Hosea 7:11

Hosea 7:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
• New International Version (NIV)“Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.

Context of Hosea 7:11

9Foreign people have taken away Israel's strength. But the Israelites do not realize what is happening! They have become like an old man with grey hair. But they do not realize how weak they are. 10Israel's people are too proud to change. This shows that they are guilty. They still refuse to turn back to me, the Lord their God. In all their troubles, they do not look for my help. Ephraim has become like a silly dove. He cannot decide where to go. The Israelites ask Egypt to help them. Then they decide to ask Assyria instead. 12When they fly around like that, I will throw my net over them. I will catch them like birds that fly in the sky. I will punish them as they join together to do evil things. 13Terrible trouble will happen to them, because they have gone away from me. They have turned against me, so they will die. I wanted to rescue them, but they have told lies about me.

Hosea 7:11 word by word

וַיְהִ֣י אֶפְרַ֔יִם כְּיוֹנָ֥ה פוֹתָ֖ה אֵ֣ין לֵ֑ב מִצְרַ֥יִם קָרָ֖אוּ אַשּׁ֥וּר הָלָֽכוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• also is like a sillyפָּתָהpâthâh · to enticeH6601
• doveיוֹנָהyônâh · doveH3123
• without heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• they callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• they goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
• to Assyriaאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804

Cross-references for Hosea 7:11

• Hosea 11:11They will return to me, like birds that fly from Egypt. They will come like doves that fly from Assyria. They will be afraid, as they return. I will bring them back to live in their homes again.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Hosea 4:11Instead, they worship other gods. My people cannot think properly because they drink too much old wine and new wine.
• Proverbs 6:32But a man who sleeps with another man's wife is stupid. He is destroying his own life.
• Proverbs 15:32If you refuse to accept it when people warn you, you are hurting yourself. But if you agree to listen, you will learn to do what is right.
• Proverbs 17:16Money does not help a foolish person, because he does not want to become wise.
• 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.
• Hosea 8:8Israel will become lost among the other nations. It will be like a useless pot that nobody needs.
• Hosea 9:3The Israelites will not remain in the Lord's land. They will have to return to Egypt. In Assyria, they will have to eat food that is unclean.
• Hosea 12:1Ephraim'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.
• Hosea 14:3Assyria cannot save us. The horses that we ride into war will not keep us safe. We will never again say to the idols that we have made, “You are our gods.” You are kind to children who have no family. So please be kind to us.’
• 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 17:3Shalmaneser, 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.
• Isaiah 30:1The Lord says, ‘It will be very bad for you, my children who have turned against me. You have decided what to do, but you did not ask me about it. You have made an agreement with Egypt, but without my Spirit's help. In that way, you continue to do more and more sins.
• Isaiah 31:1It will be very bad for those people who expect that Egypt will help them. They think that Egypt's many horses and chariots will keep them safe. They trust the power of Egypt's strong soldiers who ride on horses. But those people do not trust the Holy God of Israel. They do not ask the Lord to help them.
• Jeremiah 2:18So what help will you get from Egypt? If you drink water from the Nile river, will that make you strong? No! And what help will you get from Assyria? If you drink water from the Euphrates river, will that make you strong? No!
• Ezekiel 23:4The older sister was called Oholah. The younger one was called Oholibah. In this story, Oholah is Samaria. Oholibah is Jerusalem. They became my wives, and later they gave birth to sons and daughters for me.

Commentaries on Hosea 7:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart - A bird that has little understanding; that is easily snared and taken; that is careless about its own young, and seems to live without any kind of thought. It has been made, by those who, like itself, are without heart, the symbol of conjugal affection. Nothing worse could have been chosen, for the dove and its mate are continually quarrelling. They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria - They strive to make…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Ephraim is - (become) like a silly dove “There is nothing more simple than a dove,” says the Eastern proverb. Simplicity is good or bad, not in itself, but according to some other qualities of the soul, good or evil, with which it is united, to which it opens the mind, and which lead it to good or mislead it to evil. The word describes one, easily persuaded, open, and so, one who takes God‘s word simply, obeys His will, without refinement or subtlety or…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-16Verses 8-16 Israel was as a cake not turned, half burnt and half dough, none of it fit for use; a mixture of idolatry and of the worship of Jehovah. There were tokens of approaching ruin, as grey hairs are of old age, but they noticed them not. The pride which leads to break the law of God leads to self-flattery. The mercy and grace of God are the only refuge to which obstinate sinners never think of fleeing. Though they may howl forth their terrors in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11When Assyria invaded, Israel asked Egypt for help. When Egypt could not help, Israel tried to please Assyria by becoming its vassal (a kingdom that serves a stronger power).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. like a silly dove--a bird proverbial for simplicity: easily deceived. without heart--that is, understanding. call to Egypt--Israel lying between the two great rival empires Egypt and Assyria, sought each by turns to help her against the other. As this prophecy was written in the reign of Hoshea, the allusion is probably to the alliance with So or Sabacho II (of which a record has been found on the clay cylindrical seals in Koyunjik), which ended in…Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 7:11

• Blindness
• Confidence
• False Confidence

In the dictionaries

• Assyria
• Egypt
• Ephraim
• Assyria, Assyrian, Assyrian Empire
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Ephraim, Ephraimite
• Troop
• Dove
• Hosea
• Hoshea

Commentaries on Hosea 7

• 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