Hosea 7:12
New International Version
When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them.

New Living Translation
But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do.

English Standard Version
As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens; I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation.

Berean Standard Bible
As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together.

King James Bible
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

New King James Version
Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard.

New American Standard Bible
When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.

NASB 1995
When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.

NASB 1977
When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly.

Legacy Standard Bible
When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the report to their congregation.

Amplified Bible
When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens [into Assyrian captivity]. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation (prophecy) to their congregation.

Christian Standard Bible
As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As they are going, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly.

American Standard Version
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heavens; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

Contemporary English Version
But I will catch them in a net as hunters trap birds; I threatened to punish them, and indeed I will.

English Revised Version
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven: I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When you go, I will spread my net over you. I will snatch you out of the air like a bird. I will punish you for all the evil things you have done.

Good News Translation
But I will spread out a net and catch them like birds as they go by. I will punish them for the evil they have done.

International Standard Version
When they go, I'll cast my net over them. I'll bring them down, as one shoots birds in the sky. I'll chasten them, as the assembly has already heard.

Majority Standard Bible
As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together.

NET Bible
I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying, I will bring them down like birds in the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together.

New Heart English Bible
When they go, I will spread my net on them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.

Webster's Bible Translation
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

World English Bible
When they go, I will spread my net on them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
When they go I spread over them My net, "" As the bird of the heavens I bring them down, "" I discipline them as their congregation has heard.

Young's Literal Translation
When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard.

Smith's Literal Translation
When they shall go I will spread my net upon them; as birds of the heavens I will bring them down; I will correct them when hearing to their assembly.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down as the fowl of the air, I will strike them as their congregation hath heard.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when they will set out, I will spread my net over them. I will pull them down like the birds of the sky; I will cut them down in accordance with the reports of their meetings.

New American Bible
When they go I will spread my net around them, like birds in the air I will bring them down. I will chastise them when I hear of their assembly.

New Revised Standard Version
As they go, I will cast my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Wherever they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the air; I will chastise them according to the testimony which is heard against them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I shall spread upon them my net in the place where they will go, and like a bird of Heaven I shall bring them down and I shall chastise them according to the report of their testimony
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Even as they go, I will spread My net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath been made to hear.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Whenever they shall go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the sky, I will chasten them with the rumor of their coming affliction.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ephraim's Iniquity
11So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria. 12As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. 13Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 16:16
But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks.

Ezekiel 12:13
But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.

Amos 9:3
Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.

Psalm 91:3
Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague.

Lamentations 3:52
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.

Proverbs 6:5
Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Isaiah 24:17-18
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. / Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Job 18:8-10
For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh. / A trap seizes his heel; a snare grips him. / A noose is hidden in the ground, and a trap lies in his path.

Jeremiah 5:26
For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.

Ezekiel 32:3
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will spread My net over you with a company of many peoples, and they will draw you up in My net.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Revelation 12:14
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

Matthew 24:28
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.


Treasury of Scripture

When they shall go, I will spread my net on them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard.

I will spread.

Job 19:6
Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.

Jeremiah 16:16
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Ezekiel 12:13
My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

I will bring.

Ecclesiastes 9:12
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

as their

Leviticus 26:14-46
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; …

Deuteronomy 28:15-68
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: …

Deuteronomy 29:22-28
So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it; …

Jump to Previous
Accordance Air Assembly Birds Chastise Company Congregation Deeds Fowl Fowls Hear Heard Heaven Net Proclamation Pull Punishment Sin Sky Spread Stretched Throw Together Wicked
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Accordance Air Assembly Birds Chastise Company Congregation Deeds Fowl Fowls Hear Heard Heaven Net Proclamation Pull Punishment Sin Sky Spread Stretched Throw Together Wicked
Hosea 7
1. A reproof of manifold sins.
11. God's wrath against them for their hypocrisy.














As they go
This phrase indicates the movement and actions of the people of Israel. In the Hebrew context, "as they go" suggests a continuous and deliberate departure from God's ways. Historically, Israel was often tempted to seek alliances with foreign nations, which led them away from reliance on God. This phrase sets the stage for divine intervention, highlighting the omnipresence of God who observes their every action.

I will spread My net over them
The imagery of a net is significant in the Hebrew Scriptures, often symbolizing entrapment or capture. In this context, God is portrayed as a divine hunter, spreading His net to capture those who have strayed. This reflects God's sovereignty and His active role in bringing about justice. The net signifies God's inescapable judgment, a reminder that no one can evade His righteous decrees.

I will bring them down like birds of the air
Birds are often used in Scripture to symbolize freedom and the ability to soar above earthly troubles. However, here, the imagery is reversed. The phrase "bring them down" suggests a humbling or a fall from a place of perceived safety and freedom. Historically, this can be seen as a reference to Israel's downfall due to their disobedience and reliance on foreign powers rather than God.

I will chastise them
Chastisement in the biblical sense is not merely punishment but a form of correction and discipline. The Hebrew root for chastise implies instruction and reproof. God's chastisement is an expression of His love and desire for His people to return to righteousness. It is a call to repentance and a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

when I hear them flocking together
The imagery of flocking together suggests unity, but in this context, it is a unity in rebellion against God. The Hebrew understanding of "flocking" can imply gathering for a purpose, often misguided. This phrase underscores God's attentiveness to the collective actions of His people. It serves as a warning that God is aware of their conspiracies and alliances that lead them away from His will.

(12) When they shall go.--Best rendered, Whenever they go, &c. The ultimate ruin produced by this policy of dependence on foreign states and of doubledealing intrigue was even at this early stage foreseen by the prophet, and portrayed under the simile of Jehovah's net snaring the unwary bird.

As their congregation hath heard.--Should be, according to the report to their assembly--i.e., according to what they hear, perhaps from Hosea himself. The threatenings of the Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:13-68; Deuteronomy 32:15-35) find their echoes here.

Verse 12. - When they shall go, l will spread my net over them. Threats of punishment are contained in this and the following verses. He begins by the application of the comparison of Ephraim to a dove. Exactly as a dove in its silliness falls into the net set by the fowler, so Israel runs into the net of destruction in seeking help from Egypt and Assyria. The literal rendering is, according as they go, or, whatsoever way they shall go. God threatens to spread a net over them, from which there can be no escape. The chief aim of Hebrew sovereigns and rulers was to defend themselves from Egypt by the help of Assyria, or from Assyria by the aid of Egypt; in either case God threatens to spread over them the net of destruction as the bird-catcher. The application to one or other of these powers God forbade, but when they go to either for relief, the result is sure to prove fatal. The image of a net is frequent in Ezekiel; so in Job, he "hath compassed me with his net." I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven. The comparison with birds and bird-catching continues. Though their sunward soaring flight be high as the eagle's, or rapid as the soft swift wing of the dove, they cannot outspeed or escape the hand of God, but shall be brought down to earth. Or the idea may be that, swiftly as a bird of prey swoops down out of the free air of heaven upon its quarry on the low-lying earth, Jehovah will bring Israel down out of the air of freedom into the net of captivity. Thus in Obadiah 1:4 we read, "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord;" likewise in Amos 9:2, "Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down." I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard. The word אַיְסִידֵם is an anomalous Hiph. instead of אֵיסִירֵם, that is, yod mobile instead of yod quiescent or diphthongal zere. The literal rendering makes the meaning more obvious; it is: "I will chastise them according to the tidings [or,' announcement '] to their congregation." In the Law and by the prophets it was repeatedly declared that judgments would fall upon the disobedient and rebellions. As specimens of such announcements, we may refer to Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:15-68; and Deuteronomy 32:15-35 The prophet now assures Ephraim that the judgments so frequently and forcibly announced to the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and repeated in subsequent times by the prophets, would be executed on the rebellious rigorously, and in exact accordance with those many previous denunciations. Kimchi has the following comment: "I will assemble them through the chastisement of the peoples, as I announced to their assembly in the wilderness words of chastisement, which are written in the Law, if they will not hearken to the words of the Law." The LXX. may have read צרתם, as their rendering is ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῶν, equivalent to "'I will chasten them with the rumor of their (coming) affliction,"

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

they go,
יֵלֵ֗כוּ (yê·lê·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

I will spread
אֶפְר֤וֹשׂ (’ep̄·rō·wś)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse

My net
רִשְׁתִּ֔י (riš·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7568: A net

over them;
עֲלֵיהֶם֙ (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

I will bring them down
אֽוֹרִידֵ֑ם (’ō·w·rî·ḏêm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

like birds
כְּע֥וֹף (kə·‘ō·wp̄)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5775: Flying creatures

of the air.
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם (haš·šā·ma·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

I will chastise them
אַיְסִרֵ֕ם (’ay·si·rêm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3256: To discipline, chasten, admonish

when I hear them
כְּשֵׁ֖מַע (kə·šê·ma‘)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8088: Something heard, a sound, rumor, announcement, audience

flocking together.
לַעֲדָתָֽם׃ (la·‘ă·ḏā·ṯām)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5712: A stated assemblage


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OT Prophets: Hosea 7:12 When they go I will spread my (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 7:11
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