Hosea 11:4 I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.

◄ Hosea 11:4 ►

New International Version
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

New Living Translation
I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.

English Standard Version
I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

Berean Standard Bible
I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.

King James Bible
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

New King James Version
I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.

New American Standard Bible
I pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

NASB 1995
I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

NASB 1977
I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

Legacy Standard Bible
I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.

Amplified Bible
I led them gently with cords of a man, with bonds of love [guiding them], And I was to them as one who lifts up and eases the yoke [of the law] over their jaws; And I bent down to them and fed them.

Christian Standard Bible
I led them with human cords, with ropes of love. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I led them with human cords, with ropes of love. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food.

American Standard Version
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was to them as they that lift up the yoke on their jaws; and I laid food before them.

Contemporary English Version
I led them with kindness and with love, not with ropes. I held them close to me; I bent down to feed them.

English Revised Version
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat before them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I led them with cords of human kindness, with ropes of love. I removed the yokes from their necks. I bent down and fed them.

Good News Translation
I drew them to me with affection and love. I picked them up and held them to my cheek; I bent down to them and fed them.

International Standard Version
I guided them with human kindness, with loving reins. I acted toward them like one who removes a yoke from their neck; I bent down and fed them.

Majority Standard Bible
I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.

NET Bible
I led them with leather cords, with leather ropes; I lifted the yoke from their neck, and gently fed them.

New Heart English Bible
I drew them with cords of a man, with ties of love; and I was to them like those who lift up the yoke on their necks; and I bent down to him and I fed him.

Webster's Bible Translation
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid food for them.

World English Bible
I drew them with cords of a man, with ties of love; and I was to them like those who lift up the yoke on their necks; and I bent down to him and I fed him.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
I draw them with cords of man, "" With thick cords of love, "" And I am to them as a raiser up of a yoke on their jaws, "" And I incline to him—I feed [him].

Young's Literal Translation
With cords of man I do draw them, With thick cords of love, And I am to them as a raiser up of a yoke on their jaws, And I incline unto him -- I feed him.

Smith's Literal Translation
I will draw them with the cords of man, with the bands of love: and I will be to them as those lifting up the yoke upon their jaw-bones, and I will gently give them to eat.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love : and I will be to them as one that taketh off the yoke on their jaws: and I put his meat to him that he might eat.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love. And I will be to them like one who raises the yoke over their jaws. And I will reach down to him so that he may eat.

New American Bible
I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like those who raise an infant to their cheeks; I bent down to feed them.

New Revised Standard Version
I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
I drew them with cords of a man, with the bands of love; and I was to them as one who takes off the yoke from their neck, and I bent over them and fed them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
With the cords of the children of men I pulled them and with the chains of love, and I have been to them as he who takes a yoke from their neck and I stooped to them and they ate

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
I drew them with cords of a man, With bands of love; And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, And I fed them gently.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
When men were destroyed, I drew them with the bands of my love: and I will be to them as a man smiting another on his cheek: and I will have respect to him, I will prevail with him.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Out of Egypt I Called my Son
…3It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in My arms, but they never realized that it was I who healed them. 4I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them. 5Will they not return to the land of Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent?…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Deuteronomy 32:10-12
He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye. / As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions. / The LORD alone led him, and no foreign god was with him.

Psalm 103:13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 18:35
You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

John 6:44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”

Romans 2:4
Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

Exodus 19:4
‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

Psalm 78:23-25
Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of the heavens. / He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven. / Man ate the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

Isaiah 49:15-16
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! / Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

Ezekiel 34:15-16
I will tend My flock and make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. / I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’

Treasury of Scripture

I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat to them.

drew.

Song of Solomon 1:4
Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

John 6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

of a.

2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

I was.

Leviticus 26:13
I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

take off.

Hosea 2:8
For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

Psalm 78:23-25
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, …

Psalm 105:40
The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

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Hosea 11

1. The ingratitude of Israel unto God for his benefits.
5. His judgment.
8. God's mercy toward them.
12. Israel's falsehood and Judah's fidelity.

Berean Study Bible

I led them
The Hebrew root for "led" is "mashak," which conveys the idea of drawing or pulling gently. This word choice emphasizes God's tender guidance of Israel, akin to a shepherd leading his flock. Historically, this reflects God's leadership of Israel from Egypt, guiding them through the wilderness with patience and care.

with cords of kindness
The term "cords" (Hebrew: "chebel") often refers to bands or ropes used for leading animals. However, these are not harsh or punitive restraints; they are "cords of kindness" (Hebrew: "chesed"), a word rich in meaning, often translated as loving-kindness or steadfast love. This phrase highlights God's compassionate and gentle approach, contrasting with the harshness Israel might have expected or deserved.

with ropes of love
The "ropes" (Hebrew: "aboth") here are synonymous with the cords mentioned earlier, reinforcing the idea of guidance. The addition of "love" (Hebrew: "ahavah") underscores the motivation behind God's actions. This love is unconditional and covenantal, reflecting the deep, abiding affection God has for His people, despite their frequent rebellion.

I lifted the yoke from their necks
The "yoke" (Hebrew: "ol") symbolizes oppression and burden, often associated with slavery or servitude. God's action of lifting the yoke signifies liberation and relief from bondage. Historically, this recalls the Exodus, where God freed Israel from Egyptian slavery, a foundational act of salvation in the Hebrew Scriptures.

and bent down to feed them
The imagery of God bending down is one of humility and care, reminiscent of a parent nurturing a child. The act of feeding (Hebrew: "akal") signifies provision and sustenance. This phrase evokes the wilderness period when God provided manna and quail, demonstrating His ongoing provision and care for Israel's physical and spiritual needs.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) Cords of a man.--In contrast with the cords with which unmanageable beasts are held in check. Israel is led with "bands of love," not of compulsion. Render the last clause, And gently towards them gave I food to eat, expressing the tenderness, delicacy, and condescension of his personal regard.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love. This verse contains a further representation of Jehovah's fatherly guidance of Israel. The cords of a man are such as parents use in leading weak or young children. Bands of lore qualify more closely the preceding expression, "cords of a man," and are the opposite of those which men employ in taming or breaking wild and unmanageable animals. The explanation of Rashi is similar: "I have always led them with tender cords such as these with which a man leads his child, as if he said with loving guidance." Aben Ezra and Kimchi, in their explanations, carry out more fully the same idea. The former says, "The bands of love are not like the bands which are fastened on the neck of a plowing heifer;" the latter, "Because he compared Ephraim to a heifer, and people lead a heifer with cords, he says, 'I have led Israel by the cords of a man, and not the cords of a heifer which one drags along with resistance, but as a man draws his fellow-man without compelling him to go with resistance: even so I have led them after a gentle method;' and therefore he afterward calls them (cords of a man) bands of love." The LXX., taking חֶבֶל from חָבַל, in the sense of" injure," "destroy," have the mistaken rendering ἐν διαφθορᾶ ἀνθρώτων... ἐξέτεινα αὐτοὺς, "When men were destroyed I drew them." The other Greek versions have the correct rendering. And I was to them as they that take off the yoke. The word herim does not mean "to lift up on" and so "impose a yoke," as some think, nor "to take away the yoke," but "to lift it up." The figure is that of a humane and compassionate husbandman raising upwards or pushing backwards the yoke over the cheeks or dewlaps of the ox, that it may not press too heavily upon him or hinder him while eating. The reference is, according to Kimchi, to "taking the yoke off the neck, and letting it hang on the jaw, that it may not pull but rest from labor one or more hours of the day." The fact thus figuratively expressed is, not the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, but the loving-kindness of Jehovah in lightening the fulfillment of the Law to Israel.

(2) The LXX. omit the word עֹל, yoke, and strangely translates the clause, "I will be to them as a man smiting (another) on the cheeks." And I laid meat unto them. The older and many modern interpreters,

(1) taking וְאַט as the first person future apoc., Hiph., from נטח, translate, "And I reached them food to eat," namely, the manna in the wilderness. This would require וָאַט, which some substitute for the present reading.

(2) Ewald, Keil, and others take אט as an adverb in the sense of" gradually," "gently," translating, "And gently towards him did I give him feral," or "I gently fed him." Some, again, as Kimchi, take . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

I led
אֶמְשְׁכֵם֙ (’em·šə·ḵêm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4900: To draw, drag

with cords
בְּחַבְלֵ֨י (bə·ḥaḇ·lê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin

of kindness,
אָדָ֤ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

with ropes
בַּעֲבֹת֣וֹת (ba·‘ă·ḇō·ṯō·wṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 5688: Something intwined, a string, wreath, foliage

of love;
אַהֲבָ֔ה (’a·hă·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 160: Love (noun)

I lifted
כִּמְרִ֥ימֵי (kim·rî·mê)
Preposition-k | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7311: To be high actively, to rise, raise

the yoke
עֹ֖ל (‘ōl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5923: A yoke

from
עַ֣ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

their neck
לְחֵיהֶ֑ם (lə·ḥê·hem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3895: The cheek, the jaw-bone

and bent down
וְאַ֥ט (wə·’aṭ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - first person common singular
Strong's 328: A necromancer, gently

to feed them.
אוֹכִֽיל׃ (’ō·w·ḵîl)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 398: To eat

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OT Prophets: Hosea 11:4 I drew them with cords (Ho Hs Hos.)