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 hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars. 3Surely now they will say, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?” They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests— those who rejoiced in its glory— for it has been taken from them into exile. 6Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.

Hosea 10:4 word by word

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

• They speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• mere wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• with falseשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• oathsאָלָה'âlâh · to swearH422
• they makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• covenantsבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• So judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• springs upפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
• like poisonous weedsרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• inעַל‛al · uponH5921
• the furrowsתֶּ֫לֶםtelem · furrowH8525
• of a fieldשָׂדַיώâdeh ώâday · fieldH7704

Cross-references for Hosea 10:4

• Hosea 6:7But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
• Ezekiel 17:13He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land,
• Romans 1:31They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.
• 2 Timothy 3:3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,
• Deuteronomy 29:18Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and bitter fruit,
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
• Isaiah 59:13rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
• Amos 5:7There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
• Amos 6:12“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
• Acts 8:23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
• Hebrews 12:15See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
• Revelation 8:10Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

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