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