Hosea 11:9
New International Version
I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities.

New Living Translation
No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.

English Standard Version
I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

Berean Standard Bible
I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.

King James Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

New King James Version
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.

New American Standard Bible
I will not carry out My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.

NASB 1995
I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.

NASB 1977
I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.

Legacy Standard Bible
I will not execute My burning anger; I will not make Ephraim a ruin again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.

Amplified Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not return to Ephraim to destroy him again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst [who will not revoke My covenant], And I will not come in wrath or enter the city [in judgment].

Christian Standard Bible
I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I will not vent the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage.

American Standard Version
I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not come in wrath.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, I won't lose my temper and destroy you again. I am the Holy God--not merely some human, and I won't stay angry.

English Revised Version
I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I will not act on my burning anger. I will not destroy Ephraim again. I am God, not a human. I am the Holy One among you, and I will not come to you in anger.

Good News Translation
I will not punish you in my anger; I will not destroy Israel again. For I am God and not a mere human being. I, the Holy One, am with you. I will not come to you in anger.

International Standard Version
I will not act in my anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim, For I am God, and not a human— the Holy One among you— so I will not enter the city in anger.

Majority Standard Bible
I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.

NET Bible
I cannot carry out my fierce anger! I cannot totally destroy Ephraim! Because I am God, and not man--the Holy One among you--I will not come in wrath!

New Heart English Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of you; and I will not come in wrath.

Webster's Bible Translation
I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

World English Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I do not do the fierceness of My anger, "" I do not turn back to destroy Ephraim, "" For I [am] God, and not a man—The Holy One in your midst, and I do not enter in enmity.

Young's Literal Translation
I do not the fierceness of My anger, I turn not back to destroy Ephraim, For God I am, and not a man. In thy midst the Holy One, and I enter not in enmity,

Smith's Literal Translation
I will not do the burning of mine anger, I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not a man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not come into the city.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of my wrath: I will not return to destroy Ephraim: because I am God, and not man: the holy one in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the city.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I will not act on the fury of my wrath. I will not turn back to utterly destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Divine in your midst, and I will not advance upon the city.

New American Bible
I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not a man, the Holy One present among you; I will not come in wrath.

New Revised Standard Version
I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man in the midst of you; I am the Holy One, and I will not come to attack the city.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I shall not execute the heat of my wrath and I shall not return to destroy Aphreim, because I am God and I have not been a son of man among you. I am The Holy One and I shall not attack the city
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim; For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in the midst of thee; And I will not come in fury.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I will not act according to the fury of my wrath, I will not abandon Ephraim to be utterly destroyed: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One within thee: and I will not enter into the city.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Mercy On Israel
8How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! 9I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man— the Holy One among you— and I will not come in wrath. 10They will walk after the LORD; He will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling from the west.…

Cross References
Exodus 34:6-7
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, / maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Malachi 3:6
“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

Psalm 103:8-14
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. / He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. / He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. ...

Jeremiah 31:20
Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

Micah 7:18-19
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? / He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

Ezekiel 18:23
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

1 Samuel 15:29
Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. / For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

Luke 6:36
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 11:22
Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.


Treasury of Scripture

I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the middle of you: and I will not enter into the city.

not execute.

Hosea 14:4
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Exodus 32:10-14
Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation…

Deuteronomy 32:26,27
I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: …

return.

1 Samuel 26:8
Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

2 Samuel 20:10
But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

for.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Isaiah 55:8,9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD…

Micah 7:18-20
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy…

the Holy One.

Isaiah 12:6
Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Ezekiel 37:27,28
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people…

Zephaniah 3:15-17
The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more…

Jump to Previous
Anger Carry City Destroy Destruction Devastate Effect Enmity Enter Ephraim E'phraim Execute Fierce Fierceness Fury Heat Holy Midst Turn Wrath
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Anger Carry City Destroy Destruction Devastate Effect Enmity Enter Ephraim E'phraim Execute Fierce Fierceness Fury Heat Holy Midst Turn Wrath
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.














I will not execute the full fury of My anger
This phrase reveals the merciful nature of God. The Hebrew word for "fury" is "ḥārôn," which often denotes a burning anger or intense wrath. Despite Israel's repeated disobedience, God chooses restraint over retribution. This decision underscores His divine patience and grace, contrasting human tendencies toward vengeance. It reflects God's covenantal love, which prioritizes restoration over destruction.

I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim
Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom of Israel, had persistently turned away from God. The phrase "turn back" in Hebrew is "šûb," which can mean to return or repent. Here, it signifies God's decision not to revisit His anger upon Ephraim. This highlights God's steadfast commitment to His people, even when they falter. It serves as a reminder of His enduring promise to preserve a remnant and His ultimate plan for redemption.

For I am God and not man—
This declaration emphasizes the divine nature of God's character. Unlike humans, who are often fickle and driven by emotions, God is unchanging and sovereign. The Hebrew word for God here is "El," denoting strength and power. This distinction reassures believers of God's reliability and faithfulness. It invites reflection on the transcendence of God, who operates beyond human limitations and understanding.

the Holy One among you—
The term "Holy One" is derived from the Hebrew "qādôš," signifying purity, separateness, and divine majesty. God's holiness sets Him apart from all creation, yet He chooses to dwell among His people. This presence is both a privilege and a call to holiness for Israel. It serves as a reminder of God's intimate involvement in the lives of His people and His desire for them to reflect His character.

and I will not come in wrath
The phrase "come in wrath" suggests a divine visitation with the intent to punish. However, God assures that His approach will not be one of anger. This decision is rooted in His compassionate nature and His ultimate plan for salvation. It points to the future hope found in Christ, where God's wrath is satisfied through the sacrifice of His Son. This assurance offers comfort and hope, encouraging believers to trust in God's redemptive purposes.

(9) This sublime passage is remarkable as drawing illustrations from human emotions, and yet repudiating all human weakness. It suggests a hint of Divine mercy in its greatness, and of Divine justice too, which shows how, both being alike infinite, they can adjust themselves beyond the power of human experience and imagination.

The Holy One in the midst of thee is such a blending of justice and mercy.

I will not enter into the city.--So ancient versions. "Enter"--i.e., as a destroyer. (Comp. Hosea 11:6.) But many commentators interpret the Hebrew b'ir ("into the city") to mean in wrath. This is preferable.

Verse 9. - I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim. The promise of this verse is in harmony with the spirit of compassion expressed in the preceding. It is at once the effect and evidence of that feeling of Divine compassion. God would neither execute the burning heat of his wrath, for so the words literally mean, nor destroy Ephraim utterly, or again any more as formerly. The historic event referred to may be the destruction effected by Tiglath-pileser, ally of Ahaz King of Judah against Pekah King of Israel and Rezin King of Syria, when he carried away captive the inhabitants of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, as we read in 2 Kings 15:29, "In the days of Pekah King of Israel came Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazer, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria." But while this is probably the primary allusion, there is an ulterior reference to the future restoration of Israel. For I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city (or, come into bumming wrath, Keil). A reason is here assigned for the exercise of the Divine commiseration just expressed; this reason is God's covenant of everlasting love. He is God, and must be measured by a Divine standard - not man, implacable and revengeful; though his people's provocation had been grievous, God was in the midst of them as their God, long-suffering and steadfast to his covenant of love and purposes of mercy. He would not enter

(a) into the city as an enemy, and for the purpose of utter destruction, as he had entered into the cities of the plain for their entire and final ruin; or,

(b) if the alternative rendering be preferred, he would not come into burning wrath. The fiery heat or fierceness of God's wrath tends to destruction, not the amendment of the impenitent. The expression, "I will not return," may also be understood as equivalent to

(1) "I will not turn from my pity and promises;" or, "I will not turn away from Israel;" but . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I will not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

execute
אֶֽעֱשֶׂה֙ (’e·‘ĕ·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

the full fury
חֲר֣וֹן (ḥă·rō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2740: A burning of anger

of My anger;
אַפִּ֔י (’ap·pî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

I will not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

turn back
אָשׁ֖וּב (’ā·šūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to destroy
לְשַׁחֵ֣ת (lə·ša·ḥêṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7843: Perhaps to go to ruin

Ephraim.
אֶפְרָ֑יִם (’ep̄·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory

For
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I
אָֽנֹכִי֙ (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am God
אֵ֤ל (’êl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 410: Strength -- as adjective, mighty, the Almighty

and not
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

man—
אִ֔ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 582: Man, mankind

the Holy
קָד֔וֹשׁ (qā·ḏō·wōš)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6918: Sacred, God, an angel, a saint, a sanctuary

One among you—
בְּקִרְבְּךָ֣ (bə·qir·bə·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

and I will not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

come
אָב֖וֹא (’ā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

in wrath.
בְּעִֽיר׃ (bə·‘îr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement


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OT Prophets: Hosea 11:9 I will not execute the fierceness (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 11:8
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