Hosea 11:8 kjv
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
Hosea 11:8 nkjv
"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.
Hosea 11:8 niv
"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
Hosea 11:8 esv
How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
Hosea 11:8 nlt
"Oh, how can I give you up, Israel?
How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah
or demolish you like Zeboiim?
My heart is torn within me,
and my compassion overflows.
Hosea 11 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 11:8 | How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me. | God's compassion |
| Exodus 34:6 | The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. | God's character |
| Psalm 78:38-39 | Yet he was... abounding in steadfast love, and did not destroy them. He restrained his anger, and did not give vent to his full wrath. | God's mercy |
| Psalm 103:8 | The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. | God's compassion |
| Isaiah 54:7-8 | For a small moment I abandoned you, but with great mercy I will gather you. In a burst of indignation I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you. | God's enduring love |
| Jeremiah 3:12 | "Return, O faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not revoke my promise, for I am merciful, declares the Lord. I will not keep anger forever." | God's forgiveness |
| Jeremiah 12:7 | "I have forsaken my house; I have forsaken my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies." | Abandonment |
| Jeremiah 30:11 | "For I am with you to save you, declares the Lord; I will make an end of all the nations among which I have scattered you, but I will not make an end of you." | God's preservation |
| Jeremiah 31:20 | "Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still remember him kindly. Therefore my heart aches for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord." | God's fatherhood |
| Lamentations 3:32 | "Though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love." | God's mercy |
| Ezekiel 18:23 | "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?" | God's desire for life |
| Ezekiel 33:11 | "Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." | God's desire for life |
| Micah 7:18-19 | "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression? ... He holds no anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." | God's compassion |
| Matthew 5:7 | "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." | Mercy receives mercy |
| Matthew 9:13 | "Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." | Desire for mercy |
| Matthew 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!" | Jesus' compassion |
| Luke 15:18-20 | "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet...'" | Fatherly compassion |
| Romans 9:15 | "For he said to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'" | God's sovereign mercy |
| Romans 11:29 | "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." | Unchanging calling |
| 2 Corinthians 5:19 | "...namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself..." | Reconciliation |
| Hebrews 4:15 | "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." | Sympathetic High Priest |
Hosea 11 verses
Hosea 11 8 Meaning
This verse describes God's internal struggle as He considers His judgment upon Israel. Despite their persistent rebellion, God's compassion is stirred by His covenant love, His holy nature, and His fatherly relationship with them. He cannot utterly destroy them because of these deep, unwavering affections.
Hosea 11 8 Context
Hosea 11 is set during a time of great spiritual and political decay in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophet Hosea, through his own troubled marriage to Gomer, illustrates God's painful relationship with His unfaithful people. The chapter begins with God recounting His loving and protective actions towards Israel from their deliverance out of Egypt. Despite God's unwavering love and care, Israel has repeatedly turned to idolatry and foreign alliances, effectively prostituting themselves spiritually. This verse (11:8) marks a turning point in the chapter. God has been speaking of impending judgment for their sin. However, here God expresses His internal conflict before the judgment is fully carried out. The specific mention of Admah and Zeboiim (cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah) emphasizes the severity of the potential judgment God is considering.
Hosea 11 8 Word Analysis
- Ma-ekh ( Hebrew: אֵיךְ - eikh ): "How?" - This interrogative particle introduces a rhetorical question, expressing disbelief, wonder, or perplexity. Here, it signifies God's deep internal struggle.
- El-teka ( Hebrew: אֶתֶּנְךָּ - ettenekha ): "I will give you up" or "I will hand you over." The root word is nathan (נָתַן - nathan), meaning "to give." The intensified or causative form here suggests giving over to destruction or defeat.
- Ephrayim ( Hebrew: אֶפְרַיִם - Ephrayim ): Ephraim, the most prominent tribe of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It often serves as a metonym for the entire Northern Kingdom.
- M-d'mayekh ( Hebrew: מִדְמֶה) - "amidameh): "Make you like" or "render you like." This phrase highlights the proposed devastating transformation akin to the utterly destroyed cities.
- Admah ( Hebrew: אדמה) - Admah: One of the cities of the plain destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 14:2). It represents utter desolation.
- Israel ( Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisrael ): Refers to the Northern Kingdom, but encompasses the covenant people of God.
- U-m-aqdim ( Hebrew: מַקְדִּים) - "maqdim): The root is qadam (קָדַם - qadam), meaning "to be before" or "to precede." Here, the form suggests the act of bringing something before or facing it, in this context, facing the "burning of his anger" or the "hot displeasure." This conveys the idea of bringing down His judgment or confronting them with His fury.
- Qerev-i ( Hebrew: קִרְבִּי - qirbi ): "Within me." Emphasizes that the struggle is internal to God's being.
- Nikhm'ru ( Hebrew: נִחֲמ֔וּ - nikhamru ): "Are changed," "are moved," "regret," or "relent." The root is hamam (חָמַם - hamam), relating to heat or burning. However, nikham (נִחַם - nikham) means to be sorry or to comfort oneself. The usage here conveys a change of heart or a passionate turning of one's own affections, indicating God's emotional upheaval.
Group Analysis:
- "How can I give you up... how can I make you like Admah?": This series of questions highlights the extreme contrast between God's intended plan for Israel and the dire consequences of their sin. The rhetorical questions are not of doubt but of profound distress at the prospect of bringing about such utter ruin.
- "My heart recoils within me; my compassions are stirred together": This phrase vividly portrays God's innermost feelings. The word "recoils" (nikhamru) implies a powerful, almost involuntary, reaction of distress and mercy, a turning over of His own inward affections. "Compassions are stirred together" suggests a surge of tender emotions, overwhelming His other considerations.
Hosea 11 8 Bonus Section
This verse has profound theological implications regarding the nature of God. It illustrates that God is not a detached, emotionless deity, but one who experiences "heartache" and deep-seated love for His covenant people. The struggle shown here is not a weakness in God, but a demonstration of the richness of His character, particularly His mercy that triumphs over immediate judgment when His covenant love is engaged. This passage provides a foundational understanding for the Incarnation, where God Himself would come to draw His people back, bearing their sin and the consequences of their rebellion out of infinite love. The prophet's personal marital situation with Gomer served as a vivid earthly enactment of this divine drama.
Hosea 11 8 Commentary
God's lament over Israel reveals the deep paradox of His justice and His love. He is absolutely righteous and must deal with sin, but He is also inherently compassionate and bound by His covenant. This is not a denial of future judgment, but an expression of the pain it causes Him because of His paternal love for Israel. His "heart recoils" because their sin threatens to destroy the very object of His immense love and care, whom He has nurtured and drawn to Himself from the Exodus. The reference to Admah and Zeboiim, cities synonymous with God's devastating judgment due to their wickedness, underscores the gravity of what Israel's continued rebellion could mean for them. Yet, His "compassions are stirred together," indicating that His love and mercy are the dominant factors influencing His decision-making, even while justice is still a reality. This foretells the eventual sending of a savior who embodies this divine compassion.