The Bible — World English Bible
Hosea 4
In brief
Hosea 4 opens God's long accusation against the kingdom of Israel. The Lord pleads his case against a land where there is no truth, no mercy and no knowledge of God, and where lying, violence and adultery rule. The priests, who were meant to teach the law, are themselves at fault. The people turn to idols, high places and drunkenness. Verse 6 sums up the tragedy: the people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The chapter calls us back to a living relationship with God.
The chapter in 4 parts
1Hear Yahweh’s word, you children of Israel; for Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.
3Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells in it will waste away, with all living things in her, even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky, yes, the fish of the sea also die.
4“Yet let no man bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.
5You will stumble in the day, and the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.
6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.
7As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame.
8They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity.
9It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.
10They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to Yahweh.
11Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
12My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.
13They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.
14I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.
15“Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet don’t let Judah offend; and don’t come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’
16For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will Yahweh feed them like a lamb in a meadow.
17Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!
18Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.
19The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.
Key verses
Hear Yahweh’s word, you children of Israel; for Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
God has a case against the inhabitants of the land: there is no truth, no mercy and no knowledge of God. The accusation begins with the relationship before naming the acts.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.
The people are destroyed because they lack knowledge. It is a personal knowledge of God and of his law, rejected by the people and by the priests who were meant to teach it.
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding. My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.
The text shows how unfaithfulness and drunkenness rob people of their senses. The people consult their wood, their idols, instead of consulting their God: a spirit of wandering leads them away from him.
Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!
Ephraim, a name for the northern kingdom, is joined to idols and God says: leave him alone. The verse describes the judgment of a God who lets a hardened people go their own way.
Bible verses to meditate on
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What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about Hosea 4
What does “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” mean (Hosea 4:6)?
In the Bible, knowing God means a living relationship, not just information. The people had rejected the law of their God and their priests had failed in their role as teachers. The verse warns that a life without knowledge of God leads to ruin, and it invites us to return to him, which Hosea 6:3 takes up.
What is the message of Hosea chapter 4?
God pleads against Israel because there is no truth, no mercy and no knowledge of God. Lying, violence, unfaithfulness and idolatry follow from it. The chapter shows that the loss of the relationship with God brings the loss of moral sense and can affect a whole country, even nature itself (verse 3).
What do the images of prostitution in Hosea 4 mean?
In the book of Hosea, prostitution is an image of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness toward God, who is presented as a faithful husband. It refers to idolatry, with its worship on the hills, and to the concrete unfaithfulness that goes with it. The sermons on the site mainly pick up the call to know God rather than follow other sources.
Articles quoting Hosea 4
World English Bible translation — public domain.