Hosea 4:4 kjv
Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
Hosea 4:4 nkjv
"Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
Hosea 4:4 niv
"But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.
Hosea 4:4 esv
Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.
Hosea 4:4 nlt
"Don't point your finger at someone else
and try to pass the blame!
My complaint, you priests,
is with you.
Hosea 4 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee..." | Rejection of divine knowledge |
| Jeremiah 6:13 | "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them is given up to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest they do falsely..." | Pervasive sin among leaders |
| Isaiah 1:23 | "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them." | Corruption of leadership |
| 2 Timothy 3:7 | "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." | Resistance to truth |
| Amos 7:10 | "Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words." | Conflict between prophet and priest |
| Micah 3:11 | "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us." | Hire and corruption of priests |
| 2 Chronicles 36:16 | "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." | Mocking God's messengers |
| Hebrews 12:10 | "For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." | Divine discipline for our profit |
| Proverbs 29:1 | "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." | Consequences of stubbornness |
| Romans 1:28 | "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;" | God giving people over to sin |
| John 3:19 | "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." | Love of darkness over light |
| Jeremiah 5:31 | "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" | People loving deception |
| Matthew 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" | Rejection of God's messengers |
| Titus 1:10 | "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:" | Deceivers among religious ranks |
| Acts 7:51 | "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." | Resisting the Holy Spirit |
| Galatians 5:17 | "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." | Conflict between flesh and Spirit |
| Proverbs 26:4 | "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." | Not engaging with the foolish |
| Isaiah 9:16 | "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." | Misleading leadership |
| Psalm 36:1 | "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before him." | Lack of fear of God |
| 1 Corinthians 6:7 | "Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" | Strife among believers |
Hosea 4 verses
Hosea 4 4 Meaning
"Yet let no man strive, nor let any man reprove; for thy people are as those that strive with the priest." This verse from Hosea declares that the people of Israel are so deeply entrenched in their sin that they have lost the capacity for correction. Their behavior is so defiant that even attempts to admonish them are futile. They act as if they are confronting the very priests, their spiritual leaders, indicating a profound disrespect for divine authority and the established order of worship and guidance.
Hosea 4 4 Context
Hosea chapter 4 addresses the deep-seated sin and apostasy of the northern kingdom of Israel. The people have turned away from Yahweh, embracing idolatry and moral corruption. The priests, who should be guides, have also failed in their duty, leading the people astray. This specific verse, Hosea 4:4, serves as a strong indictment of the people's hardened hearts. They are so resistant to divine counsel and reproof that engaging with them in any form of correction or argument is futile, as they would oppose even the priests, God's appointed mediators. This reflects a general spiritual decline where respect for God's word and His representatives is absent.
Hosea 4 4 Word Analysis
אָחַר (achar) - "strive", "contend", "dispute." This word denotes active opposition or argument, implying a readiness to fight or quarrel.
רִיב (riv) - "contend", "strive", "reprove", "plead." It carries the sense of bringing a case or dispute, whether legally or figuratively, and also of admonishing or reproving.
כִּי (ki) - "for", "because", "that." A common conjunction indicating reason or explanation.
עַמֶּךָ (ammekha) - "your people." Refers specifically to the people of Israel, addressed by the prophet.
כְּשַׁפְטֵי (kashphte) - "as those who judge" or "as the ones who strive with." The root שׁפט (shaphat) can mean to judge, govern, or contend. In this context, it links to the idea of opposing authority or being in conflict.
לְּמִשְׁפָּט (lemishpat) - "with the priest." The preposition לְ (le) signifies "to" or "with," and כֹּהֵן (kohen) means "priest." This phrase indicates their confrontational stance toward their spiritual leaders.
Group Analysis: The phrasing "let no man strive, nor let any man reprove" suggests a complete breakdown of accountability. The analogy of being "as those that strive with the priest" illustrates the depth of their defiance. It signifies not just disobedience, but a direct challenge to God's appointed authority and the spiritual order He established. They have moved beyond simply ignoring counsel to actively resisting it, treating God's messengers as adversaries.
Hosea 4 4 Bonus Section
The verse's imagery of "striving with the priest" points to a rebellion against divine mediation and the sacred. In ancient Israel, the priest was the intermediary between God and the people, responsible for teaching the law and performing sacrifices. To contend with the priest was to contend with God Himself. This passage serves as a powerful theological statement about the danger of spiritual rebellion, which not only affects individual lives but also leads to the decay of societal order and the community's relationship with God. It's a warning that a nation's spiritual health is directly tied to its obedience and respect for divine authority.
Hosea 4 4 Commentary
Hosea 4:4 pronounces a dire consequence of Israel's pervasive sin: an inability to receive correction. Their spiritual blindness and defiance are so profound that all attempts at reproof are met with resistance. The people's behavior has become so corrupted that they mirror those who openly dispute with the priests, showing a blatant disregard for God's ordained channels of guidance and truth. This hardening of heart leads to inevitable judgment, as a people unwilling to be corrected cannot escape the consequences of their sin. It highlights the importance of humility and receptiveness to God's word through His messengers.