the verbs of Exod 20:13–15, in a different order, set beside swearing and lying. 'Break out' is parats, to breach a boundary, the same verb as 'increase' in v.10. 'Blood toucheth blood' is one killing joined to the next.

Verse 3

the land mourn — The mourning (abal) of the land reaches 'the beasts of the field… the fowls of heaven… the fishes of the sea', the creatures of Gen 1:20–26. Jeremiah likewise has the land mourn and 'the beasts are consumed, and the birds' for 'the wickedness of them that dwell therein' (Jer 12:4); Zeph 1:3 names the same three.

Verse 4

strive with the priest — Riv, the verb behind the 'controversy' of v.1. No one is to bring a case against another, for the people are 'as they that strive with the priest', the man whom Deut 17:12 says must be obeyed on pain of death, 'the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest'.

Verse 5

I will destroy thy mother — 'Mother' is the nation, as in 'Plead with your mother' (2:2). 'Destroy' is damah, to be cut off, the same verb as 'are destroyed' in v.6. The priest falls 'in the day' and the prophet 'in the night'.

Verse 6

destroyed for lack of knowledge — The knowledge (da'at) is that of God, missing in v.1. The priest's lips 'should keep knowledge' and the people 'seek the law at his mouth' (Mal 2:7). 'Rejected… reject' and 'forgotten… forget' are each one verb (ma'as, shakach), so the penalty answers the offence exactly.

Verse 7

change their glory into shame — Kavod, glory, is exchanged for qalon, shame. The same verb (mur) describes Israel's own exchange: 'they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox' (Ps 106:20); 'my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit' (Jer 2:11). 'Shame' returns in v.18.

Verse 8

eat up the sin of my people — 'Sin' (chattath) is also the word for the sin offering, whose flesh 'the priest that offereth it for sin shall eat' (Lev 6:25–26). The charge is that the priests live on the people's offerings and long for more of the people's iniquity (avon), since more sin means more to eat.

Verse 9

like people, like priest — The priest has no exemption: 'as with the people, so with the priest' (Isa 24:2). 'Punish' is paqad, to visit, and 'reward' is shuv, to return, so that their ways and 'doings' come back on them, as in 12:2: 'according to his doings will he recompense him'.

Verse 10

shall not increase — The verb is parats, the 'break out' of v.2: those who break out in sin do not break forth in number. 'Eat, and not have enough' is the curse of Lev 26:26, 'ye shall eat, and not be satisfied'. The reason given is that 'they have left off to take heed to the LORD'.

Verse 11

take away the heart — Whoredom, 'wine' (yayin) and 'new wine' (tirosh) are named together as what seizes the heart (lev). Isaiah gives the same result for priest and prophet: 'they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way' (Isa 28:7).

Verse 12

ask counsel at their stocks — 'Stocks' is ets, wood, and the 'staff' (maqqel) 'declareth' to them. The folly is that of 'Saying to a stock, Thou art my father' (Jer 2:27) and 'him that saith to the wood, Awake' (Hab 2:19). The 'spirit of whoredoms' is said to be 'in the midst of them' in 5:4.

Verse 13

the tops of the mountains — The 'high mountains… hills… every green tree' are the places Deut 12:2 ordered destroyed, where the nations 'served their gods'. The reason offered here is 'because the shadow thereof is good'. The 'spouses' (kallah) are brides or daughters-in-law, so the fault of the shrines reaches the households.

Verse 14

I will not punish your daughters — The men are the offenders: 'themselves are separated with whores'. 'Harlots' is qedeshah, literally a consecrated woman, a word found only in Gen 38:21–22, Deut 23:17 and here; Deut 23:17 forbids her among Israel's daughters. 'The people that doth not understand' recalls Isa 1:3, 'my people doth not consider'.

Verse 15

come not ye unto Gilgal — Judah is warned away from the northern shrines. Bethaven, 'house of iniquity', lay beside Bethel (Josh 7:2) and gives its name to 'the calves of Bethaven' (10:5); one calf stood in Bethel (1 Kings 12:29). Amos gives the same warning: 'seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal' (Amos 5:5).

Verse 16

a backsliding heifer — Sarar, to be stubborn, is the word for the 'stubborn' son of Deut 21:18 and the people who 'pulled away the shoulder' (Zech 7:11). Ephraim is later called 'a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke' (Jer 31:18). The last clause can be read as a question, whether such a heifer will be fed like a lamb in 'a large place' (merchav).

Verse 17

Ephraim is joined to idols — Ephraim, the leading tribe, stands for the northern kingdom: 'the day that Ephraim departed from Judah' (Isa 7:17). 'Joined' is chaber, bound as a partner. 'Let him alone' is the LORD leaving the choice with him, as 'God also gave them up' (Rom 1:24).

Verse 18

her rulers… Give ye — 'Rulers' is magen, shields, the word of 'the shields of the earth belong unto God' (Ps 47:9): those who should protect the people 'love' qalon, the 'shame' of v.7. 'Give ye' is the cry of the corrupt judge: 'the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward' (Mic 7:3).

Verse 19

The wind hath bound her up — Ruach means wind and spirit alike, and it is the 'spirit' of whoredoms of v.12. The people who go after that spirit are carried off by it, as 'they have sown the wind' (8:7). Their 'sacrifices' (zebach) are the cause of the shame.