Hosea 10:4

Hosea 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
• New International Version (NIV)They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

Context of Hosea 10:4

2Their heart is faithless; Now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars And destroy their sacred pillars. 3Surely now they will say, “We have no king, For we do not revere the Lord. As for the king, what can he do for us?” They speak mere words, With worthless oaths they make covenants; And judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. 5The inhabitants of Samaria will fear For the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn for it, And its idolatrous priests will cry out over it, Over its glory, since it has departed from it. 6The thing itself will be carried to Assyria As tribute to King Jareb; Ephraim will be seized with shame And Israel will be ashamed of its own counsel.

Hosea 10:4 word by word

דִּבְּר֣וּ דְבָרִ֔ים אָל֥וֹת שָׁ֖וְא כָּרֹ֣ת בְּרִ֑ית וּפָרַ֤ח כָּרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט עַ֖ל תַּלְמֵ֥י שָׂדָֽי׃Read the interlinear

• They speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• worthlessשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• oathsאָלָה'âlâh · to swearH422
• they makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• covenantsבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• sproutsפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
• like poisonousרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• in the furrowsתֶּ֫לֶםtelem · furrowH8525

Cross-references for Hosea 10:4

• Hosea 6:7But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me.
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.
• Ezekiel 17:13He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
• Romans 1:31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
• 2 Timothy 3:3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
• Deuteronomy 29:18so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
• Isaiah 59:13Transgressing and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.
• Amos 5:7For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth.”
• Amos 6:12Do horses run on rocks? Or does one plow them with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
• Acts 8:23For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
• Hebrews 12:15See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
• Revelation 8:10The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.

Commentaries on Hosea 10:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They have spoken words - Vain, empty, deceitful words. Swearing falsely - This refers to the alliances made with strange powers, to whom they promised fidelity without intending to be faithful; and from whom they promised themselves protection and support, notwithstanding God was against them, and they knew it. All their words were vain, and in the end as bitter as gall. Judgment springeth up as hemlock - As our land lies without cultivation, so that we…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4They have spoken words - The words which they spoke were eminently “words;” they were mere “words,” which had no substance; “swearing falsely in making a covenant, literally, swearing falsely, making a covenant, and judgments springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.”: “There is no truth in words, no sanctity in oaths, no faithfulness in keeping covenants, no justice in giving judgments.” Such is the result of all their oaths and covenants…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The corruption of justice is like bitter, poisonous weeds (Amos 6:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. words--mere empty words. swearing falsely in making a covenant--breaking their engagement to Shalmaneser (2Ki 17:4), and making a covenant with So, though covenants with foreigners were forbidden. judgment ... as hemlock--that is, divine judgment shall spring up as rank, and as deadly, as hemlock in the furrows (De 29:18; Am 5:7; 6:12). Gesenius translates, "poppy." Grotius, "darnel."Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 10:4

• Hemlock
• Hypocrisy
• Perjury

In the dictionaries

• Ashamed
• Furrow
• Gall
• Hemlock
• Plow
• Poison
• Reap
• Altar
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Crime; Crimes

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