Hosea 7:6 kjv
For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
Hosea 7:6 nkjv
They prepare their heart like an oven, While they lie in wait; Their baker sleeps all night; In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
Hosea 7:6 niv
Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
Hosea 7:6 esv
For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
Hosea 7:6 nlt
Their hearts are like an oven
blazing with intrigue.
Their plot smolders through the night,
and in the morning it breaks out like a raging fire.
Hosea 7 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 7:1 | For when I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is seen, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood; and the thief enters, and the band of robbers without... | Warning against spiritual sickness |
| Isaiah 1:23 | Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come before them. | Similar condemnation of leadership |
| Jeremiah 9:3 | They bend their tongues like a bow to shoot lies. They are emboldened in the land, not for truth, but for wickedness. They go from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD. | Description of active wickedness |
| Psalms 7:14 | He conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to deceit. | God's insight into human evil |
| Romans 3:13 | Their throat is an open tomb; they use their tongues to deceive. The poison of asps is on their lips. | Parallel to deceitful speech |
| Proverbs 12:6 | The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. | God's view on wickedness |
| Matthew 15:19 | For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. | Source of evil originates from heart |
| Jeremiah 7:11 | Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. | Accusation of profanity |
| Hosea 6:10 | In the house of Israel I have seen a dreadful thing; Ephraim commits whoredom; Israel is defiled. | Continued description of defilement |
| 1 Corinthians 5:11 | But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality, or greed, or idolatry, or slander, or drunkenness, or extortion—not even to eat with such a one. | Avoiding sinful association |
| Genesis 6:5 | The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | Universal human sinfulness |
| Proverbs 22:14 | The mouth of a seductress is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it. | Warning against deceitful speech |
| Galatians 5:19 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | Works of the flesh listed |
| Amos 5:10 | They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks truthfully. | Opposition to reproof |
| 2 Peter 2:14 | They have eyes full of adultery, and they never cease from sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! | Description of corrupt hearts |
| Isaiah 29:15 | Woe to those who hide their counsel deep from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" | Hidden sin |
| Jeremiah 23:24 | Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. | God's omnipresence |
| Hebrews 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirits, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. | The power of God's word |
| 1 John 1:8 | If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. | Confession of sin |
| Psalm 10:7 | His mouth is filled with curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. | Similar description of corrupt speech |
| Ephesians 4:25 | Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. | Call to truthfulness |
Hosea 7 verses
Hosea 7 6 Meaning
This verse describes the spiritual state of Israel, likening them to a "furnace" where sin and rebellion are intensified. Their hearts are described as actively working with deceit and wickedness, particularly in plotting and scheming against God's people or God's will. It's a vivid picture of a people consumed by internal corruption and actively producing further evil.
Hosea 7 6 Context
Hosea 7:6 is situated within a larger prophecy concerning the unfaithfulness of the northern kingdom of Israel. In the preceding verses (Hosea 7:1-7), the prophet illustrates the pervasive sinfulness of Israel. They have been given opportunities for healing and return, but their iniquity is evident, and their leaders are characterized by falsehood and thievery. The image of the "furnace" here extends this condemnation. It suggests that their sins are not isolated incidents but a deep-seated corruption that has been actively stoked, making their hearts "burn" with wicked intent. This occurs during a time when they were deeply entangled in political alliances and idolatrous practices, often looking to foreign powers rather than to God for security and prosperity. Their actions were a direct affront to God's covenant relationship with them, highlighting a persistent refusal to repent and turn back to Him.
Hosea 7 6 Word Analysis
- "For" (Kiy): A conjunction introducing a reason or explanation. It connects the verse to the preceding narrative, showing why Israel's condition is dire.
- "they set" (yamadû): From the root yāmad, meaning "to stand," but here used in the sense of setting something in place, fixing, or preparing. It suggests a deliberate and intentional act.
- "their heart" (libbâm): The inner man, the seat of thoughts, emotions, will, and intentions. It signifies their inner disposition and motive.
- "an oven" (tannûr): A furnace or oven, often used for baking. Metaphorically, it signifies intense heat, active processes, and containment. It highlights a place where things are baked or processed to completion, here referring to the active development of sin.
- "hot" (ḥâm): Warm or hot. It indicates the intensity and readiness of their evil intentions, like an oven that is fired up and ready to bake.
- "while" (temôl): Yesterday, or recently. It suggests a continuity of action; their wicked heart was already active, and now it is being further stoked. It implies that this burning with deceit is not new.
- "he" (ḥôrësh): The baker or an oven-builder. This is a masculine singular noun, personifying the active creation of evil. Some understand this as referring to a hidden "plotter" or "deviser."
- "iniquity" (ʿāwen): Wickedness, guilt, or trouble. It's a general term for sin and its consequences.
- "while" (môlem): During or in the time of. Again, indicating a period of action or continuous engagement in something.
- "he" (gĕbûrâ): Strong; here likely referring to a mighty deed or the capacity for might/power, but often associated with mischief or cunning in such contexts.
- "breathes out" (yapəḥ): From the root pūaḥ, meaning to blow or breathe. It signifies emitting or breathing out something, like fumes from an oven, representing the active expression or manifestation of their evil plans.
- "deceit" (mirmah): Deceit, fraud, treachery. The culmination of their wicked scheming.
Word-group Analysis:
- "their heart an oven hot": This phrase paints a powerful image of the heart becoming a place where evil is intensely and constantly nurtured, much like a baker's oven that is perpetually kept hot for baking.
- "while he bakes iniquity": This suggests that the process of sin and its resultant guilt (iniquity) is actively being manufactured or cooked in this internal "oven."
- "while he breathes out deceit": This depicts the outward manifestation of the heart's corrupt state – the purposeful expulsion or spread of lies, treachery, and falsehood, much like breath issuing from lungs or fumes from a furnace.
Hosea 7 6 Bonus Section
The imagery of the furnace in the Old Testament can represent judgment (Amos 7:4, Malachi 4:1) or a place of refining and testing (Isaiah 48:10, Zechariah 13:9). In Hosea 7:6, however, the furnace is not one of God's active judgments being poured out upon them, but rather a self-generated one—a "furnace" of their own corrupt hearts, constantly heated by their own evil desires. This emphasizes their responsibility for their sin. The metaphor of "breathes out deceit" also evokes the Genesis narrative where God breathed life into Adam. Here, instead of breathing life, Israel "breathes out" corruption. This reversal highlights their rejection of God's life-giving spirit for the spirit of deception. The deep connection between the heart's intentions and outward actions is a consistent theme throughout Scripture, from Proverbs to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, showing that the source of sin is found within.
Hosea 7 6 Commentary
Hosea 7:6 is a poignant description of the pervasively corrupt heart of Israel. They are not merely failing; they are actively, internally generating wickedness. Their hearts function like a continuously heated furnace, where evil plans and sinful intents are constantly being processed and refined. This is not a passive state of sin, but an active, "burning" intensity, fueled by an internal process like that of a baker with his oven. The reference to "he bakes iniquity" suggests that their sinful acts are deliberate creations, produced by their own willful intent. The phrase "while he breathes out deceit" illustrates how these internal machinations find their outward expression in lies and treachery. They are deeply entrenched in their sin, with no inclination towards repentance, their entire inner being consumed by fueling their wicked schemes and communicating their falsehoods to others. This active "burning" and "breathing" signifies a deeply ingrained and productive capacity for evil.