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 Living Translation (NLT)They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep. So injustice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

Context of Hosea 10:4

2Their heart is divided; Now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars. 3For now they say, “We have no king, Because we did not fear the Lord. And as for a king, what would he do for us?” They have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field. 5The inhabitants of Samaria fear Because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, And its priests shriek for it— Because its glory has departed from it. 6The idol also shall be carried to Assyria As a present for King Jareb. Ephraim shall receive shame, And Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.

Hosea 10:4 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• They have spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• swearingאָלָה'âlâh · to swearH422
• falselyשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• in makingכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• thus judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• springeth upפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
• as hemlockרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• in the furrowsתֶּ֫לֶםtelem · furrowH8525
• of the fieldשָׂדַיώâdeh ώâday · fieldH7704

Cross-references for Hosea 10:4

• Hosea 6:7“But like men they transgressed the covenant; There they dealt treacherously with Me.
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money.
• Ezekiel 17:13And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
• Romans 1:31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
• 2 Timothy 3:3unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
• Deuteronomy 29:18so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;
• Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
• Isaiah 59:13In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
• Amos 5:7You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”
• Amos 6:12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
• Acts 8:23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
• Hebrews 12:15looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
• Revelation 8:10Then the 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 water.

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