Hosea 6 10

Hosea 6:10 kjv

I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Hosea 6:10 nkjv

I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: There is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled.

Hosea 6:10 niv

I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: There Ephraim is given to prostitution, Israel is defiled.

Hosea 6:10 esv

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

Hosea 6:10 nlt

Yes, I have seen something horrible in Ephraim and Israel:
My people are defiled by prostituting themselves with other gods!

Hosea 6 verses

Hosea 6 10 Meaning

This verse describes a turning point from widespread apostasy and divine judgment towards hope and a restoration of God's people. It signifies a spiritual sickness, a failing to grasp the severity of their sin and God's warnings, leading to judgment. Yet, it concludes with a prophetic glimpse of a renewed relationship with God.

Hosea 6 10 Context

Hosea 6:10 addresses a critical point in God's message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a period of significant spiritual decay and political instability. The preceding verses (Hosea 6:4-7) lament the superficial repentance of Israel, which is likened to the morning mist that quickly vanishes. Their religious acts were hollow, devoid of genuine devotion and a proper understanding of God's character. They had mixed divine worship with idolatry and failed to act justly or know God truly. This verse serves as a transition from highlighting their persistent sinfulness and the impending divine judgment to a prophetic declaration of a future restorative act. The historical backdrop involves Israel's vacillation between loyalty to Yahweh and engagement with Canaanite cults, a practice that drew God's severe displeasure and prophesied judgment, ultimately leading to the Assyrian exile.

Hosea 6 10 Word Analysis

• Samaria (שֹׁמְרוֹן):
  • Transliteration: Shomeron
  • Meaning: "Watchtower" or "fortress."
  • Significance: Refers to the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It represents the political and spiritual center of a nation that had largely fallen into apostasy. Its mention here underscores the widespread nature of sin in the kingdom.
• Dreadful (אָוֶן):
  • Transliteration: 'aven
  • Meaning: Iniquity, wickedness, sin, guilt, false worship, punishment for sin.
  • Significance: While typically meaning "iniquity," in this context, some scholars suggest it could imply a "perpetrator of iniquity" or a place where great wickedness is committed. It points to a deep-seated corruption and a dreadful state of sin.
• Lying (שֶׁקֶר):
  • Transliteration: sheqer
  • Meaning: Falsehood, deceit, lie, failure.
  • Significance: Emphasizes the deceptive nature of their covenant-breaking and their allegiance to false gods and practices. It signifies a betrayal of their covenant with God.
• Laying wait (אֹרֶב):
  • Transliteration: 'orev
  • Meaning: Ambusher, lying in wait, ambush, plot.
  • Significance: Suggests a malicious and premeditated approach to sin, like an ambusher waiting to strike. It conveys a deliberate plotting against God and righteousness.
• Murder (רֶצַח):
  • Transliteration: retzach
  • Meaning: Murder, slaughter.
  • Significance: Represents the extreme perversion of justice and the shedding of innocent blood that characterized their society, a direct violation of God's commands. It points to a culture of violence and injustice.
• Spilling (שְׁפִיכַת):
  • Transliteration: shfichut
  • Meaning: Shedding, pouring out.
  • Significance: Connects with the preceding "murder," reinforcing the act of bloodshed and its gravity. It highlights the violent actions taken against others.
• Blood (דָּם):
  • Transliteration: dam
  • Meaning: Blood.
  • Significance: Symbolizes life, but here it signifies the perversion of life through violence and injustice. It evokes the covenant of blood and the consequences of breaking it.
• Covenant (בְּרִית):
  • Transliteration: berith
  • Meaning: Covenant, agreement, league.
  • Significance: The people had broken their covenant with God by their unfaithfulness, idolatry, and injustice. This verse implies their entire existence was characterized by a covenant of sin and bloodshed.
• Violence (חָמָס):
  • Transliteration: chamas
  • Meaning: Violence, injustice, wrongdoing, oppression.
  • Significance: Summarizes the oppressive and unjust system they had built, characterized by violence and deceit. It speaks to systemic unrighteousness.
• Plotting (זִמָּה):
  • Transliteration: zimmah
  • Meaning: Plot, device, design, wicked device.
  • Significance: Refers to the deceitful and wicked schemes and conspiracies they engaged in, often against God's will and His people. It suggests calculated sin.
• Conceived (וּדְגוּ):
  • Transliteration: udegû
  • Meaning: and devised, conceived, purposed. (This is an imperative form, suggesting God’s command concerning their plans).
  • Significance: Some interpret this as God commanding their plotting and deception to be carried out in order to reveal their sin and bring judgment. It’s a strong indication of God's sovereign oversight even in human wickedness for His purposes.

Hosea 6 10 Bonus Section

The concept of Israel's "wicked plots" and "shedding blood" echoes the larger prophetic theme of the nation's cycle of disobedience, judgment, and eventual restoration. Their failure to discern the spiritual "iniquity" led them to engage in practices that brought God's wrath, aligning with the pattern seen throughout the books of Judges and Kings. This verse also prepares for the fulfillment found in the New Testament, where Christ's atoning sacrifice cleanses believers from sin and violence, offering a true covenant of grace. His own suffering and death are a result of human plots and shedding of blood, yet His resurrection brings ultimate redemption. The prophetic utterance in this verse serves as a theological diagnosis, explaining why judgment was inevitable for Israel's moral and spiritual decay. It’s a snapshot of a covenant community actively collaborating in its own downfall through a deliberate embrace of sin.

Hosea 6 10 Commentary

Hosea 6:10 reveals a stark reality: Israel, in Samaria, had sunk to a low point of spiritual and moral corruption. Their actions were not accidental or minor lapses, but deeply ingrained "iniquity" and "falsehood." The imagery of "lying in wait," "murder," and "spilling blood" vividly portrays a society rife with violence and injustice, where wickedness was meticulously planned and executed. The verse connects this "violence" to "plot" and "conception," implying that their sins were deliberate, thought-out strategies that violated their covenant with God. They had made a "covenant with death" (Isaiah 28:18) through their rebellion, making their community a breeding ground for sin. This perverted covenant was manifest in their systemic unrighteousness. The mention of Samaria as the center of these acts signifies the pervasive nature of this sin throughout the kingdom. Despite the severity, God's ultimate purpose, as hinted in later verses, is a call to repentance and a promise of restoration. This verse highlights the extreme depravity that necessitates divine intervention and judgment, but also prepares the ground for the mercy God eventually extends. It calls for a spiritual diagnosis of sin's roots – it's not just acts, but the deep-seated intentions and plots behind them.