God’s Word Translation
Hosea 2:4
4I won’t love her children, because they are children of a prostitute.
Hosea 2:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
- New International Version (NIV)I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry.
Context of Hosea 2:4
2“Plead with your mother; plead with her. She no longer acts like my wife. She no longer treats me like her husband. Tell her to stop acting like a prostitute. Tell her to remove the lovers from between her breasts. 3If she refuses, I will strip her. I will leave her as naked as the day she was born. I will turn her into a dry and barren land, and she will die of thirst. I won’t love her children, because they are children of a prostitute. 5Their mother acted like a prostitute. The woman who became pregnant with them did shameful things. She said, ‘I’ll chase after my lovers. They will give me food and water, wool and linen, olive oil and wine.’ 6“That is why I will block her way with thornbushes and build a wall so that she can’t get through.
Read all of Hosea 2Hosea 2:4 word by word
וְאֶת־בָּנֶ֖יהָ לֹ֣א אֲרַחֵ֑ם כִּֽי־בְנֵ֥י זְנוּנִ֖ים הֵֽמָּה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hosea 2:4
- Hosea 1:6Gomer became pregnant again and had a daughter. The Lord told Hosea, “Name her Lo Ruhamah [Unloved]. I will no longer love the nation of Israel. I will no longer forgive them.
- Isaiah 27:11When the branches are dried up, they will be broken off. Women will come and build a fire with them. These people don’t understand ⌞these things⌟. That is why their maker won’t have compassion on them, and their Creator won’t have pity on them.
- Jeremiah 13:14Then I will smash them like bottles against each other. I will smash parents and children together, declares the Lord. I will have no pity, mercy, or compassion when I destroy them.’ ”
- Jeremiah 16:5“This is what the Lord says: Don’t go into a house where people are grieving. Don’t go to mourn or to grieve for them. I’m taking my peace, love, and compassion away from these people,” declares the Lord.
- Ezekiel 8:18So I will take action because I’m angry, and I won’t have compassion for them or feel sorry for them. Even if they shout in my ears, I won’t listen to them.”
- Ezekiel 9:10But I will not have compassion or feel sorry. I will do to them what they have done to others.”
- Zechariah 1:12Then the Messenger of the Lord said, “Lord of Armies, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You’ve been angry with them for 70 years.”
- Romans 9:18Therefore, if God wants to be kind to anyone, he will be. If he wants to make someone stubborn, he will.
- Romans 11:22Look at how kind and how severe God can be. He is severe to those who fell, but kind to you if you continue to hold on to his kindness. Otherwise, you, too, will be cut off ⌞from the tree⌟.
- James 2:13No mercy will be shown to those who show no mercy to others. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Hosea 1:2When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, the Lord told him, “Marry a prostitute and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the Lord.”
- 2 Kings 9:22When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything alright, Jehu?” Jehu answered, “How can everything be alright as long as your mother continues her idolatry and witchcraft?”
- Isaiah 57:3But you—come here, you children of witches, you descendants of adulterers and prostitutes!
- John 8:41You’re doing what your father does.” The Jews said to Jesus, “We’re not illegitimate children. God is our only Father.”
Commentaries on Hosea 2:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They be the children of whoredoms - They are all idolaters; and have been consecrated to idols, whose marks they bear.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-23Rebuke your mother, rebuke her: At first glance, the Lord, like an upset husband, seems to be giving a divorce to his unfaithful wife, Israel (see Deuteronomy 24:1). However, as the passage continues, it becomes clear that God’s goal in this lawsuit is not divorce, but reconciliation (Hosea 2:14–23). God’s case against Israel aims to make Israel aware of her sin and offer her a chance to return to her true husband. The Lord’s desire for reconciliation…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. her children--Not even her individual members shall escape the doom of the nation collectively, for they are individually guilty.Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 2:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hosea 2
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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