Hosea 4:7-14 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 4:6-11

God is here proceeding in his controversy both with the priests and with the people. The people were as those that strove with the priests (Hos. 4:4) when they had priests that did their duty; but the generality of them lived in the neglect of their duty, and here is a word for those priests, and for the people that love to have it so, Jer. 5:31. And it is observable here how the punishment answers to the sin, and how, for the justifying of his own proceedings, God sets the one over-against... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 4:12-19

In these verses we have, as before, I. The sins charged upon the people of Israel, for which God had a controversy with them, and they are, 1. Spiritual whoredom, or idolatry. They have in them a spirit of whoredoms, a strong inclination to that sin; the bent and bias of their hearts are that way; it is their own iniquity; they are carried out towards it with an unaccountable violence, and this causes them to err. Note, The errors and mistakes of the judgment are commonly owing to the corrupt... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:7

As they were increased, so they sinned against me ,.... As the children of the priests increased and grew up, they sinned against the Lord, imitating their parents; they were as many sinners as they were persons, not one to be excepted: this expresses their universal depravity and corruption. Some understand it of their increase, as in number, so in riches, wealth, honour, dignity, and authority, and yet they sinned more and more; which shows their ingratitude. So the Targum, "as I have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:8

They eat up the sin of my people ,.... That is, the priests did so, as the Targum, the priests of Jeroboam; they ate up the sacrifices which the people brought for their sins: and their fault was, either that they ate that which belonged to the true priests of the Lord, so Jarchi; or they did that, and had no concern to instruct the people in the right way; all that they regarded were good eating and drinking, and living voluptuously; and were altogether careless about instructing the people... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:9

And there shall be, like people, like priest ,.... No difference between them in their festivals, the one being as greedy of committing intemperance and uncleanness as the other, and in their common conversation of life; though the priests ought both to have given good instructions, and to have set good examples; but instead of that were equally guilty as the people, and so would be alike in their punishment, as it follows: and I will punish them for their ways ; their evil ways, as the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:10

For they shall eat, and not have enough ,.... Namely, the priests; for of them the words are continued, who ate of the sacrifices of the people, and of feasts made in honour of idols; and yet, either what they ate did not satisfy or nourish them, or else their appetites were still greedy after more of the same kind: or this may respect a famine, either at the siege of Samaria, or in their captivity; when they who had lived so voluptuously should have so little to eat, that it should not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:11

Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. Uncleanness and intemperance besot men, deprive them of reason and judgment, and even of common sense, make them downright fools, and so stupid as to do the following things; or they take away the heart from following the Lord, and taking heed to him, and lead to idolatry; or they "occupy" F26 יקח לב "occupant cor", so some in Calvin and Rivet; "occupavit cor", Schmidt. the heart, and fill it up, and cause it to prefer sensual... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:12

My people ask counsel at their stocks ,.... Or "at his wood" F1 בעצו "in ligno suo", V. L. Montanus, Calvin; "liguum suum", Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , or stick; his wooden image, as the Targum; their wooden gods, their idols made of wood, mere stocks and blocks, without life or sense, and much less reason and understanding, and still less divinity. Reference is here had either to the matter of which an idol was made, being the trunk of a tree, or a block of wood;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:13

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains ,.... The highest part of them, nearest to the heavens, where they built their altars to idols, and offered sacrifice unto them, as we often read in Scripture they did: and burn incense upon the hills ; to their idols, which was one kind of sacrifice put for all others: under oaks, and poplars, and elms ; and indeed under every green tree that grew upon them, where there were groves of them raised up for this purpose; see Jeremiah 2:20 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:14

I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredoms, nor your spouses when they commit adultery ,.... Either not punish them at all, so that they shall go on in sin, and to a greater degree, to the disgrace and reproach of their parents and husbands; or not as yet, or not so severely in them, because it was by their example they were led into it. Jarchi's note is very impertinent, that God threatens them with the disuse of the bitter waters of jealousy. The words are by some rendered... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 4:6-11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Hosea 4:12-19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Hosea 4:14

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