I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin. I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselvesThis phrase highlights God's decision to withhold direct punishment from the daughters of Israel for their immoral actions. In the cultural context of ancient Israel, prostitution was not only a moral failing but also a breach of the covenant with God. However, the emphasis here is on the broader societal failure, particularly the men's role in leading the nation astray. This reflects a divine judgment that focuses on the root cause of the sin rather than the symptoms. The lack of punishment can be seen as a form of divine irony, pointing out the hypocrisy of the men who condemn the women while engaging in similar or worse behaviors themselves. nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery
Adultery was a serious offense under Mosaic Law, punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10). However, the decision not to punish the daughters-in-law underscores the systemic nature of the sin in Israel. The cultural context suggests that the breakdown of family and societal values was widespread, and the men, who were supposed to be leaders and protectors, were complicit in this moral decay. This phrase serves as a critique of the patriarchal society that failed to uphold God's standards, leading to a collective moral failure. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes
This phrase directly accuses the men of Israel of engaging in the same sins they might condemn in women. It highlights the hypocrisy and double standards prevalent in the society. The men’s actions are a direct violation of the covenant relationship with God, as they are not only engaging in sexual immorality but also participating in pagan rituals. This behavior reflects a deeper spiritual adultery, as they are unfaithful to God by turning to other deities and practices. and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes
The mention of shrine prostitutes indicates the integration of Canaanite religious practices into Israelite worship. These practices were strictly forbidden (Deuteronomy 23:17-18) and represented a significant departure from the worship of Yahweh. The involvement with shrine prostitutes was not merely a moral failing but a spiritual one, as it involved idolatry and the worship of false gods. This reflects the syncretism that plagued Israel, where the worship of Yahweh was mixed with pagan rituals, leading to spiritual corruption. So a people without understanding will come to ruin
This concluding phrase serves as a prophetic warning. The lack of understanding refers to a failure to know and follow God's law, which is the foundation of wisdom and life (Proverbs 9:10). The ruin mentioned is both a natural consequence of their actions and a divine judgment. The people’s ignorance and rejection of God’s ways lead to their downfall, fulfilling the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28. This serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual discernment and obedience to God’s commandments to avoid destruction. Persons / Places / Events 1. HoseaA prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and redemption. 2. IsraelThe Northern Kingdom, often depicted as unfaithful to God, engaging in idolatry and immorality. 3. Daughters and Daughters-in-lawRepresent the women of Israel who are involved in acts of prostitution and adultery, reflecting the nation's spiritual unfaithfulness. 4. Men of IsraelThe male population who are equally guilty, engaging with prostitutes and participating in pagan rituals. 5. Cult ProstitutesIndividuals involved in ritualistic sexual practices as part of pagan worship, highlighting the syncretism and moral decay in Israel. Teaching Points Understanding and AccountabilityThe lack of understanding among the people leads to their ruin. Spiritual discernment and knowledge of God's Word are crucial for maintaining faithfulness. Shared ResponsibilityBoth men and women are held accountable for the nation's moral decline. Sin is not gender-specific, and everyone is responsible for their actions. Consequences of IdolatryEngaging in idolatry and immorality leads to societal decay. Faithfulness to God requires rejecting all forms of idolatry and immorality. God's Justice and MercyWhile God declares judgment, His reluctance to punish immediately reflects His mercy and desire for repentance. Call to RepentanceThe passage serves as a call to return to God, emphasizing the need for repentance and restoration of a right relationship with Him. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the behavior of the men in Hosea 4:14 contribute to the overall moral decline of Israel, and what can we learn from this about leadership and influence? 2. In what ways does the lack of understanding lead to ruin, and how can we cultivate spiritual discernment in our own lives? 3. How does the theme of shared responsibility in Hosea 4:14 challenge our views on accountability within the church and community? 4. What parallels can we draw between the idolatry in Hosea's time and modern-day forms of idolatry, and how can we guard against them? 5. How does Hosea 4:14 reflect God's justice and mercy, and how should this influence our approach to sin and repentance in our lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Leviticus 19:29This verse warns against prostituting daughters, which leads to wickedness in the land, showing the societal impact of such sins. Jeremiah 5:7-9God questions why He should forgive a people who have forsaken Him and committed adultery, paralleling the themes of unfaithfulness and judgment. Romans 1:21-32Paul describes the consequences of turning away from God, including moral decay and societal ruin, echoing the themes in Hosea. People HoseaPlaces Beth-aven, Gilgal, JezreelTopics Adultery, Apart, Aside, Behaviour, Brides, Commit, Committing, Consort, Cult, Daughters, Daughters-in-law, Distraught, Evil, Fall, Gods, Guilty, Harlot, Harlotry, Harlots, Kicketh, Lewd, Lewdness, Loose, Offer, Offerings, Overthrown, Play, Prostitute, Prostitutes, Prostitution, Punish, Punishment, Purposes, Ruin, Ruined, Sacrifice, Sacrifices, Separate, Separated, Sex, Shrine, Spouses, Temple, Themselves, Turn, Understand, Understanding, Whoredom, Whores, Wisdom, Women, WorshipDictionary of Bible Themes Hosea 4:14 6242 adultery
6243 adultery, spiritual
8355 understanding
8769 idolatry, in OT Hosea 4:10-14 6239 prostitution Hosea 4:10-15 6189 immorality, examples Hosea 4:10-19 8705 apostasy, in OT Hosea 4:13-14 8748 false religion Library 'Let Him Alone'
'Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.'--HOSEA iv. 17. The tribe of Ephraim was the most important member of the kingdom of Israel; consequently its name was not unnaturally sometimes used in a wider application for the whole of the kingdom, of which it was the principal part. Being the 'predominant partner,' its name was used alone for that of the whole firm, just as in our own empire, we often say 'England,' meaning thereby the three kingdoms: England, Scotland, and Ireland. So 'Ephraim' here …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Life, as Amplified by Mediaeval Biographers.
1. His Early Years.--Ephraim, according to this biography, was a Syrian of Mesopotamia, by birth, and by parentage on both sides. His mother was of Amid (now Diarbekr) a central city of that region; his father belonged to the older and more famous City of Nisibis, not far from Amid but near the Persian frontier, where he was priest of an idol named Abnil (or Abizal) in the days of Constantine the Great (306-337). This idol was afterwards destroyed by Jovian (who became Emperor in 363 after the …
Ephraim the Syrian—Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian Instruction for the Ignorant:
BEING A SALVE TO CURE THAT GREAT WANT OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH SO MUCH REIGNS BOTH IN YOUNG AND OLD. PREPARED AND PRESENTED TO THEM IN A PLAIN AND EASY DIALOGUE, FITTED TO THE CAPACITY OF THE WEAKEST. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'--Hosea 4:6 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This little catechism is upon a plan perfectly new and unique. It was first published as a pocket volume in 1675, and has been republished in every collection of the author's works; and recently in a separate tract. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Of Orders.
Of this sacrament the Church of Christ knows nothing; it was invented by the church of the Pope. It not only has no promise of grace, anywhere declared, but not a word is said about it in the whole of the New Testament. Now it is ridiculous to set up as a sacrament of God that which can nowhere be proved to have been instituted by God. Not that I consider that a rite practised for so many ages is to be condemned; but I would not have human inventions established in sacred things, nor should it be …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation "For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me Free from the Law of Sin and Death. "
Rom. viii. 2.--"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." You know there are two principal things in the preceding verse,--the privilege of a Christian, and the property or character of a Christian. He is one that never enters into condemnation; He that believeth shall not perish, John iii. 15. And then he is one that walks not after the flesh, though he be in the flesh, but in a more elevate way above men, after the guiding and leading …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Epistle cxxi. To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville).
To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville). Gregory to Leander, Bishop of Spain. I have the epistle of thy Holiness, written with the pen of charity alone. For what the tongue transferred to the paper had got its tincture from the heart. Good and wise men were present when it was read, and at once their bowels were stirred with emotion. Everyone began to seize thee in his heart with the hand of love, for that in that epistle the sweetness of thy disposition was not to be heard, but seen. All severally …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Third Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' Exod 20: 7. This commandment has two parts: 1. A negative expressed, that we must not take God's name in vain; that is, cast any reflections and dishonour on his name. 2. An affirmative implied. That we should take care to reverence and honour his name. Of this latter I shall speak more fully, under the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy name.' I shall …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Doctrine
OF THE LAW AND GRACE UNFOLDED; OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING THE LAW AND GRACE; THE NATURE OF THE ONE, AND THE NATURE OF THE OTHER; SHOWING WHAT THEY ARE, AS THEY ARE THE TWO COVENANTS; AND LIKEWISE, WHO THEY BE, AND WHAT THEIR CONDITIONS ARE, THAT BE UNDER EITHER OF THESE TWO COVENANTS: Wherein, for the better understanding of the reader, there are several questions answered touching the law and grace, very easy to be read, and as easy to be understood, by those that are the sons of wisdom, the children …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Hosea
The book of Hosea divides naturally into two parts: i.-iii. and iv.-xiv., the former relatively clear and connected, the latter unusually disjointed and obscure. The difference is so unmistakable that i.-iii. have usually been assigned to the period before the death of Jeroboam II, and iv.-xiv. to the anarchic period which succeeded. Certainly Hosea's prophetic career began before the end of Jeroboam's reign, as he predicts the fall of the reigning dynasty, i. 4, which practically ended with Jeroboam's …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Hosea 4:14 NIVHosea 4:14 NLTHosea 4:14 ESVHosea 4:14 NASBHosea 4:14 KJV
Hosea 4:14 Commentaries
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