Hosea 8:12

I have written to him the great things of my law, [but] they were counted as a strange thing.

I have written {H3789} to him the great things {H7230}{H7239} of my law {H8451}, but they were counted {H2803} as a strange thing {H2114}.

I write him so many things from my Torah, yet he considers them foreign.

Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.

I wrote for him the ten thousand things of my law; but they are counted as a strange thing.

Hosea 8:12 reveals God's lament over the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim) and their profound spiritual rebellion. Despite God’s clear and abundant revelation of His divine instructions, His people chose to disregard them, treating His life-giving law as something foreign and irrelevant.

Context

The prophet Hosea delivered his message primarily to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a period of political instability, moral decay, and rampant idolatry in the 8th century BC. Chapters 7 and 8 particularly highlight Israel’s apostasy, their reliance on foreign alliances rather than God, and their adoption of pagan practices. In this verse, God directly addresses their rejection of His covenant and commands. He had provided them with the Law (Torah), which was meant to be their guide for blessed living and a testament to their unique relationship with Him, yet they treated it as if it belonged to a different people or religion.

Key Themes

  • Divine Revelation and Abundance: God emphasizes that He "written to him the great things of my law." This highlights God's initiative and generosity in providing His people with clear, comprehensive, and weighty instructions for life. It was not a hidden truth but openly communicated.
  • Israel's Rejection and Disregard: The phrase "they were counted as a strange thing" underscores Israel's active choice to ignore or devalue God's commands. They saw God’s sacred law as alien, irrelevant, or burdensome, rather than as their heritage and source of wisdom. This spiritual blindness led to their downfall.
  • Consequences of Disobedience: Though not explicitly stated in this verse, the broader context of Hosea points to the inevitable judgment that follows such a profound rejection of divine truth. Treating God's law as "strange" leads to estrangement from God Himself.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "law" here is Torah (תּוֹרָה), which means more than just a set of rules; it encompasses divine instruction, teaching, and guidance for life. It speaks to God's comprehensive plan for His people's well-being. The phrase "great things" (רִבּוֹת) emphasizes the vastness, significance, and abundance of this divine instruction. The term "strange thing" is from the Hebrew root zar (זָר), meaning foreign, alien, or unlawful. It conveys the idea that Israel regarded God's own covenantal instructions as something external, irrelevant, or even offensive, rather than integral to their identity and existence.

Related Scriptures

  • For God's consistent communication and Israel's stubbornness, see Jeremiah 7:23-24.
  • The importance of God's law as a guide for life is beautifully expressed in Psalm 119:105.
  • Paul also speaks to the concept of the law and its reception in Romans 2:14-15, highlighting that even without the written law, God's truth can be known.

Practical Application

Hosea 8:12 serves as a powerful warning for believers today. It challenges us to examine our own hearts and ask if we are truly valuing and applying God's Word, or if we are treating it as something "strange" or irrelevant to our modern lives. The "great things" of God's law, now fully revealed in Christ and through the Scriptures, are not burdensome but are meant to bring life, wisdom, and freedom. We must guard against spiritual apathy and the tendency to neglect the Bible, lest we repeat Israel's mistake of counting God's precious revelation as a foreign concept.

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.

  • Deuteronomy 4:6

    Keep therefore and do [them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding people.

  • Deuteronomy 4:8

    And what nation [is there so] great, that hath statutes and judgments [so] righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

  • 2 Kings 17:15

    And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

  • 2 Kings 17:16

    And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, [even] two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

  • Nehemiah 9:26

    Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

  • Proverbs 22:20

    Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

  • Jeremiah 6:16

    Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].

Add TrulyRandomVerse to your Home Screen for quick access!

← Back