Hosea 4:3

Hosea 4:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
• New International Version (NIV)Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone 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.

Context of Hosea 4:3

1Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, For the Lord has a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyalty or kindness Or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land. 2There is [false] swearing of oaths, deception (broken faith), murder, stealing, and adultery; They employ violence, so that one [act of] bloodshed follows closely on another. Therefore the land [continually] mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering] Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens; Even the fish of the sea disappear. 4Yet let no one find fault, nor let any rebuke [others]; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. 5So you will stumble in the daytime, And the [false] prophet will also stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother (Israel).

Hosea 4:3 word by word

עַל־כֵּ֣ן׀ תֶּאֱבַ֣ל הָאָ֗רֶץ וְאֻמְלַל֙ כָּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֔הּ בְּחַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְגַם־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם יֵאָסֵֽפוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore shall the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• mournאָבַל'âbal · to mournH56
• and every one that dwellethיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• therein shall languishאָמַל'âmal · be weakH535
• with the beastsחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
• of the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
• and with the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
• of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• yea, the fishesדָּגdâg dâ'g · fishH1709
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• also shall be taken awayאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622

Cross-references for Hosea 4:3

• Isaiah 24:4The earth dries up and crumbles away, the world dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.
• Jeremiah 4:27Therefore says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not cause total destruction.
• Joel 1:10The field is ruined, The ground mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The fresh oil fails.
• Amos 1:2And he said, “The Lord thunders and roars from Zion [in judgment] And utters His voice from Jerusalem; Then the pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the summit of [Mount] Carmel dries up [because of God’s judgment].”
• Amos 5:16Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the public plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died] And professional mourners to wailing.
• Amos 8:8Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quake And everyone mourn who dwells in it? Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile, And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment] And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.
• Nahum 1:4He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He dries up all the rivers [illustrating His judgment]. Bashan [on the east] and [Mount] Carmel [on the west] wither, And [in the north] the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
• Jeremiah 4:25I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the air had fled.
• Jeremiah 12:4How long must the land mourn And the grass of the countryside wither? Because of the wickedness and hypocrisy of those who live in it, The beasts and the birds are consumed and are swept away [by the drought], Because men [mocking me] have said, “He will not [live long enough to] see [what happens at] our final end.”
• Ezekiel 38:20so that the fishes of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and all the men that are on the face of the earth will tremble and shake at My presence; the mountains will crumble, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground.
• Zephaniah 1:3“I will consume and sweep away man and beast; I will consume and sweep away the birds of the air And the fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks (idols) along with the wicked; And I will cut off and destroy man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.

Commentaries on Hosea 4:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Therefore shall the land mourn - Fruitful seasons shall be denied. That dwelleth therein shall languish - Endemic and epidemic disorders shall prevail, and multitudes shall die; so that mourning shall be found in all quarters. The beasts of the field, and with the fowls - There is a death of cattle and domestic animals, in consequence of the badness of the season. The fishes of the sea also shall be taken away - Those immense shoals which at certain…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Therefore shall the land mourn - Dumb inanimate nature seems to rejoice and to be in unison with our sense of joy, when bedewed and fresh through rain and radiant with light; and, again, to mourn, when smitten with drought or blight or disease, or devoured by the creatures which God employs to lay it waste for man‘s sins. Dumb nature is, as it were, in sympathy with man, cursed in Adam, smitten amid man‘s offences, its outward show responding to man‘s…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3God's judgment will always come to sinful people. Because the Israelites sinned, their land and nature would suffer.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. land ... languish--(Is 19:8; 24:4; Joe 1:10, 12). sea--including all bodies of water, as pools and even rivers (see on Is 19:5). A general drought, the greatest calamity in the East, is threatened.Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 4:3

• Homicide
• Sin
• Truth

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Languish
• Reject
• Calf, Golden
• Fish
• Hosea
• Priests and Levites
• Zechariah, Book of

Commentaries on Hosea 4

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings