Hosea 4:1 - Forerunner Commentary

Hosea 4:1

God’s Charge Against Israel

1 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a ^acharge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or ^bknowledge of God in the land.

2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed¹ upon bloodshed.

3 Therefore ^athe land will mourn;
And ^beveryone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those ^awho contend with the priest.

5 Therefore you shall stumble ^ain the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.

6 ^aMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
^bBecause you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

7 “The more they i¹ncreased,
The more they sinned against Me;
^aI will change² their glory into shame.

8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their¹ heart on their iniquity.

9 And¹ it shall be: ^alike people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.

10 For ^athey shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.

The Idolatry of Israel

11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine ^aenslave the heart.

12 My people ask counsel from their ^awooden idols,
And their¹ staff informs them.
For ^bthe spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.

13 ^aThey offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
^bTherefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.

14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ^aritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.

15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
^aDo not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to ^bBeth Aven,
^cNor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—

16 “For Israel ^ais stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in¹ open country.

Verse Comparison: Hosea 4:1

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American Standard Version
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.

Amplified® Bible
HEAR THE word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, love, pity {and} mercy, or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, listen as the LORD accuses everyone in the land! No one is faithful or loyal or truly cares about God.

Darby English Version
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Good News Bible
The LORD has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: "There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God.

King James Version
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

New American Standard Bible
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.

New International Version
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.

New King James Version
Hear the word of the LORD,
You children of Israel,
For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
"There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because no faithfulness or kindness exists Or knowledge of God in the land.

Revised Standard Version
Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel; for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land;

Young's Literal Translation
`Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife `is' to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,

New English Translation
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites!¹ For the Lord has a covenant lawsuit² against the people of Israel.³ For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God.⁴

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