Hosea 10:4

Hosea 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
• New International Version (NIV)They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

Context of Hosea 10:4

2Their heart is divided (faithless); Now they must bear their guilt and punishment. The Lord will break down [the horns of] their altars; He will destroy their idolatrous pillars. 3Surely now they will say [in despair], “We have no [true] king, For we do not revere the Lord; And as for the king, what can he do for us [to rescue us]?” They have spoken empty (disingenuous) words, Swearing falsely to make covenants [they intend to break]; Therefore, judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. 5The people of Samaria will fear and tremble For the [idolatrous] calf of Beth-aven (House of Wickedness). Indeed, its people will mourn over it And its idolatrous priests will cry out and wail over it, Over its glory, because the glory [of their calf god] has departed from it. 6The golden calf itself will be carried to Assyria As tribute to King Jareb; Ephraim will be seized with shame And Israel will be ashamed of his own counsel [to worship the calf and separate Israel from Judah].

Hosea 10:4 word by word

דִּבְּר֣וּ דְבָרִ֔ים אָל֥וֹת שָׁ֖וְא כָּרֹ֣ת בְּרִ֑ית וּפָרַ֤ח כָּרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט עַ֖ל תַּלְמֵ֥י שָׂדָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They have spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• swearingאָלָה'âlâh · to swearH422
• falselyשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• in makingכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• thus judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• springeth upפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
• as hemlockרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• in the furrowsתֶּ֫לֶםtelem · furrowH8525
• of the fieldשָׂדַיώâdeh ώâday · fieldH7704

Cross-references for Hosea 10:4

• Hosea 6:7But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me.
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser [V] king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute (money).
• Ezekiel 17:13And he took a member of the royal family [the king’s uncle, Zedekiah] and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took the important leaders of the land,
• Romans 1:31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful [without pity].
• 2 Timothy 3:3[and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good,
• Deuteronomy 29:18so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the [false] gods of these nations; so that there will not be among you a root [of idolatry] bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood (bitterness).
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house (nation) of Israel And the men of Judah are His delightful planting [which He loves]. So He looked for justice, but in fact, [He saw] bloodshed and lawlessness; [He looked] for righteousness, but in fact, [He heard] a cry of distress and oppression.
• Isaiah 59:13Rebelling against and denying the Lord, Turning away from [following] our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.
• Amos 5:7For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness) And cast righteousness down to the earth.”
• Amos 6:12Do horses run on rocks? Do men plow rocks with oxen? [Of course not!] Yet you have turned justice into poison And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness),
• Acts 8:23For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and bound by sin.”
• Hebrews 12:15See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
• Revelation 8:10The third angel sounded [his trumpet], and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch [flashing across the sky], and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of [fresh] waters.

Commentaries on Hosea 10:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They have spoken words - Vain, empty, deceitful words. Swearing falsely - This refers to the alliances made with strange powers, to whom they promised fidelity without intending to be faithful; and from whom they promised themselves protection and support, notwithstanding God was against them, and they knew it. All their words were vain, and in the end as bitter as gall. Judgment springeth up as hemlock - As our land lies without cultivation, so that we…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4They have spoken words - The words which they spoke were eminently “words;” they were mere “words,” which had no substance; “swearing falsely in making a covenant, literally, swearing falsely, making a covenant, and judgments springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.”: “There is no truth in words, no sanctity in oaths, no faithfulness in keeping covenants, no justice in giving judgments.” Such is the result of all their oaths and covenants…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The corruption of justice is like bitter, poisonous weeds (Amos 6:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. words--mere empty words. swearing falsely in making a covenant--breaking their engagement to Shalmaneser (2Ki 17:4), and making a covenant with So, though covenants with foreigners were forbidden. judgment ... as hemlock--that is, divine judgment shall spring up as rank, and as deadly, as hemlock in the furrows (De 29:18; Am 5:7; 6:12). Gesenius translates, "poppy." Grotius, "darnel."Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 10:4

• Hemlock
• Hypocrisy
• Perjury

In the dictionaries

• Ashamed
• Furrow
• Gall
• Hemlock
• Plow
• Poison
• Reap
• Altar
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Crime; Crimes

Commentaries on Hosea 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings