Hosea 7 14

Hosea 7:14 kjv

And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

Hosea 7:14 nkjv

They did not cry out to Me with their heart When they wailed upon their beds. "They assemble together for grain and new wine, They rebel against Me;

Hosea 7:14 niv

They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.

Hosea 7:14 esv

They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

Hosea 7:14 nlt

They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts.
Instead, they sit on their couches and wail.
They cut themselves, begging foreign gods for grain and new wine,
and they turn away from me.

Hosea 7 verses

Hosea 7 14 Meaning

The verse describes the people of Israel turning to the Lord for help not in true repentance but out of desperation, likely seeking relief from their distress. This turning was superficial, as they had also engaged in idolatry and other sins.

Hosea 7 14 Context

Hosea chapter 7 vividly portrays the deep-seated apostasy and persistent sin of the northern kingdom of Israel. Despite experiencing God's judgment and covenant blessings, they continually turned away from Him, engaging in idolatry, political intrigue, and moral decay. This particular verse (7:14) follows descriptions of their ineffective appeals to Egypt for aid, highlighting a pattern of seeking help from false saviors rather than the Lord. The historical context is the period leading up to the Assyrian exile of Israel, a time when the nation was ripe for divine judgment due to its unfaithfulness.

Hosea 7 14 Word Analysis

• וּלְגַּנִּיךְ (ul’gannikh) - "and to me they cry." The waw (ו) is a conjunction, linking this action to previous statements. Ganakh implies crying out or wailing, often in distress or to make a plea. The intent behind the cry is key here.
• בְּלִבָּם (b’libbam) - "in their heart." This signifies the seat of their intentions, emotions, and will. The verse is stating their distress was felt inwardly, but it questions the sincerity of this inner feeling in relation to their actions.
• וַיִּקְרָעוּ (vayyikra’u) - "and they tore." This refers to the act of rending garments, a outward sign of mourning, grief, or deep sorrow common in the ancient Near East as a public display of distress or repentance. The "waw" (ו) here denotes a sequential action.
• מִמֶּשְׁעָנוֹ (mimmesh’ano) - "from their oppressors." Mesh’an relates to a stay, support, or even a source of oppression if misused. In this context, it speaks of seeking liberation from their present difficulties or afflictions, implying they were experiencing hardship that led them to cry out. This phrase underscores the reason for their plea.

Words-group analysis:

• "cry out to me in their heart" - This phrase emphasizes a tension between an internal feeling of distress and the outward religious acts. The heart's condition is contrasted with the action of crying out. The Lord can discern the true state of the heart behind the outward performance.
• "they tore from their oppressors" - This highlights the context of their distress – being oppressed. Their turning to God was prompted by a desire to escape these oppressive circumstances, suggesting a self-serving motive rather than a true turning from sin itself. The "tearing" (of garments) was an expression of this desire for relief from oppression.

Hosea 7 14 Bonus Section

This verse touches on the important distinction between lamentation born of genuine remorse for sin and lamentation prompted solely by the painful consequences of that sin. While outward expressions of sorrow are not inherently wrong, God’s judgment is concerned with the heart's posture. True repentance involves a turning away from sin itself, not merely a desire for the pain of its consequences to cease. The people of Israel in Hosea’s time exemplified this shallow religiosity, seeking divine favor as a means to maintain their corrupt way of life, rather than embracing the transformative power of God's covenant.

Hosea 7 14 Commentary

Hosea 7:14 presents a tragic picture of Israel's conditional relationship with God. Their "crying out" and rending of garments are superficial responses to distress, not genuine repentance stemming from a love for God and sorrow for sin. They cried out "in their heart" indicating their suffering was felt, but their simultaneous turning to pagan gods and reliance on foreign alliances exposed the hollowness of their appeals to the Lord. God saw through their insincere acts of sorrow, recognizing that their motives were rooted in a desire to escape oppression and to retain their sinful practices rather than to wholeheartedly follow Him. This verse serves as a warning against religious observance devoid of true inner transformation and steadfast loyalty to God.