New English Translation
Hosea 12:8
8Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful.”
Hosea 12:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
- New International Version (NIV)Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Ephraim has said, "Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Ephraim said, ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’
Context of Hosea 12:8
6But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for your God to return to you. 7The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales. Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful.” 9“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again as in the days of old. 10I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets.”
Read all of Hosea 12Hosea 12:8 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶפְרַ֔יִם אַ֣ךְ עָשַׁ֔רְתִּי מָצָ֥אתִי א֖וֹן לִ֑י כָּל־יְגִיעַ֕י לֹ֥א יִמְצְאוּ־לִ֖י עָוֹ֥ן אֲשֶׁר־חֵֽטְא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Yet I am become richעָשַׁר‛âshar · to enrichH6238
- I have found me outמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- substanceאוֹן'ôn · strengthH202
- all my laboursיְגִיעַyegîya‛ · toilH3018
- none iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
- sinחֵטְאchêţ' · sinH2399
Cross-references for Hosea 12:8
- Job 31:24“If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security!’
- Psalms 49:6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
- Psalms 52:7“Look, here is the man who would not make God his protector! He trusted in his great wealth and was confident about his plans to destroy others.”
- Psalms 62:10Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! If wealth increases, do not become attached to it!
- Zechariah 11:5Those who buy them slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
- Luke 12:19And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’
- Luke 16:13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
- 1 Timothy 6:5and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit.
- Revelation 3:17Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,
- Deuteronomy 8:17Be careful not to say, “My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.”
- Isaiah 10:13For he says: “By my strong hand I have accomplished this, by my strategy that I devised. I invaded the territory of nations, and looted their storehouses. Like a mighty conqueror, I brought down rulers.
- Habakkuk 1:16Because of his success he offers sacrifices to his throw net and burns incense to his dragnet; for because of them he has plenty of food, and more than enough to eat.
- Habakkuk 2:5Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! His appetite is as big as Sheol’s; like death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations; he seizes all peoples.
- Proverbs 30:12There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
- Jeremiah 2:23“How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean. I have not paid allegiance to the gods called Baal.’ Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! Think about the things you have done there! You are like a flighty, young female camel that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.
- Malachi 2:17You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”
Commentaries on Hosea 12:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8I am become rich - They boasted in their riches, notwithstanding the unjust manner in which they were acquired. In all my labors they shall find none iniquity in me - This is frequently the language of merchants, tradesmen, etc. None are so full of professions of equity and justice, while all the time they are endeavoring to overreach, both in buying and selling. "Sir, I cannot afford it at that price." "It is not mine for that money." "I assure you that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And Ephraim said, Yet am I become rich - Literally, “I am simply rich.” As if he said, “the only result of all this, with which the prophets charge me, is that I am become rich:‘ and since God thus prospers me, it is a sure proof that he is not displeased with me, that no iniquity‘ can be found in me;‘” the ordinary practical argument of men, as long as God withholds His punishments, that their ways cannot be so displeasing to Him. With the people of this…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-14Verses 7-14 Ephraim became a merchant: the word also signifies a Canaanite. They carried on trade upon Canaanitish principles, covetously and with fraud and deceit. Thus they became rich, and falsely supposed that Providence favoured them. But shameful sins shall have shameful punishments. Let them remember, not only what a mighty prince Jacob was with God, but what a servant he was to Laban. The benefits we have had from the word of God, make our sin and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8During the reign of Jeroboam II (793–753 BC), Israelite merchants became very wealthy. They often used deceitful business practices like dishonest scales (see Amos 8:5–6). The Hebrew term for merchants is kena‘an (“Canaan”). Canaanite traders were known in the ancient world for their crafty dealings. The Israelites imitated their pagan neighbors in both religion and commerce.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. And--that is, Notwithstanding. Yet I am ... rich--I regard not what the prophets say: I am content with my state, as I am rich (Re 3:17). Therefore, in just retribution, this is the very language of the enemy in being the instrument of Israel's punishment. Zec 11:5: "They that sell them say ... I am rich." Far better is poverty with honesty, than riches gained by sin. my labours--my gains by labor. they shall find none--that is, none shall find any…Read the comment
Topics related to Hosea 12:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hosea 12
- 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries