Hosea 4 18

Hosea 4:18 kjv

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.

Hosea 4:18 nkjv

Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor.

Hosea 4:18 niv

Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways.

Hosea 4:18 esv

When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame.

Hosea 4:18 nlt

When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking,
off they go to find some prostitutes.
They love shame more than honor.

Hosea 4 18 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Hosea 4:18Their drink is turned into bitterness.Old Testament
Psa 75:8Cup is in the LORD's hand...Judgment of God's wrath
Isa 51:17Drank the cup of wrath of the LORD.Divine judgment
Jer 13:13Shall drink the wine of astonishment.Consequence of sin
Lam 4:21Thou shalt surely drink of it.Judgment upon Edom
Eze 23:33Shall drink the dregs of thine eldering.Judgment on Samaria
Amos 6:12That turn justice into wormwood.Perversion of righteousness
Zeph 1:7God hath prepared a sacrifice.Day of the LORD
Zech 1:2I was very angry with your fathers.God's displeasure
Matt 7:13Broad is the way that leads to destruction.Way of destruction
Luke 13:3Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.Call to repentance
Rev 14:10Drink of the wine of the wrath of God.Final judgment
Lev 26:16I will also do this unto you; even set upon youPunishment for disobedience
Deut 28:28The LORD will smite thee with madness.Curses of the covenant
Psa 11:6Rainy fire and brimstone.God's judgment
Jer 25:15Take the cup of this wine of my fury.Jeremiah's commission
Hab 2:15That puttest thy bottle to thy neighbour.Woes to the oppressor
1 Cor 10:22Do we provoke the LORD to jealousy?Warning against idolatry
Rev 16:19Great Babylon... to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.Judgment on Babylon
Joel 3:13The press is full, the vats overflow.Day of judgment
Ps 73:19They are consumed with terrors.Enemies of God's people

Hosea 4 verses

Hosea 4 18 Meaning

When Israel turns from God, their devotion to idols brings destruction and judgment upon them.

Hosea 4 18 Context

Hosea's prophecy addresses the Northern Kingdom of Israel, particularly during a period of spiritual apostasy and political instability. The nation had turned away from Yahweh, engaging in idolatry and immoral practices, often influenced by foreign cults. This verse appears in a section where Hosea describes the pervasive corruption within Israel, from the priests to the common people. The judgment proclaimed is a consequence of their persistent unfaithfulness to their covenant relationship with God. The specific imagery of turning something into bitterness highlights the disastrous outcome of their chosen path.

Hosea 4 18 Word Analysis

  • Israel: (Yisra'el) - The name signifies "God strives" or "he prince of God," referring to the people descended from Jacob, particularly the Northern Kingdom at this time.

  • Has gone after: (Halak) - Means to go, walk, proceed. Here, it signifies adherence or pursuit, indicating a departure from the right path toward something else.

  • Joined herself: (Dabak) - Clinging, cleaving, being glued. It emphasizes a close, persistent, and passionate attachment.

  • Hosea 4:18 - Word by word:

    • When: Temporal conjunction, introducing the condition for the consequence.
    • Israel: The subject, the covenant people.
    • has gone after: Continued pursuit of other gods.
    • foreign: Belonging to others, alien.
    • gods: False deities, idols.
    • is joined: A strong, tenacious, relational bond.
    • with: Connection or association.
    • them: The foreign gods.
    • leave: To abandon, forsake.
    • her: Refers to Israel, treated as a feminine entity in the covenant.
    • therefore: Conjunction indicating a cause-and-effect relationship.
    • My: Pertaining to God (Yahweh).
    • anger: Divine displeasure and wrath.
    • shall: Future certainty.
    • be: To exist.
    • kindled: Ignited, set ablaze; indicating intensity.
    • against: Directed towards.
    • them: Israel.
    • her: Israel.
    • their: Pertaining to Israel's practices or associations.
    • drink: The act of imbibing, metaphor for experiencing.
    • is turned: Changed, transformed.
    • into: Resulting in.
    • bitterness: Acrid taste; metaphor for suffering, sorrow, calamity.
  • Words group analysis:

    • "gone after foreign gods... joined herself with them": This phrase describes Israel's act of covenant-breaking by embracing idolatry, a total abandonment of their exclusive relationship with Yahweh.
    • "leave her therefore": This indicates God's abandonment of Israel as a consequence of their infidelity, a reversal of His earlier faithfulness.
    • "My anger shall be kindled against them": Expresses God's righteous wrath in response to their persistent sin.
    • "their drink is turned into bitterness": A potent metaphor illustrating that the very sources of their perceived pleasure and strength (represented by drink) are transformed by God's judgment into sources of suffering and distress.

Hosea 4 18 Bonus Section

The imagery of the "cup" of God's wrath is a recurring theme in the Old Testament (Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15). Here, the "drink" of Israel is metaphorically turned into "bitterness," signifying that their chosen way of life, which they may have found intoxicating or enjoyable in its sinfulness, will culminate in an inescapable experience of divine judgment. The parallel in the New Testament is often seen in references to drinking the "cup of the wrath of God" (Revelation 14:10). This emphasizes that whatever earthly "drink" of sin and idolatry Israel partook in, its final measure will be filled with God's unmixed judgment.

Hosea 4 18 Commentary

This verse vividly portrays the consequence of unfaithfulness to God. Israel’s pursuit of idols, depicted as an adulterous act of "joining" with foreign deities, provokes divine anger. The result is a transformation of what should bring them pleasure and sustenance (represented by "drink") into something that causes immense pain and sorrow ("bitterness"). This means their pursuit of worldly alliances, their reliance on their own strength rather than God's, and their embrace of corrupt practices will ultimately lead to devastating consequences. The judgment is not arbitrary but a direct, logical outcome of their rejection of God and His covenant.