Hosea 12:8

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.
• 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.’
• New Living Translation (NLT)Israel boasts, “I am rich! I’ve made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!”

Context of Hosea 12:8

6But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always. 7The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud. Ephraim boasts, “I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin.” 9“I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed festivals. 10I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them.”

Hosea 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 trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’
• Psalms 49:6those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
• Psalms 52:7“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
• Psalms 62:10Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
• Zechariah 11:5Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.
• Luke 12:19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
• Luke 16:13“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
• 1 Timothy 6:5and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
• Revelation 3:17You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
• Deuteronomy 8:17You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”
• Isaiah 10:13For he says: “ ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings.
• Habakkuk 1:16Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
• Habakkuk 2:5indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.
• Proverbs 30:12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
• Jeremiah 2:23“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done. You are a swift she-camel running here and there,
• Malachi 2:17You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with 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

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Measure
• Riches
• Self-Delusion
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Ephraim
• Commerce
• Hosea
• Zechariah, Book of

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