Hosea 4

God’s Case against His People

¹Hear the word of Yahweh,

O children of Israel,

for Yahweh has a case

against the people of the land:

“There is no truth, no loving devotion,

and no knowledge of God in the land!

• HOS 4:1[NOTE]A LAWSUIT. The Hebrew word rib means a lawsuit. Chapters 4 to 14 read like God's case against His people.

²Cursing and lying,

murder and stealing,

and adultery are rampant;

one act of bloodshed follows another.

³Therefore the land mourns,

and all who dwell in it will waste away

with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air;

even the fish of the sea disappear.

⁴But let no man contend;

let no man offer reproof;

for your people are like those

who contend with a priest.

⁵You will stumble by day,

and the prophet will stumble with you by night;

so I will destroy your mother—

⁶My people are destroyed

for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I will also reject you as My priests.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your children.

• HOS 4:6[NOTABLE]Not knowing God is not a small problem. Ignoring His word destroys people; knowing Him gives life.
• HOS 4:6[NOTE]LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. Not a lack of schooling. In Hosea, knowing God means knowing Him personally, the way a husband knows his wife, 2:20.

⁷The more they multiplied,

the more they sinned against Me;

they exchanged their Glory

for a thing of disgrace.

⁸They feed on the sins of My people

and set their hearts on iniquity.

⁹And it shall be

like people, like priest.

I will punish both of them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

¹⁰They will eat but not be satisfied;

they will be promiscuous but not multiply.

For they have abandoned Yahweh to give themselves

¹¹to promiscuity, wine, and new wine,

which take away the heart.

• HOS 4:11[TEXT]TAKE AWAY THE HEART. The Hebrew says take away the heart, like the KJV. Many Bibles say understanding.

¹²My people consult their wooden idols,

and their divining rods inform them.

For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray

and they have played the harlot against their God.

• HOS 4:12[DEMONIC]God's people consult wooden idols and sacrifice on the hilltops

¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops

and burn offerings on the hills,

under oak, poplar, and terebinth,

because their shade is pleasant.

And so your daughters turn to prostitution

and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

¹⁴I will not punish your daughters

when they prostitute themselves,

nor your daughters-in-law

when they commit adultery.

For the men themselves go off with prostitutes

and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes.

So a people without understanding

will come to ruin.

¹⁵Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,

may Judah avoid such guilt!

Do not journey to Gilgal,

do not go up to Beth-aven,

and do not swear on oath,

‘As surely as Yahweh lives!’

• HOS 4:15[NOTE]BETH AVEN. House of wickedness. Most think it is Hosea's nickname for Bethel, house of God, where one of the golden calves stood, 1 Kings 12:29. A real town named Beth Aven also stood nearby, Joshua 7:2.

¹⁶For Israel is as obstinate

as a stubborn heifer.

Can Yahweh now shepherd them

like lambs in an open meadow?

¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols;

leave him alone!

• HOS 4:17[DEMONIC]Ephraim is joined to idols, so God says leave him alone

¹⁸When their liquor is gone,

they turn to prostitution;

their rulers dearly love disgrace.

¹⁹The whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings,

and their sacrifices will bring them shame.