Amplified Bible
Hosea 5:6
6They will go with their flocks and with their herds To seek the Lord [diligently searching for Him], but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them [refusing to hear the prayers of the unrepentant].
Hosea 5:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
- New International Version (NIV)When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“With their flocks and herds They shall go to seek the Lord, But they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.
Context of Hosea 5:6
4Their [immoral] practices will not permit them To return to their God, For the spirit of prostitution is within them And they do not know the Lord [they do not recognize, appreciate, heed or cherish Him]. 5But the pride and self-reliance of Israel testifies against him. Therefore Israel, and [especially] Ephraim, stumble and fall in their wickedness and guilt; Judah also has stumbled with them. They will go with their flocks and with their herds To seek the Lord [diligently searching for Him], but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them [refusing to hear the prayers of the unrepentant]. 7They have dealt treacherously against the Lord, For they have borne illegitimate (pagan) children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their land [bringing judgment and captivity]. 8Blow the horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah [the lofty hills on Benjamin’s northern border]. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven: “Behind you and coming after you [is the enemy], O Benjamin [be on guard]!”
Read all of Hosea 5Hosea 5:6 word by word
בְּצֹאנָ֣ם וּבִבְקָרָ֗ם יֵֽלְכ֛וּ לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֣א יִמְצָ֑אוּ חָלַ֖ץ מֵהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hosea 5:6
- Exodus 10:9Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds [all of us and all that we have], for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”
- Proverbs 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight!
- Proverbs 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the Lord]. How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?
- Jeremiah 7:4Do not trust in the deceptive and lying words [of the false prophets who claim that Jerusalem will be protected by God because of the temple], saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’
- Micah 6:6With what shall I come before the Lord [to honor Him] And bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves?
- Proverbs 1:28Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer; They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,
- Isaiah 1:11“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of rams And the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience]; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].
- Isaiah 66:3“He who kills an ox [for pagan sacrifice] is [as guilty] as one who kills a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as one who offers swine’s blood; He who offers incense, as one who blesses an idol. Such people have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their repulsive acts;
- Jeremiah 11:11Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disaster and suffering on them which they will not be able to escape; though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them.
- Lamentations 3:44You have covered Yourself with a cloud So that no prayer can pass through.
- Ezekiel 8:18Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare [them]; and though they cry loudly in My ears, yet I will not listen to them.”
- Amos 5:21“I hate, I despise and reject your [sacred] feasts, And I do not take delight in your solemn assemblies.
- Micah 3:4Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not answer them; Instead, He will even hide His face from them at that time [withholding His mercy] Because they have practiced and tolerated and ignored evil acts.
- John 7:34You will look for Me, and will not [be able to] find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
- Luke 5:16But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].
Commentaries on Hosea 5:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6They shall go with their flocks - They shall offer many sacrifices, professing to seek and be reconciled to the Lord; but they shall not find him. As they still retain the spirit of their idolatry, he has withdrawn himself from them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6They shall go with their flocks - “They had let slip the day of grace, wherein God had called them to repentance, and promised to be found of them and to accept them. When then the decree was gone forth and judgment determined against them, all their outward shew of worship and late repentance shall not prevail to gain admittance for them to Him. He will not be found of them, hear them, nor accept them. They stopped their ears obstinately against Him…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7People might believe they can earn God's favor with sacrifices. However, Hosea warned them that they would not find him. God had left them to face the consequences of their sins.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. with ... flocks--to propitiate Jehovah (Is 1:11-15). seek ... not find--because it is slavish fear that leads them to seek Him; and because it then shall be too late (Pr 1:28; Joh 7:34).Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 5:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hosea 5
- 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
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