Hosea 2:4

Hosea 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
• New International Version (NIV)I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry.

Context of Hosea 2:4

2“But now bring charges against Israel—your mother— for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute’s makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts. 3Otherwise, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a dry and barren wilderness. And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution. 5Their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ‘I’ll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and water, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil and drinks.’ 6“For this reason I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block her path with a wall to make her lose her way.

Hosea 2:4 word by word

וְאֶת־בָּנֶ֖יהָ לֹ֣א אֲרַחֵ֑ם כִּֽי־בְנֵ֥י זְנוּנִ֖ים הֵֽמָּה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And I will not have mercyרָחַםrâcham · to have compassionH7355
• upon her childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of whoredomsזְנוּנִיםzânûn · fornicationH2183

Cross-references for Hosea 2:4

• Hosea 1:6Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them.
• Isaiah 27:11The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.
• Jeremiah 13:14I will smash them against each other, even parents against children, says the Lord. I will not let my pity or mercy or compassion keep me from destroying them.’”
• Jeremiah 16:5This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy.
• Ezekiel 8:18Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they cry for mercy, I will not listen.”
• Ezekiel 9:10So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done.”
• Zechariah 1:12Upon hearing this, the angel of the Lord prayed this prayer: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long until you again show mercy to them?”
• Romans 9:18So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
• Romans 11:22Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.
• James 2:13There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
• Hosea 1:2When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”
• 2 Kings 9:22King Joram demanded, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” Jehu replied, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?”
• Isaiah 57:3“But you—come here, you witches’ children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
• John 8:41No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

Commentaries on Hosea 2:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They be the children of whoredoms - They are all idolaters; and have been consecrated to idols, whose marks they bear.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-23Rebuke your mother, rebuke her: At first glance, the Lord, like an upset husband, seems to be giving a divorce to his unfaithful wife, Israel (see Deuteronomy 24:1). However, as the passage continues, it becomes clear that God’s goal in this lawsuit is not divorce, but reconciliation (Hosea 2:14–23). God’s case against Israel aims to make Israel aware of her sin and offer her a chance to return to her true husband. The Lord’s desire for reconciliation…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. her children--Not even her individual members shall escape the doom of the nation collectively, for they are individually guilty.Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 2:4

• Idolatry
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning

In the dictionaries

• Fornication
• Hedge
• Thorn
• Crime; Crimes
• Envy
• Hosea
• Mother
• Song of Songs
• Zechariah, Book of
• conceive, conceived, conception

Commentaries on Hosea 2

• 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