Hosea 8:3 kjv
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
Hosea 8:3 nkjv
Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.
Hosea 8:3 niv
But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.
Hosea 8:3 esv
Israel has spurned the good; the enemy shall pursue him.
Hosea 8:3 nlt
But it is too late.
The people of Israel have rejected what is good,
and now their enemies will chase after them.
Hosea 8 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 8:4 | They made kings, but not by me; they set up princes, but I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. | Hosea 13:11 (Similar statement) |
| Deuteronomy 32:38 | "For they are a nation void of counsel, and no understanding is in them." | Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (Consequences of disobedience) |
| 1 Samuel 8:7 | "For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." | 1 Samuel 10:19 (God's displeasure with the king) |
| 2 Kings 17:4 | "But when he saw that the king of Assyria had sent messengers to him to offer rebellion, he shut himself up, and did not strengthen himself with the king of Assyria." | 2 Kings 18:9-12 (Exile of Israel) |
| Jeremiah 2:27 | "And they say to a piece of wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You have borne me.’" | Psalm 115:4-8 (Futility of idols) |
| Isaiah 31:7 | "For in that day each man shall reject his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made for you as sin." | Isaiah 2:8 (Condemnation of idols) |
| Hosea 5:11 | "Ephraim is oppressed, a victim of injustice, because he was determined to follow foolish commands." | Hosea 7:11 (Ephraim’s folly) |
| Psalm 78:57 | "But they sinned against him and rebelled against the Most High in the desert." | Psalm 106:43 (Israel's rebellion) |
| Proverbs 23:17 | "Let not your heart envy sinners, but be jealous for the LORD all the day long." | Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord) |
| Hosea 10:3 | "For now they will say, ‘We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD.’ And what good can a king do for us?" | Hosea 13:10-11 (Rejection of God's rule) |
| Acts 7:51 | "You stiffnecked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." | Romans 1:22-23 (Idolatry) |
| John 15:19 | "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." | 1 John 2:15-16 (Not loving the world) |
| Revelation 17:12 | "And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast." | Revelation 13:1-10 (The beast and its kings) |
| Romans 2:14 | "For when Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature what the law requires, they are showing that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness." | Galatians 5:23 (Fruit of the Spirit) |
| Hosea 7:7 | "He has been a fire within Ephraim; they are like fuel for the Assyrian king and the Arab chieftains." | Nahum 1:6 (God’s wrath) |
| Amos 6:13 | "You who make your boast of taking things by your own strength, and say, ‘Have we not by our own strength taken our fortresses?’" | Amos 5:18-20 (Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord) |
| Hosea 9:15 | "Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I came to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their evil deeds I will drive them out of my house." | Hosea 4:15 (Pilgrimage centers as sites of sin) |
| Zechariah 11:5 | "Bargain for them, and whatever you pay, I will pay it back into the treasury. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD." | Matthew 27:3-10 (Judas' betrayal) |
| Jeremiah 22:24-27 | "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear it off," | 2 Kings 24:8-16 (Deposition of Jehoiakim) |
| 1 Kings 12:28-30 | "So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to them, ‘You have gone up long enough to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’" | 1 Kings 12:32-33 (Jeroboam’s golden calves) |
Hosea 8 verses
Hosea 8 3 Meaning
Israel has rejected good, and therefore, they are pursued by an enemy. This enemy is the Lord’s instrument of judgment for their apostasy. They have made a king for themselves from among themselves, not from the Davidic line established by God.
Hosea 8 3 Context
Hosea chapter 8 prophesies judgment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The people have turned away from the Lord, engaging in idolatry, political alliances based on worldly wisdom rather than divine guidance, and general disobedience. They have adopted the corrupt practices of the surrounding nations and have effectively rejected God's kingship and covenant faithfulness. This verse specifically addresses their misguided leadership and the ultimate consequence of their actions: destruction and scattering. The historical backdrop is a time when Israel was often involved in seeking aid from powerful nations like Assyria or Egypt, rather than trusting in the Lord. This verse highlights their rebellion by establishing leaders and rulers "not by me" (God).
Hosea 8 3 Word Analysis
Know (Hebrew: יָדַע, yādá‘): Means to know, understand, perceive, discern, be acquainted with. It carries a sense of intimate knowledge and relational awareness. God is saying He does not have this kind of knowing relationship with their actions and rulers.
Israel: Refers to the Northern Kingdom.
Transgressed (Hebrew: עָבַר, ‘āḇar): Means to cross over, pass over, transgress, trespass. It signifies a breach of divine law and covenant.
Greatly (Hebrew: מְאֹד, mə’ōḏ): Intensifies the degree of transgression.
Has cast off (Hebrew: קָרַס, qāras; later translations often use נָטַשׁ, nāṭaś): Implies abandoning, forsaking, or discarding. The imagery is strong—they have tossed away God's law as something worthless.
Good (Hebrew: טוֹב, ṭōḇ): Refers to what is morally right, pleasing to God, beneficial, and in accordance with His will.
Rejected (Hebrew: מָאַס, mā’ăs): To refuse, reject, despise, abhor. It denotes a deliberate and strong dismissal.
Have made (Hebrew: עָשָׂה, ‘āśâ): To do, make, fashion. Refers to the active creation of kings and princes.
Kings (Hebrew: מְלָכִים, məlāḵīm): Plural of king, indicating multiple rulers.
Not by me: Emphasizes that these leaders were not chosen or sanctioned by God according to His covenantal appointments, specifically the Davidic line.
Have set up princes (Hebrew: קִיּוֹם שָׂרִים, qîyyûm śārîm): Princes (Hebrew: שָׂרִים, śārîm) refers to rulers or leaders, often tribal or military. “Set up” implies establishment or appointment, but unauthorized by God.
But I knew it not: Reinforces God’s lack of recognition or approval for these chosen leaders and their unauthorized ascent to power.
Israel has cast off that which is good is a collective action indicating the nation's repudiation of divine instruction.
An enemy shall pursue them links their rejection of good directly to their future calamity.
Have made kings, but not by me highlights their self-sufficiency and defiance of God's chosen leadership.
Hosea 8 3 Bonus Section
The "enemy" pursuing them speaks to the consistent theme in Deuteronomy where disobedience leads to being overtaken by one's enemies (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). The concept of God not "knowing" their kings or princes implies a broken relationship; God is dissociated from their illegitimate rulers and their illegitimate means of governance. This verse is a stark reminder that God's sovereignty extends to national leadership, and any attempt to establish authority without His consent is an act of rebellion with severe consequences. The idolatrous nature of these self-made kings, as stated in the following verse (Hosea 8:4), further underscores their apostasy. Their silver and gold, meant for worship of God, were used to create idols and fund illegitimate rulers.
Hosea 8 3 Commentary
Hosea 8:3 condemns Israel for abandoning God’s statutes and commandments, which are the source of true goodness and prosperity. This willful rejection leads to their downfall. They have appointed leaders and established a political structure apart from God’s authorization and oversight. This signifies a complete inversion of their covenantal relationship, where God was meant to be their sovereign. Their kings were not divinely appointed in line with God's promises (e.g., the Davidic dynasty). This misplaced allegiance and self-governance, lacking God’s wisdom and authority, inevitably invites external enemies and divine judgment, leading to their eventual destruction and exile. Their apostasy makes them vulnerable to pursuit and capture.