Hosea 10:12 kjv
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10:12 nkjv
Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
Hosea 10:12 niv
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
Hosea 10:12 esv
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10:12 nlt
I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the LORD,
that he may come
and shower righteousness upon you.'
Hosea 10 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 10:12 | Sow righteousness...reap faithfulness...seek the LORD, that he may rain righteousness. | Hosea 10:12 (Primary) |
| Psalm 5:12 | For it is you who bless the righteous man, O LORD; you surround him with favor as with a shield. | Blessing for righteousness |
| Psalm 126:5-6 | May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. | Sowing and reaping in joy |
| Prov 3:9-10 | Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. | Prosperity from honoring God |
| Prov 11:18 | The wicked earns a deceptive wage, but to the one who sows righteousness comes a sure reward. | Reward for righteousness |
| Prov 11:30 | The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. | Fruit of righteousness |
| Prov 22:8 | Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. | Negative reaping example |
| Isaiah 32:15-16 | Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness in the fruitful field. | Spirit leading to fruitfulness |
| Isaiah 55:10-11 | For as the rain comes down from heaven and does not return there but waters the earth, making it bring forth and sprout...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. | God's Word like rain |
| Jer 4:3 | For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns." | Call to prepare for God |
| Jer 29:13 | You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. | Seeking God wholeheartedly |
| Mal 3:10 | “Bring the full tenth into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” | God pouring out blessings |
| Matt 6:33 | But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. | Seeking God's kingdom |
| Luke 6:38 | Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” | Giving and receiving |
| John 15:5 | I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. | Bearing fruit in Christ |
| Rom 6:13 | Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. | Instruments for righteousness |
| Rom 6:22 | But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you bear leads to sanctification, and its end, eternal life. | Fruit of sanctification |
| 2 Cor 9:6 | The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. | Sowing and reaping principle |
| Gal 6:7-8 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. | Sowing to Spirit |
| Heb 12:11 | For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have trained themselves in it. | Fruit of discipline |
| James 3:18 | And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. | Sowing peace for harvest |
Hosea 10 verses
Hosea 10 12 Meaning
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap according to faithfulness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Hosea 10 12 Context
Hosea 10:12 is a pivotal verse in a chapter filled with denunciation of Israel's idolatry and injustice. Israel had turned away from God, engaging in corrupt worship and relying on false gods and alliances. This verse appears as a concluding exhortation within a larger message of impending judgment, offering a path to potential deliverance if Israel repents. The historical context is the northern kingdom of Israel's decline into spiritual and political apostasy during the 8th century BCE, leading to their eventual Assyrian conquest. The verse acts as a strong call to a radical turning back to Yahweh.
Hosea 10 12 Word analysis
"Sow" (Hebrew: זֶרַע - zerua'): This verb relates to planting seeds. It carries the meaning of initiating an action or behavior with the expectation of a future outcome or harvest.
"Righteousness" (Hebrew: צְדָקָה - tsedakah): This term encompasses justice, equity, doing what is right according to God's law, and living in covenant faithfulness. It's not just legal correctness but also ethical behavior and social justice.
"For yourselves" (Hebrew: לָכֶם - lachem): This indicates that the action of sowing righteousness is an inward and personal matter, impacting the individual or community directly.
"Reap" (Hebrew: קָצִיר - qatsir): This refers to the harvest, the result or consequence of what has been sown.
"According to faithfulness" (Hebrew: בֶּאֱמוּנָה - be'emunah): This adverbial phrase implies that the quality or measure of the faithfulness with which one acts will determine the quality or measure of the reaping. It can also mean "according to what is faithful."
"Break up" (Hebrew: נָחַר - naḥar): This imperative verb means to plow, break up, or turn over uncultivated land (fallow ground). It signifies preparing the ground for planting, which requires effort and involves dealing with hardened soil.
"Your fallow ground" (Hebrew: נִירְכֶם - nirkem): This refers to unplowed or uncultivated land. In a spiritual sense, it represents the unprepared, hard-hearted, or neglected areas of one's life that need cultivation for spiritual growth.
"For" (Hebrew: כִּי - ki): This conjunction introduces a reason or a time-sensitive element.
"It is time" (Hebrew: עֵת - et): Signifies the opportune or appointed time.
"To seek" (Hebrew: דְּרֹשׁ - derosh): This verb is a strong imperative meaning to search for, inquire of, seek diligently, or request. It implies an earnest and persistent effort.
"The LORD" (Hebrew: יְהוָה - Yahweh): The covenant name of God.
"That" (Hebrew: לְמַעַן - lema'an): Indicates purpose.
"He may come" (Hebrew: יָבוֹא - yavo): Referring to God's presence and intervention.
"And rain" (Hebrew: וְיֹרֶה - v'yoreh): From the root ירה (yarah), meaning to rain, pour down, or teach/instruct. In this context, it's primarily the act of raining, symbolizing divine blessing and cleansing.
"Righteousness" (Hebrew: צְדָקָה - tsedakah): As above, meaning justice, uprightness, and divine favor.
Word Group: "Sow righteousness...reap faithfulness": This encapsulates a principle of sowing and reaping in the spiritual realm. The actions we take, rooted in righteousness (living according to God's will), will yield results, and the quality of those results is tied to our faithfulness in the process.
Word Group: "Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD": This presents a two-part call to action. The first is preparatory—dealing with neglected aspects of our lives. The second is the urgent action of seeking God, signifying the timeliness and necessity of this pursuit.
Word Group: "that he may come and rain righteousness upon you": This expresses the ultimate purpose of seeking God: to receive His abundant blessings, symbolized by rain, which revitalizes and makes things grow, all manifesting as His righteousness poured out upon His people.
Hosea 10 12 Bonus Section
The imagery of rain is significant in the ancient Near East, representing life, sustenance, and divine favor. In a drought-stricken land, the coming of rain was a sign of God's presence and blessing. The call for God to "rain righteousness" is a petition for spiritual revival, cleansing, and abundant life brought by His presence and His right way of living. Hosea’s message, though judgmental, often includes this thread of hope for restoration, contingent upon the people's response. The "fallow ground" can also represent dormant potential or uncultivated spiritual gifts that need preparation to bear fruit for God's kingdom. This verse is a timeless reminder that spiritual fruitfulness is a result of diligent, God-honoring work and earnest seeking of His presence.
Hosea 10 12 Commentary
This verse is a profound call to spiritual agriculture and immediate repentance. It draws a clear parallel between agricultural principles and spiritual disciplines. Israel's current spiritual state is described as "fallow ground"—neglected, hard, and unproductive due to sin and idolatry. The imperative to "break up your fallow ground" is a command to repentance and self-examination, to clear away the obstructions of sin. "It is time to seek the LORD" emphasizes the urgency and opportune moment for this return to God. The sowing of "righteousness" is an act of planting righteous deeds and faithful obedience. The consequence of this effort is to "reap according to faithfulness"—a harvest that mirrors the sincerity and consistency of one's walk with God. The ultimate desire is for God to "come and rain righteousness" upon them, symbolizing the pouring out of His presence, blessings, forgiveness, and sanctifying power. This signifies God’s desire to restore and revitalize His people, making them fruitful once again, contingent on their proactive seeking and obedient preparation.
- Practical Application: Imagine our hearts as fields. We must first plow the hard soil of pride or neglect (break up fallow ground), then actively plant seeds of good deeds and obedience (sow righteousness), trusting that our diligent faithfulness will bring a spiritual harvest, and that God, in turn, will bless us with His presence and grace (rain righteousness).