EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Hosea 10:4
4They promise to do many things, but they never do what they promise. They make useless agreements. So people accuse each other in the courts. They are like weeds that grow in a farmer's field.
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
2They do not truly trust God. They are guilty and they must receive their punishment. The Lord will break their altars. He will destroy their special pillars. 3Soon these people will say, ‘We did not respect the Lord's authority. Because of that we have no king. But even if we had a king now, he could not do anything to help us.’ They promise to do many things, but they never do what they promise. They make useless agreements. So people accuse each other in the courts. They are like weeds that grow in a farmer's field. 5The people who live in Samaria will be afraid. They will worry about their image of a calf at Beth Aven. They will weep because it will go away from them. The priests who serve the idol will cry too. They know that an enemy will take away their great and beautiful idol. 6Assyria's army will carry the idol away. It will be a gift to give honour to Assyria's great king. Ephraim's people will feel ashamed. They will be sorry that they trusted in their wooden idol.
Read all of Hosea 10Hosea 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 6:7Like Adam, my people did not obey the covenant that I had made with them. They did not serve me faithfully.
- 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, came to attack Hoshea in Samaria. Hoshea agreed to accept Shalmaneser's authority. Israel had to pay a lot of money as taxes to Shalmaneser each year.
- Ezekiel 17:13He made an agreement with one man from the king of Israel's family. He made that man promise to serve Babylon's king. Then he could rule as king in Jerusalem. The king of Babylon also took away the leaders of Jerusalem as his prisoners.
- Romans 1:31They do not understand what is right. They do not do what they have promised to do. They do not love anyone and they are not kind to anyone.
- 2 Timothy 3:3They will not be kind to other people, but they will like to quarrel. They will tell lies to hurt other people. They will be unable to control themselves properly. They will be cruel and they will hate anything that is good.
- Deuteronomy 29:18So be very careful that you do not turn away from the Lord our God to worship the gods of those nations. No man, woman, clan or tribe among you must ever want to do that. That would be like the root of a plant that gives fruits which are full of poison.
- Isaiah 5:7Israel's nation is like the vineyard of the Lord Almighty. Judah's people are his beautiful garden. But when the Lord looked there for justice, he found only murder! When he looked for people who were righteous, he saw that they were cruel.
- Isaiah 59:13We have turned against the Lord. We have refused to obey him. We have chosen to be cruel to other people, and we have turned against the truth. We think about the lies that we can tell, and we use them to deceive people.
- Amos 5:7You people change what is right and true to make lies. You are not fair or honest.
- Amos 6:12Horses cannot run on rocks. People do not try to plough the sea. But you Israelites have changed what is fair and honest into something bad. You have made justice seem like poison.
- Acts 8:23You are very upset because you are jealous. I can see that sin rules your life.’
- Hebrews 12:15Remember that God is very kind. Nobody should refuse to let God help them. Make sure that nobody among you causes trouble so that people turn against God. A person who is angry against God is like poison. He spoils many other people's lives so that God does not accept them.
- Revelation 8:10Then the third angel made a sound with his trumpet. I saw a very big star, which was burning with a bright light. It fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and 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
In the dictionaries
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
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