Hosea 7:2

And they consider not in their hearts [that] I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

And they consider {H559} not in their hearts {H3824} that I remember {H2142} all their wickedness {H7451}: now their own doings {H4611} have beset them about {H5437}; they are before my face {H6440}.

They never say to themselves that I remember all their evil. Now their own deeds surround them; they are right in front of me.

But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.

And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now have their own doings beset them about; they are before my face.

Hosea chapter 7 continues the prophet's indictment against the northern kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim), highlighting their deep-seated corruption, idolatry, and political instability. Verse 2 specifically addresses their willful ignorance and the inescapable consequences of their actions.

Context

This verse follows a description of Israel's rampant sin, including deceit, theft, and violence (Hosea 7:1). Despite God's desire to heal them, they persist in their wickedness. The surrounding verses paint a picture of a nation consumed by its own desires, likened to a "heated oven" of passion and plotting (Hosea 7:4-7), and relying on foreign alliances rather than the Lord (Hosea 7:8-11). Verse 2 cuts to the heart of the issue: their lack of awareness and disregard for God's perspective.

Key Themes

  • Lack of Awareness: The phrase "they consider not in their hearts" indicates a profound spiritual blindness and indifference. They are not reflecting on their actions or God's view of them.
  • Divine Remembrance: God explicitly states, "I remember all their wickedness." This isn't a passive memory but an active awareness that serves as the basis for future accountability and judgment. God sees and knows everything done, even that which is hidden from human view (Jeremiah 16:17).
  • Inevitable Consequences: "Now their own doings have beset them about" means their actions have surrounded them, trapping them in the results of their sin. They are ensnared by the very wickedness they committed (Proverbs 5:22).
  • God's Presence and Judgment: Their actions are "before my face," emphasizing God's direct observation and inescapable presence. Their sin is not hidden from Him, signifying that judgment is certain because He is the ever-present witness.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrase translated "consider not in their hearts" implies a deep, internal lack of reflection or taking something to mind. It's a failure to process the reality of their situation before God. "Beset them about" (סָבַב אוֹתָם - savav otam) carries the sense of being encircled or surrounded, trapped by their own deeds.

Reflection and Application

Hosea 7:2 serves as a powerful warning. It reminds us that ignoring God's perspective and the reality of our own sin does not make them disappear. God sees and remembers all things, and our actions have natural, often difficult, consequences. The principle that our "own doings" can "beset us about" is a timeless truth (Galatians 6:7). This verse calls us to honest self-examination and a recognition that we are always "before [His] face" (Psalm 139:7). True freedom comes not from ignoring sin, but from confessing it and seeking God's forgiveness and healing.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Psalms 90:8

    Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret [sins] in the light of thy countenance.

  • Luke 12:2

    For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

  • Amos 8:7

    The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

  • Jeremiah 14:10

    ¶ Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

  • Jeremiah 2:19

    Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

  • Jeremiah 32:19

    Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes [are] open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

  • Jeremiah 4:18

    Thy way and thy doings have procured these [things] unto thee; this [is] thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

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