Hosea 4:13

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.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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Hosea 4:13

Under oaks - allon , from alal , he was strong. Hence, the oak, in Latin, is called robur ; which word means also, strength, the oak being the strongest of all the trees of the forest.

The shadow thereof is good - Their "daughters committed whoredom, and their spouses committed adultery."

1.Their deities were worshipped by prostitution.

2.They drank much in their idol worship, Hosea 4:11, and thus their passions became inflamed.

3.The thick groves were favorable to the whoredoms and adulteries mentioned here. In imitation of these, some nations have their public gardens.

**Other Adam Clarke entries containing Hosea 4:13:**

Isaiah 1:29

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Hosea 4:14 >>

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