Hosea 14:9 kjv
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
Hosea 14:9 nkjv
Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.
Hosea 14:9 niv
Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.
Hosea 14:9 esv
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.
Hosea 14:9 nlt
Let those who are wise understand these things.
Let those with discernment listen carefully.
The paths of the LORD are true and right,
and righteous people live by walking in them.
But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.
Hosea 14 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 14:9 | "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." | Hosea 14:9 |
| Proverbs 3:13 | "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding" | Wisdom/Understanding |
| Proverbs 4:7 | "The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight." | Prioritize Wisdom/Insight |
| Isaiah 55:8 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." | God's Ways vs. Human Ways |
| Romans 1:20 | "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." | God's ways revealed in creation |
| 1 Corinthians 1:18 | "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." | Wisdom/Folly |
| Galatians 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Sowing and Reaping |
| Psalm 119:130 | "The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." | God's Word brings understanding |
| Jeremiah 9:23-24 | "Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast in his might, nor let the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness on the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’" | Boasting in Understanding God |
| John 7:17 | "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority." | Obedience leads to discernment |
| Romans 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" | Inscrutability of God's Ways |
| Acts 17:31 | "because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. To thisen, he has provided proof to all by raising him from the dead.” | Judgment/God's Righteousness |
| 1 Peter 2:8 | "...and for whatever causes stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they also were destined to do." | Disobedience leading to stumbling |
| Proverbs 13:15 | "Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard." | Difficulty of Treacherous Ways |
| Ecclesiastes 7:12 | "For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor." | Value of Wisdom/Knowledge |
| Romans 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Consequence of Sin |
| Isaiah 30:18 | "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you mercy. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." | Waiting on God |
| Psalm 1:1 | "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of mockers" | Contrast: Blessed vs. Wicked |
| Matthew 13:18-23 | Parable of the Sower: different responses to God's word | Responses to God's Word |
| John 1:12 | "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" | Receiving Christ/Belief |
Hosea 14 verses
Hosea 14 9 Meaning
The wise and discerning understand and embrace God's ways, but transgressors stumble and fall, experiencing destruction.
Hosea 14 9 Context
Hosea chapter 14 concludes the prophet's message to the northern kingdom of Israel. The preceding verses (14:1-3) call for repentance, urging them to return to the Lord with fasting and mourning. The prophet promises God's healing and restored favor if they acknowledge Him. Verses 4-7 describe God's abundant love and blessings that will be poured out upon repentant Israel, likening it to the lushness of Lebanon and Ephraim's prolific fruitfulness. They will blossom again, overshadowed by God's presence. The chapter then shifts to a prophetic affirmation of God's unwavering love, contrasting Israel's eventual loyalty with the nation's past unfaithfulness. Verse 9 serves as a final exhortation, a concluding call to wisdom and discernment concerning the inherent nature of God's ways and the inevitable outcomes for those who follow them versus those who transgress them. Historically, Israel had repeatedly turned away from God's covenant, embracing idolatry and foreign alliances, leading to divine judgment. This final verse summarizes the consequences of these choices.
Hosea 14 9 Word analysis
"Whoever": (Hebrew: מִי - miy) - This interrogative pronoun also functions here to mean "any" or "whosoever." It signifies any individual within the scope of the message.
"is wise": (Hebrew: חָכַם - chakham) - To be wise; to be skillful, prudent, intelligent, having deep understanding. It refers to possessing spiritual discernment and practical wisdom that aligns with God's will.
"let him understand": (Hebrew: יָבִין - yavin) - Imperative form of the verb "to understand," "to discern," "to consider," or "to distinguish." It's a call to active mental engagement and comprehension.
"these things": Refers to the entirety of the message conveyed in the preceding verses – God's grace, Israel's obligation to repent, and the promised restoration.
"whoever": (Hebrew: וְלֹכ - wəloḳō - This is a compound conjunction ("and") and another instance of "whosoever," linking the preceding statement with a continuation. Note: Transliteration might vary based on source. It introduces the next category of people.
"is discerning": (Hebrew: אֶחָד - eḵād - This is typically "one" or "united," but contextually implies someone who is exceptionally astute or set apart in their understanding. A more direct rendering for "discerning" in other contexts might be ḥāḵîm (wise) or bīnâ (understanding). The emphasis is on keen insight.
"let him know them": (Hebrew: יֵדַע - yēda') - Imperative of "to know," signifying experiential knowledge, to be aware of, to recognize. It implies a deeper, more practical apprehension of God's ways.
"For": (Hebrew: כִּי - kiy) - A conjunction indicating reason or cause. It introduces the explanation for the preceding exhortation.
"the ways of the Lord": (Hebrew: דַּרְכֵי יְהוָה - darkei YHWH) - Refers to God's paths, His character, His conduct, His decrees, His actions, and the principles governing His interactions with humanity.
"are right": (Hebrew: יָשָׁר - yashar) - Straight, upright, right, equitable, just. It describes the inherent correctness and justice of God's character and actions.
"and": (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - Conjunction.
"the upright": (Hebrew: יְשָׁרִים - yəšārīm) - Those who are straight, equitable, honest, or right-hearted; the righteous.
"walk in them": (Hebrew: יְהַלְּכוּ - yəhalləḵū) - Imperfect verb from halak (to walk). To walk in, to conduct oneself according to, to live in conformity with. It implies living by God's standards.
"but": (Hebrew: וְ - wə) - Also used as a adversative conjunction "but" or "and yet."
"transgressors": (Hebrew: פּוֹשְׁעִים - pošə‘îm) - Rebels, those who commit iniquity, sinners. They are those who deliberately violate God's commands and ways.
"stumble": (Hebrew: יִכְשְׁלוּ - yikšəlū) - To stumble, to fall, to be overthrown. It signifies experiencing disaster or ruin due to their opposition to God's ways.
"in them": Refers back to "the ways of the Lord." They stumble in those ways by rejecting or misinterpreting them, or by attempting to walk contrary to them.
Phrase Group: "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them." This is a call to application of knowledge and a cultivation of wisdom that leads to an understanding of divine truth and action. It emphasizes that true wisdom isn't passive but requires active engagement and recognition of God's revelation.
Phrase Group: "For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." This statement establishes a clear dichotomy based on a person's relationship to God's revealed ways. God's path is inherently correct, leading to life for those who align with it. For those who rebel against these paths, they will find only ruin and failure within those very ways.
Hosea 14 9 Bonus Section
The closing imperative in Hosea 14:9 echoes themes found throughout Scripture. The concept of "understanding God's ways" is central to biblical wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes) and prophetic instruction. Jesus himself taught about hearing His words and acting on them, likening it to building a house on a rock, in contrast to the fool who hears but does not act (Matthew 7:24-27). The dual outcome for the wise and the transgressor reflects the broader biblical principle of sowing and reaping, where actions have immutable consequences before God. This verse reminds believers that spiritual discernment is not merely intellectual but deeply practical, impacting the very direction and outcome of one's life in relation to the unchanging character and governing principles of God.
Hosea 14 9 Commentary
This verse serves as the final, crucial directive in Hosea's prophecy. It encapsulates the essence of wisdom and understanding as an active, discerning engagement with God's character and actions. The "ways of the Lord" are not arbitrary but are described as inherently "right" – just, equitable, and perfect. Consequently, those who are truly wise and discerning will recognize this truth and choose to "walk in them." This implies obedience, alignment of one's life with God's principles, and a continual dependence on Him.
Conversely, the verse presents the inevitable outcome for those who oppose or ignore God's ways: they are "transgressors." They are characterized not by their opposition itself but by their fate "in them"—within God's perfectly ordered, righteous ways. Their transgression leads them to stumble, signifying ruin, failure, and judgment. This highlights that the very principles of God's righteousness that uphold the upright are the instruments of downfall for the wicked who actively reject Him. It underscores that God's sovereign ordering of the universe ensures that His ways are consistently beneficial for the righteous and calamitous for the unrepentant rebel. It’s a statement on divine justice and the inherent nature of God’s good design.