God’s Word Translation
Hosea 7:9
9Foreigners are using up your strength, but you don’t realize it. You have become a gray-haired, old man, but you don’t realize it.
Hosea 7:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
- New International Version (NIV)Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it.
Context of Hosea 7:9
7They are all as hot as an oven. They consume their judges ⌞like a fire⌟. All their kings die in battle, and none of them calls to me. 8“Ephraim mixes with other nations. Ephraim, you are like a half-baked loaf of bread. Foreigners are using up your strength, but you don’t realize it. You have become a gray-haired, old man, but you don’t realize it. 10Israel, your arrogance testifies against you, but even after all this, you don’t turn to the Lord your God or look to him for help. 11Ephraim, you are like a silly, senseless dove. You call for Egypt and run to Assyria for help.
Read all of Hosea 7Hosea 7:9 word by word
אָכְל֤וּ זָרִים֙ כֹּח֔וֹ וְה֖וּא לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע גַּם־שֵׂיבָה֙ זָ֣רְקָה בּ֔וֹ וְה֖וּא לֹ֥א יָדָֽע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hosea 7:9
- Hosea 8:7“The people of Israel plant the wind, but they harvest a storm. A field of grain that doesn’t ripen will never produce any grain. Even if it did produce grain, foreigners would eat it all.
- 2 Kings 13:3So the Lord became angry with Israel and put it at the mercy of King Hazael of Aram and Hazael’s son Benhadad as long as they lived.
- 2 Kings 15:19King Pul of Assyria came to ⌞attack⌟ the country. So Menahem gave Pul 75,000 pounds of silver to gain his support and help strengthen his hold on the kingdom.
- Proverbs 23:35“They strike me, but I feel no pain. They beat me, but I’m not aware of it. Whenever I wake up, I’m going to look for another drink.”
- Isaiah 42:22But these people are robbed and looted. They are all trapped in pits and hidden in prisons. They have become prey with no one to rescue them. They have become loot with no one to say, “Give it back.”
- Isaiah 57:1Righteous people die, and no one cares. Loyal people are taken away, and no one understands. Righteous people are spared when evil comes.
Commentaries on Hosea 7:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not - The kingdom is grown old in iniquity; the time of their captivity is at hand, and they are apprehensive of no danger. They are in the state of a silly old man, who through age and infirmities is become nearly bald, and the few remaining hairs on his head are quite gray. But he does not consider his latter end; is making no provision for that eternity on the brink of which he is constantly…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not - Like Samson, when, for sensual pleasure, he had betrayed the source of his strength and God had departed from him, lsrael knew not how or wherein his alliancs with the pagan had impaired his strength. He thought his losses at the hand of the enemy, passing wounds, which time would heal; he thought not of them, as tokens of God‘s separation from him, that his time of trial was coming to its…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. 9Foreigners: Israel's political relationships with other nations had damaged their spiritual health.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Strangers--foreigners: the Syrians and Assyrians (2Ki 13:7; 15:19, 20; 17:3-6). gray hairs--that is, symptoms of approaching national dissolution. are here and there upon--literally, "are sprinkled on" him. yet he knoweth not--Though old age ought to bring with it wisdom, he neither knows of his senile decay, nor has the true knowledge which leads to reformation.Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 7:9
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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