Hosea 4:5 kjv
Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
Hosea 4:5 nkjv
Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother.
Hosea 4:5 niv
You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother?
Hosea 4:5 esv
You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
Hosea 4:5 nlt
So you will stumble in broad daylight,
and your false prophets will fall with you in the night.
And I will destroy Israel, your mother.
Hosea 4 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 4:5 | "You will stumble by day... and prophets will stumble with you..." | Hosea 4:5 (Full Verse) |
| Isaiah 5:12 | "They do not regard the deeds of the LORD, nor consider the work of His hands." | Isaiah 5:12 (Judgment) |
| Jeremiah 6:16 | "Stand by the ways and look, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it..." | Jeremiah 6:16 (Rejecting God's Way) |
| Proverbs 3:5-6 | "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." | Proverbs 3:5-6 (Seeking God's Guidance) |
| John 1:10 | "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him." | John 1:10 (Spiritual Blindness) |
| 1 Corinthians 1:20 | "Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" | 1 Cor 1:20 (Folly of Human Wisdom) |
| Romans 1:21-23 | "For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools..." | Rom 1:21-23 (Rejection of God's Knowledge) |
| Hosea 5:1-2 | "Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! And give ear, O house of the king! For judgment is against you, Indeed, you have been a snare at Mizpah, And a net spread upon Tabor." | Hosea 5:1-2 (Judgment on Priests and Leaders) |
| Micah 3:11 | "Her princes judge for bribes, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money; Yet they lean on the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us."" | Micah 3:11 (Corrupt Leadership) |
| Matthew 15:14 | "Let them alone. They are blind guides. And if a blind guide leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit." | Matt 15:14 (Blind Leaders) |
| Luke 1:79 | "...to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” | Luke 1:79 (God as Guide) |
| Psalm 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." | Ps 119:105 (God's Word as Guide) |
| 1 Samuel 12:23 | "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way." | 1 Sam 12:23 (Prayer and Instruction) |
| Deuteronomy 32:47 | "For it is not a vain word for you, it is your life, and by this word you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess." | Deut 32:47 (The Word is Life) |
| Acts 20:20 | "...and how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, nor from teaching you in public and from house to house," | Acts 20:20 (Holistic Teaching) |
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me..." | Hosea 4:6 (Rejection of Knowledge) |
| 1 John 4:8 | "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." | 1 John 4:8 (Knowing God) |
| Isaiah 29:14 | "Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful work among this people, a wonderful work and a wonder, and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” | Isaiah 29:14 (Hidden Wisdom) |
| Jeremiah 8:9 | "The wise put them to shame; they are dismayed and trapped; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?” | Jeremiah 8:9 (Rejection of God's Word) |
| Romans 10:2-3 | "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” | Rom 10:2-3 (Zeal without Knowledge) |
Hosea 4 verses
Hosea 4 5 Meaning
The prophet Hosea declares that both the people and the priests of Israel will stumble. Their stumbling is a consequence of their moral corruption and the misuse of their knowledge. They have rejected the Lord’s law, leading to their downfall and the inevitable judgment that will follow.
Hosea 4 5 Context
Hosea chapter 4 addresses the deep spiritual and moral decay of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a period of religious syncretism and political instability. The covenant promises have been broken due to widespread idolatry, social injustice, and the corruption of religious leaders. The verse is part of a broader indictment against Israel, emphasizing their impending doom as a consequence of their disobedience and spiritual blindness. This blindness is attributed to their rejection of God’s guidance and their misplaced trust in human wisdom and power.
Hosea 4 5 Word Analysis
wə (wə) - And. A conjunctive particle, indicating a continuation of the preceding thought.
yāḥîd (yāḥîd) - day. Refers to the literal daytime, but also implies a complete cycle, thus extending to stumbling throughout life or in full daylight, where their sin is evident.
wə (wə) - and. Again, linking the stumbling of the people with that of their leaders.
šeqər (šeqer) - failure, stumble, or downfall. Denotes a spiritual and moral collapse resulting from error and deviation from God's path.
šôṯîm (šōṯîm) - stumble. Participle, signifying an ongoing or characteristic action of falling into sin and ruin.
bə (bə) - in. A preposition indicating the medium or circumstance of stumbling.
yōm (yōm) - day. Literal day, signifying open shame or continuous period of consequence.
kêmô (kêmô) - like, as. A simile introducing a comparison.
zōṯêr (zōṯêr) - noble, principal, chief. Refers to the elite, the leaders of society, the ones expected to guide.
rôwēaʿ (rōwēaʿ) - warrior, mighty man. Also can refer to the mighty or powerful, implying those in positions of strength and authority.
kêmōw (kêmōw) - like him, in like manner. A comparative particle, linking the stumbling of the noble to that of the people, emphasizing shared culpability.
wə (wə) - and. Further connects the groups.
nĕbîyîm (nĕbîyîm) - prophets. Those who claim to speak for God, yet are also implicated in the downfall.
šôṭîm (šōṭîm) - stumble. Again, highlighting the active process of falling, particularly relevant to those who should have provided spiritual clarity.
kĕmôhem (kĕmōhem) - like them, in like manner with them. The people stumble like their leaders, and the leaders stumble in the same way as the people, indicating a pervasive moral confusion.
Analysis of key phrases:
- "You will stumble by day": This suggests that Israel’s errors are not hidden, but occur in the open. Their transgressions are blatant and without shame. It can also imply stumbling even during times of apparent peace or prosperity, indicating an internal rot.
- "like noble warrior": The powerful and leading figures in society, who should have been beacons of integrity and wisdom, also stumble. This points to a collapse of leadership, both civil and religious.
- "and prophets will stumble with you": This is a critical indictment. The very individuals who should have guided the people back to God are themselves compromised and leading them astray. Their spiritual discernment is clouded, and their guidance is faulty, leading to a collective downfall.
Hosea 4 5 Bonus Section
The word for "stumble" (šāḥaḥ) in the original Hebrew can carry a deeper meaning of being morally undermined or brought low by one's own actions and ignorance. The failure is not accidental but a result of actively rejecting God's prescribed way and His Word. The corruption extends to the prophets, who, by not discerning God's will, have become spiritual hazards rather than guides. This is echoed in the New Testament’s warning about blind guides (Matthew 15:14), emphasizing the critical role of genuine spiritual insight derived from a relationship with God. The lack of genuine "knowledge" as described in the following verse (Hosea 4:6) is the root cause of this pervasive stumbling.
Hosea 4 5 Commentary
This verse serves as a stark warning about the consequences of spiritual blindness and the corruption of leadership. When a nation rejects God's truth, its leaders, including its spiritual guides, are not immune to falling into ruin. Their perceived "wisdom" and "might" become avenues for error and stumbling, leading the entire populace into a disastrous path. The imagery of stumbling "by day" underscores the open and shameless nature of their transgressions. The interconnectedness of the people and their prophets in this stumbling highlights a complete societal breakdown where guidance and guidance-seekers alike are lost. It emphasizes that true guidance comes from adherence to divine law, not from worldly power or claimed prophetic insight devoid of God’s truth.