Hosea 4:3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

◄ Hosea 4:3 ►

New International Version
Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.

New Living Translation
That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

English Standard Version
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

King James Bible
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

New King James Version
Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky, And even the fish of the sea disappear.

NASB 1995
Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, And also the fish of the sea disappear.

NASB 1977
Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; And also the fish of the sea disappear.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who inhabits it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, And also the fish of the sea disappear.

Amplified Bible
Therefore the land [continually] mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering] Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens; Even the fish of the sea disappear.

Christian Standard Bible
For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear.

American Standard Version
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

Contemporary English Version
And so your land is a desert. Every living creature is dying--people and wild animals, birds and fish.

English Revised Version
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That is why the land is drying up, and everyone who lives in it is passing away. Wild animals, birds, and fish are dying.

Good News Translation
And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die."

International Standard Version
Therefore the land will mourn, and all who live there will languish, along with the wild animals of the field and the birds of the air. Even the fish in the sea will disappear.

Majority Standard Bible
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

NET Bible
Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.

New Heart English Bible
Therefore the land mourns, and all those who dwell in it will waste away, along with the animals of the field and the crawling creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

World English Bible
Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells in it will waste away, with all living things in her, even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky; yes, the fish of the sea also die.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
Therefore the land mourns, "" And every dweller is weak in it, "" With the beast of the field, "" And with the bird of the heavens, "" And the fishes of the sea—they are removed.

Young's Literal Translation
Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea -- they are removed.

Smith's Literal Translation
For this the land shall mourn, and every one in it languished with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heavens; and also the fish of the sea shall be taken away.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Because of this, the land will mourn, and all who dwell in it will languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. And the fishes of the sea also will be gathered together.

New American Bible
Therefore the land dries up, and everything that dwells in it languishes: The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea perish.

New Revised Standard Version
Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals and the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea are perishing.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Therefore the land shall mourn, and all its inhabitants shall languish, even the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air; and the fish of the sea also shall perish.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because of this the land shall dwell in mourning and all its inhabitants shall mourn, and the beast of the wilderness and the bird of Heaven, also the fish that are in the sea shall be consumed

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
Therefore doth the land mourn, And every one that dwelleth therein doth languish, With the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; Yea, the fishes of the sea also are taken away.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Therefore shall the land mourn, and shall be diminished with all that dwell in it, with the wild beasts of the field, and the reptiles of the earth, and with the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea shall fail:

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

God's Charges Against Israel
…2Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. 3Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear. 4But let no man contend; let no man offer reproof; for your people are like those who contend with a priest.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Romans 8:22
We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

Isaiah 24:4-6
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away. / The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. / Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.

Jeremiah 12:4
How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”

Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

Joel 1:10-12
The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails. / Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. / The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.

Isaiah 33:9
The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

Ezekiel 38:20
The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.

Amos 8:8
Will not the land quake for this, and all its dwellers mourn? All of it will swell like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.

Isaiah 19:5-8
The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty. / The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither. / The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will wither, blow away, and be no more. ...

Jeremiah 4:28
Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above will grow dark. I have spoken, I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back.”

Revelation 11:18
The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead and to reward Your servants the prophets, as well as the saints and those who fear Your name, both small and great—and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Isaiah 42:15
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.

Jeremiah 9:10
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.

Isaiah 13:12
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

Ezekiel 14:13-21
“Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it, and to cut off from it both man and beast, / then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD. / Or if I send wild beasts through the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing through it for fear of the beasts, ...

Treasury of Scripture

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

the land.

Isaiah 24:4-12
The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish…

Jeremiah 4:27
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Joel 1:10-13
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth…

with the beasts.

Jeremiah 4:25
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Jeremiah 12:4
How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

Ezekiel 38:20
So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

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Hosea 4

1. God denounces judgments on Israel, for their aggravated impieties and iniquities.
12. He exposes the ignorance and wickedness of the priests,
13. and moral dissolution of the people,
14. he will leave their wives and daughters to commit lewdness, without present punishment.
15. He warns Judah, not to imitate Israel's crimes, which are still further reproved.

Berean Study Bible

Therefore the land mourns
The Hebrew word for "mourns" is "אבל" (aval), which conveys a deep sense of lamentation and sorrow. In the context of Hosea, this mourning is not just a human emotion but a reflection of the land's response to the spiritual and moral decay of its inhabitants. The land, often seen as a blessing from God, is depicted as suffering due to the people's unfaithfulness. This imagery underscores the interconnectedness of creation and humanity, where the physical environment is impacted by spiritual realities.

and all who dwell in it will waste away
The phrase "waste away" comes from the Hebrew "אמל" (amal), suggesting a withering or languishing. This indicates a comprehensive decline affecting all inhabitants, both human and animal. Historically, this can be seen as a consequence of the covenantal curses outlined in Deuteronomy, where disobedience leads to desolation. The spiritual infidelity of the people results in tangible, physical consequences, emphasizing the seriousness of turning away from God.

with the beasts of the field
The inclusion of "beasts of the field" highlights the extent of the devastation. In the Hebrew context, animals were part of the created order that God declared good. Their suffering is a testament to the pervasive impact of sin. This phrase serves as a reminder of humanity's role as stewards of creation, a role that is compromised when they are unfaithful to God.

and the birds of the air
The "birds of the air" are often seen as symbols of freedom and life. Their decline signifies a disruption in the natural order. In biblical literature, birds are sometimes used to illustrate God's provision and care (as in Matthew 6:26). Their suffering in Hosea 4:3 is a poignant illustration of the loss of divine protection and blessing due to Israel's sin.

and even the fish of the sea disappear
The phrase "fish of the sea" disappearing is particularly striking, as fish were a staple of sustenance and economic activity. The Hebrew word "אסף" (asaf) implies being gathered or taken away, suggesting a complete removal. This serves as a metaphor for the totality of judgment that comes upon the land. The disappearance of fish, creatures of the sea, completes the triad of land, air, and sea, symbolizing the comprehensive nature of the curse due to Israel's unfaithfulness.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) The mourning of the land is the judgment of famine, which follows not only upon the living men, but upon all living things (the LXX. have introduced into the enumeration the creeping things of the earth). Even the fishes of the sea are swept away. There is plague on fish as well as murrain on cattle, and starvation of the birds of heaven.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 3-5. - These verses relate, with much particularity, the sufferings consequent on sins, especially such as are specified in the preceding verses. The montaging of the land mentioned in ver. 3 may be understood either figuratively or literally. If in the former way, there are many Scripture parallels which represent nature in full accord with human feelings, sympathizing with man, now in joy, again in sorrow; for example: "The little hills rejoice on every side;" the valleys "shout for joy, they also sing;" on the other hand, "The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish." But if the expression be taken literally, it conveys a solemn fact, and one in perfect harmony with the entire tone and character of the old economy, according to which moral evil transmutes itself into physical evil, and impresses itself in dismal characters on the face of inanimate nature. The Hebrew commentators seem to understand the statement literally; thus Rashi: "The land shall be laid waste, and there shall be great mourning;" likewise Kimchi: "The land of Israel shall be laid waste and desolated." The latter has this further comment: "After the land of Israel shall have been laid waste, man and beast shall be cut off out of it. But under the beasts of the field the prophet does not mean the wild beasts, but the large domestic animals which dwell with the sons of men, likewise called חיה. It is also possible that even the beasts that roam at largo are included, for the wild beast does not come to inhabited places that are laid waste, unless they are partially inhabited." He also adds, in reference to the fowls of heaven, "When he speaks of the fowls of heaven, it is because most of the fowls do not dwell in the wilderness, but in inhabited places, where they find seeds and fruits and blossoms of trees. Or the fowls of heaven are mentioned by way of hyperbole to represent the matter in its totality; and, according to this sense, it is used in the Prophet Jeremiah; and it explains itself in like manner in one of these two ways." With the mourning of the land the dwellers therein languish. Nor is this languishing condition confined to rational beings; it comprises the irrational as well, and that without exception. The dominion assigned man at the beginning over the whole creation of God is here reversed in the case of Israel; while the denunciation of wrath has that reversal for its dark background. The terms of the dominion to man by the Creator are, "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth;" but in this denunciation these terms are reversed and read backwards, being," with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also." Thus all nature, inanimate and animate, and all creation, rational and irrational, are involved in the consequences of Israel's sin. The particles "yea, even," preceding "the fishes of the sea" (such as the Sea of Galilee or other inland seas and rivers), show the entirely unexpected as well as unusual nature of the event. The Chaldee paraphrases the clause as follows: "And even the fishes of the sea shall be diminished in number, on account of their (Israel's) sins." Earth refuses sustenance to man and beast, no longer yielding grass for the cattle or herb for the service of man; the waters of the sea, being lessened by drought or becoming putrid by stagnation, no longer supply their accustomed quota of fishes for human food. An illustration of the literal sense has been quoted by Rosenmüller and Pusey from Jerome. It is the following: "Whoso believeth not that this befell the people of Israel, let him survey Illyricum, let him survey the Thraces, Macedonia, the Pannonias, and the whole land which stretches from the Propoutis and Dosphorus to the Julian Alps, and he will experience that, together with man, all the creatures also fail, which afore were nourished by the Creator for the service of man." The le before היis explained by Abarbanel in the sense of through, as though the inhabitants would be slain by wild beasts: by Hitzig as extending to; by Keil as of in enumeration. It is simply with. Ver. 4 looks like an interjected clause, coming in the middle of the enumeration of Divine judgments; and the purpose is not so much to justify the severity of those judgments as to intimate their inefficacy, owing to the incorrigible character of the people. There is

(1) the rendering of the Authorized Version, Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another. This seems to show that mutual reproof was out of place, since one was as bad as another; or that every one was to look to his own sins, and not throw the blame on others; but this rendering is not tenable nor capable of being supported by such an expression as ish beish. The correct rendering

(2) is rather, only let no man strive (with them), and let no man reprove them. This imports

(a) that reasoning with them would be useless, and reproof thrown away, in consequence of the desperate obstinacy of these offenders; or . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Therefore
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the land
הָאָ֗רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

mourns,
תֶּאֱבַ֣ל (te·’ĕ·ḇal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 56: To bewail

and all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

who dwell
יוֹשֵׁ֣ב (yō·wō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in it
בָּ֔הּ (bāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

will waste away
וְאֻמְלַל֙ (wə·’um·lal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Pual - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 535: To droop, to be sick, to mourn

with the beasts
בְּחַיַּ֥ת (bə·ḥay·yaṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

of the field
הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה (haś·śā·ḏeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7704: Field, land

and the birds
וּבְע֣וֹף (ū·ḇə·‘ō·wp̄)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5775: Flying creatures

of the air;
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם (haš·šā·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

even
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

the fish
דְּגֵ֥י (də·ḡê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1709: A fish

of the sea
הַיָּ֖ם (hay·yām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin

disappear.
יֵאָסֵֽפוּ׃ (yê·’ā·sê·p̄ū)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

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OT Prophets: Hosea 4:3 Therefore the land will mourn and everyone (Ho Hs Hos.)