English Standard Version
Hosea 10:3
3For now they will say: "We have no king, for we do not fear the Lord; and a king—what could he do for us?"
Hosea 10:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us?
- New International Version (NIV)Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?”
- New King James Version (NKJV)For now they say, “We have no king, Because we did not fear the Lord. And as for a king, what would he do for us?”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then they will say, “We have no king because we didn’t fear the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us anyway?”
Context of Hosea 10:3
1Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. 2Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars. For now they will say: "We have no king, for we do not fear the Lord; and a king—what could he do for us?" 4They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. 5The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests— those who rejoiced over it and over its glory— for it has departed from them.
Read all of Hosea 10Hosea 10:3 word by word
כִּ֤י עַתָּה֙ יֹֽאמְר֔וּ אֵ֥ין מֶ֖לֶךְ לָ֑נוּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָרֵ֙אנוּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ מַה־יַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hosea 10:3
- Hosea 10:7Samaria's king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters.
- Hosea 3:4For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.
- Hosea 11:5They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.
- Hosea 13:11I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away in my wrath.
- Genesis 49:10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
- Micah 4:9Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor?
- John 19:15They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
Commentaries on Hosea 10:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3We have no king - We have rejected the King of kings; and had we any king, he would be of no service to us in this state, as he would be a captive like ourselves; nor could we have the approbation of God, as we now justly lie under his displeasure.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3For now they shall say, we have no king - These are the words of despair, not of repentance; of people terrified by the consciousness of guilt, but not coming forth out of its darkness; describing their condition, not confessing the iniquity which brought it on them. In sin, all Israel had asked for a king, when the Lord was their king; in sin, Ephraim had made Jeroboam king; in sin, their subsequent kings were made, without the counsel and advice of God…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3We have no king: Some interpreters understand these words as an admission, after Israel’s destruction, that they had been punished and that their line of kings had come to an end because they did not fear the Lord. Others see this statement as the Israelites’ arrogant rejection of the Lord’s kingship.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. now, &c.--Soon they, deprived of their king, shall be reduced to say, We have no king (Ho 10:7, 15), for Jehovah deprived us of him, because of our not fearing God. What then (seeing God is against us) should a king be able to do for us, if we had one? As they rejected the heavenly King, they were deprived of their earthly king.Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 10:3
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries