Hosea 12:1

Hosea 12:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
• New International Version (NIV)Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt.

Context of Hosea 12:1

Ephraim's people chase after useless things all the time. They think that they can catch the wind that comes from the east! But the result is more violence and lies. They make an agreement with Assyria to get their help. They also send their olive oil to Egypt to ask for their help. 2The Lord is ready to accuse Judah's people in a court of law. He will punish Jacob's descendants for the bad way that they live. He will punish them as their sins deserve. 3Before Jacob was born, he cheated his brother. He did that when they were both inside their mother's body. When Jacob became a man, he fought against God.

Hosea 12:1 word by word

אֶפְרַ֜יִם רֹעֶ֥ה ר֙וּחַ֙ וְרֹדֵ֣ף קָדִ֔ים כָּל־הַיּ֕וֹם כָּזָ֥ב וָשֹׁ֖ד יַרְבֶּ֑ה וּבְרִית֙ עִם־אַשּׁ֣וּר יִכְרֹ֔תוּ וְשֶׁ֖מֶן לְמִצְרַ֥יִם יוּבָֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• feedethרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• on windרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• and followethרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• after the east windקָדִיםqâdîym qâdim · eastH6921
• he dailyיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• increasethרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• liesכָּזָבkâzâb · lieH3577
• and desolationשֹׁדshôd shôd · violenceH7701
• and they do makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with the Assyriansאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
• and oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
• is carriedיָבַלyâbal · to conductH2986
• into Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Hosea 12:1

• Hosea 8:7Like a farmer, Israel's people have planted the wind. So their harvest will be a strong storm! The crops that grow in their fields will not have any grain. So they will not be able to make flour for bread. Even if the crops do make some grain, foreign people will take it for themselves.
• Job 15:2‘If you were wise, you would not answer us with such silly ideas. The words that come out from inside you are only a hot wind!
• Jeremiah 22:22Your leaders will all disappear, as if a strong wind had blown them away. Enemies will take your friends away as prisoners. Then you will feel very ashamed, because of all the wicked things that you have done.
• Hosea 11:12The Lord says, ‘Ephraim's people are always speaking lies to me. Yes, Israel's descendants try to deceive me. But Judah's people have stayed with God as their guide. They continue to be faithful to the Holy God.’
• Hosea 5:13Ephraim's people knew that they were not well. Judah's people knew that they had wounds. Ephraim's leaders expected Assyria to help them. They asked Assyria's great king for help. But he is not able to make you well. He cannot make your wounds better.
• 2 Kings 15:19Then Pul, the king of Assyria, attacked the land of Israel. Menahem paid him 34 tons of silver to help him to rule Israel with greater power.
• 2 Kings 17:4Then King Shalmaneser discovered that Hoshea had decided to turn against him. Hoshea had sent a message to So, the king of Egypt, to ask for his help. He had also refused to send the taxes for that year to the king of Assyria. So King Shalmaneser took hold of Hoshea and he put him in prison.
• Isaiah 30:6Here is a message about the animals that travel in the Negev desert: It is a place where there is trouble and danger. There are dangerous lions there, both male and female. There are different kinds of dangerous snakes. People are carrying their valuable things on the backs of donkeys and camels. They are taking their riches as gifts to a nation that cannot help them!

Commentaries on Hosea 12:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Ephraim feedeth on wind - He forms and follows empty and unstable counsels. Followeth after the east wind - They are not only empty, but dangerous and destructive. The east wind was, and still is, in all countries, a parching, wasting, injurious wind. He daily increaseth lies - He promises himself safety from foreign alliances. He "made a covenant with the Assyrians," and sent a subsidy of "oil to Egypt." The latter abandoned him; the former oppressed him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind - The East wind in Palestine, coming from Arabia and the far East, over large tracts of sandy waste, is parching, scorching, destructive to vegetation, oppressive to man, violent and destructive on the sea Psalm 48:7, and, by land also, having the force of the whirlwind (Job 27:21; see Jeremiah 18:17). “The East wind carrieth him away and he departeth, and as a whirlwind hurleth him out of his…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Judah and Israel reminded of the Divine favours. (Hos. 12:1-6) The provocations of Israel. (Hos. 12:7-14) Verses 1-6 Ephraim feeds himself with vain hopes of help from man, when he is at enmity with God. The Jews vainly thought to secure the Egyptians by a present of the produce of their country. Judah is contended with also. God sees the sin of his own people, and will reckon with them for it. They are put in mind of what Jacob did, and what God did for…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1a covenant with Assyria: To save his land, Hoshea became a vassal of King Shalmaneser of Assyria (2 Kings 17:3). Hoshea soon rebelled against Shalmaneser by withholding tribute and sought support from King So of Egypt (2 Kings 17:4). east wind: See study note on Job 38:24–27.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-14This prophecy was delivered about the time of Israel's seeking the aid of the Egyptian king So, in violation of their covenant with Assyria (see Ho 12:1). He exhorts them to follow their father Jacob's persevering prayerfulness, which brought God's favor upon him. As God is unchangeable, He will show the same favor to Jacob's posterity as He did to Jacob, if, like him, they seek God. 1. feedeth on wind--(Pr 15:14; Is 44:20). Followeth after vain objects…Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 12:1

• Alliances
• Confidence
• Oil

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Ephraim
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Ephraim, Ephraimite
• East wind
• Ashes
• Commerce
• Hosea
• Hoshea
• Oil

Commentaries on Hosea 12

• 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