Hosea 9:8

Hosea 9:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
• New International Version (NIV)The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim, yet snares await him on all his paths, and hostility in the house of his God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The watchman of Ephraim is with my God; But the prophet is a fowler’s snare in all his ways— Enmity in the house of his God.

Context of Hosea 9:8

6Listen! Perhaps some Israelites will escape when Assyria's army attacks. But then Egypt's army will take hold of them. They will die in Memphis and people will bury them there. Weeds will grow all over their valuable silver things. Thorn bushes will grow in their homes. 7The time for Israel's punishment has arrived! The Lord must now pay them back for their sins. The Israelites will soon know about it! You do many sins and you hate the Lord. Because of that, you say that his prophets are fools. You think that his messengers are crazy. God has sent his prophet to warn the people of Ephraim. But wherever he goes, people try to stop him. They speak angry words against him, even in the temple of his God. 9The Israelites do very wicked things, like the terrible sins that they did at Gibeah. God will not forget the wicked things that they have done. He will surely punish them for their sins. 10The Lord says, ‘When I first found Israel, they gave me pleasure. It was as if I had found grapes in the wilderness. Your ancestors made me happy, like the first fruit on a young fig tree. But then they came to the god, Baal-Peor. They began to worship that disgusting idol. They became as disgusting as the idol that they loved so much.

Hosea 9:8 word by word

צֹפֶ֥ה אֶפְרַ֖יִם עִם־אֱלֹהָ֑י נָבִ֞יא פַּ֤ח יָקוֹשׁ֙ עַל־כָּל־דְּרָכָ֔יו מַשְׂטֵמָ֖ה בְּבֵ֥ית אֱלֹהָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The watchmanצָפָהtsâphâh · to watchH6822
• of Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• with my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• a snareפַּחpach · snareH6341
• of a fowlerיָקוֹשׁyâqôsh · fowlerH3352
• in all his waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• hatredמַשְׂטֵמָהmaώţêmâh · hatredH4895
• in the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004

Cross-references for Hosea 9:8

• Isaiah 62:6I have put guards on your walls, Jerusalem. They should never be quiet, during the day and during the night. You people who cause the Lord to remember his promises, never stop and rest!
• Jeremiah 6:17The Lord said, ‘I sent my prophets to warn you of danger. They said, “Listen for the noise of the trumpet! That will tell you when danger is near.” But you said, “We do not want to listen.”
• Jeremiah 31:6There will be a time when guards will call out, as they watch for danger in the hills of Ephraim. They will shout, “Let us go up to Zion, to worship the Lord our God.” ’
• Ezekiel 3:17‘Son of man, I have made you a guard to warn Israel's people about danger. You must listen to the messages that I will give to you. Then you must use my messages to warn the Israelites.
• Ezekiel 33:7Son of man, I have chosen you to be a guard for Israel's people. You must listen to the messages that I give you. Then you must use what I say to warn the Israelites.
• Micah 7:4The best of them are dangerous like wild plants with thorns. The most honest of them are worse than thorn bushes. The bad time that your prophets told you about is coming. Soon God will punish you, and you will be confused.
• Hebrews 13:17Respect your leaders and obey them. They watch over your lives on God's behalf. God will check to see if they have done their work well. So respect them, and then they will be happy as they serve God. Do not say bad things against them, because that will never help you.
• 1 Kings 17:1There was a prophet called Elijah who came from Tishbe in Gilead. He said to King Ahab, ‘I am a servant of the Lord, Israel's God. As surely as God lives, there will be no rain or dew for the next few years. Nothing will make the ground wet until I command it to happen.’
• 1 Kings 18:1When there had been no rain for three years, the Lord told Elijah, ‘Go and meet King Ahab. After that, I will send rain to make the ground wet again.’
• 1 Kings 22:28Micaiah said, ‘If you do return safely, it will show that I have not spoken the Lord's message.’ Then he said to all the people who were there, ‘Remember what I have said to King Ahab!’
• 2 Kings 2:14He took Elijah's coat and he hit the water with it. He said, ‘Now is the Lord, Elijah's God, with me?’ When he hit the water with Elijah's coat, the water became separate, to the left side and to the right side. Elisha went across the river.
• 2 Kings 3:15But now, bring someone to play music on a harp for me.’ While the man was making music, the Lord's power came to Elisha.
• 2 Kings 4:1There was a woman whose husband belonged to the group of prophets. When her husband died, she called out to Elisha for help. She said, ‘Your servant, my husband, is dead. He served the Lord faithfully. My husband was in debt to a certain man. Now that man wants to take my two children to be his slaves.’
• 2 Kings 4:43But his servant said, ‘There is not enough food here to feed 100 men!’ Elisha said, ‘Give it to the people for them to eat. Do it, because the Lord says, “They will all eat as much as they want. There will even be some food left.” ’
• 2 Kings 5:14So Naaman went down to the Jordan River. He washed himself in it seven times, as the man of God had told him to do. Naaman's skin became well again. It became as clean as a young child's skin.
• 2 Kings 6:17Then Elisha prayed, ‘Lord, please open my servant's eyes so that he can see clearly.’ The Lord opened the servant's eyes. Now he could see lots of horses and chariots that burned with fire. They were on the hill all around Elisha.

Commentaries on Hosea 9:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The watchman of Ephraim - The true prophet, was with - faithful to, God. The prophet - The false prophet is the snare of a fowler; is continually deceiving the people, and leading them into snares, and infusing into their hearts deep hatred against God and his worship.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8The watchman of Ephraim was with my God - These words may well contrast the office of the true prophet with the false. For Israel had had many true prophets, and such was Hosea himself now. The true prophet was at all times with “God.” He was “with God,” as holpen by God, “watching” or looking out and on into the future by the help of God. He was “with God,” as walking with God in a constant sense of His presence, and in continual communion with Him. He…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-10Verses 7-10 Time had been when the spiritual watchmen of Israel were with the Lord, but now they were like the snare of a fowler to entangle persons to their ruin. The people were become as corrupt as those of Gibeah, Judg. 19; and their crimes should be visited in like manner. At first God had found Israel pleasing to Him, as grapes to the traveller in the wilderness. He saw them with pleasure as the first ripe figs. This shows the delight God took in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8The watchman stood on the city wall to warn of any threat (for example, 1 Samuel 14:16). Similarly, a prophet was God's watchman. They warned Israel about her sins and the judgment that would follow (see Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:17). Even though the prophet served the people, they responded to him with hostility.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. The watchman ... was with my God--The spiritual watchmen, the true prophets, formerly consulted my God (Jr 31:6; Ha 2:1); but their so-called prophet is a snare, entrapping Israel into idolatry. hatred--rather, "(a cause of) apostasy" (see Ho 9:7) [Maurer]. house of his God--that is, the state of Ephraim, as in Ho 8:1 [Maurer]. Or, "the house of his (false) god," the calves [Calvin]. Jehovah, "my God," seems contrasted with "his God." Calvin's view is…Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 9:8

• Backsliders
• Church
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Ephraim
• God
• Ephraim, Ephraimite
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Cornfloor
• Deeply
• Depart
• Fowler
• Mad
• Miscarrying

Commentaries on Hosea 9

• 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