Hosea 8:7 kjv
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
Hosea 8:7 nkjv
"They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.
Hosea 8:7 niv
"They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.
Hosea 8:7 esv
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.
Hosea 8:7 nlt
"They have planted the wind
and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
foreigners will eat it.
Hosea 8 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hosea 8:7 | For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. | Hosea 8:7 (Immediate Context) |
| Galatians 6:7 | For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. | Galatians 6:7 (Universal Law) |
| Proverbs 1:31 | So they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. | Proverbs 1:31 (Consequences of Folly) |
| Jeremiah 5:25 | Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you. | Jeremiah 5:25 (Sin's Effects) |
| Isaiah 40:24 | They have not been planted, Nor have they been sown; Nor has their stalk taken root in the earth; When He blows on them, they wither, And the whirlwind carries them away. | Isaiah 40:24 (Futile Effort) |
| Job 4:8 | Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same. | Job 4:8 (Justice and Consequences) |
| Ecclesiastes 11:3 | If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. | Ecclesiastes 11:3 (Natural Order, implies inevitability) |
| Psalm 37:2 | For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither like the green herb. | Psalm 37:2 (Wicked's Demise) |
| Leviticus 26:16 | I also will do this to you: I will bring upon you terror, wasting disease, and burning fever that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. | Leviticus 26:16 (Covenant Curses) |
| Deuteronomy 28:48 | therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of all things; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. | Deuteronomy 28:48 (Consequences of Disobedience) |
| Romans 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Romans 6:23 (Sin's Ultimate Consequence) |
| Amos 5:4 | For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live! | Amos 5:4 (Call to Seek God) |
| Jeremiah 3:15 | And I will give you pastors according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. | Jeremiah 3:15 (Future Restoration) |
| Matthew 7:2 | For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. | Matthew 7:2 (Principle of Reciprocity) |
| Hosea 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest to Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. | Hosea 4:6 (Cause of Destruction) |
| Hosea 5:12 | “For I will be like a moth to Ephraim, And like dry rot to the house of Judah. | Hosea 5:12 (Deterioration due to sin) |
| Hosea 10:13 | You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you trusted in your own ways, In the multitude of your mighty men. | Hosea 10:13 (Direct parallel in Hosea) |
| Hosea 13:3 | Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff driven from the threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney. | Hosea 13:3 (Futility of wicked actions) |
| Psalm 7:14-16 | He conceives mischief and brings forth iniquity; He conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down on his own pate. | Psalm 7:14-16 (Cycle of Wickedness) |
| Genesis 6:5 | Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | Genesis 6:5 (Universality of Sin's Problem) |
Hosea 8 verses
Hosea 8 7 Meaning
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. This verse is a powerful proverb illustrating a cause-and-effect relationship between actions and their consequences. Israel's foolish and wicked choices will inevitably lead to devastating and overwhelming destruction.
Hosea 8 7 Context
This verse is found in the Book of Hosea, a prophet sent by God to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a period of severe spiritual and moral decline, apostasy, and political instability. Israel had repeatedly turned away from God, embracing idolatry and engaging in immoral practices, often aligning themselves with foreign powers rather than relying on the Lord. They were not sowing seeds of righteousness and faithfulness, but rather sowing seeds of rebellion, syncretism, and political maneuvering that was built on deception and false reliance. The consequences of these actions would be devastating, leading to destruction and exile. The immediate context of chapter 8 depicts Israel's continued apostasy, their setting up kings without God's consent, and their reliance on idols rather than on the LORD for protection and prosperity. This verse serves as a stark warning of the inevitable harvest of their sin.
Hosea 8 7 Word Analysis
For (ki): Indicates a reason or explanation for what precedes.
they (hem): Refers to the people of Israel.
have sown (zaru): Past tense, signifying completed actions of sowing. Implies initiating something, planting seeds.
the wind (ruach): Literally "wind" or "spirit." Here it signifies something insubstantial, futile, chaotic, or spiritually corrupt. Their actions were as empty and uncontrollable as the wind.
and (va): Connects the first clause to the second.
they shall reap (yiketsu): Future tense, indicating an inevitable outcome. To harvest, to gather in what has been sown.
the whirlwind (so'arah): A strong storm, a tempest. Represents a catastrophic, overwhelming, and destructive consequence, far exceeding the initial "wind." It suggests chaos and total devastation.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "sown the wind": This phrase vividly portrays Israel's actions as sowing something useless and volatile. It reflects their adoption of false religious practices, their pursuit of political alliances based on deceit, and their disregard for God's commands. They were cultivating an environment of spiritual and moral corruption.
- "reap the whirlwind": This idiom signifies reaping a harvest that is a direct, magnified, and disastrous consequence of the seeds sown. If one sows triviality, folly, or corruption, one will reap severe judgment and utter ruin. The "whirlwind" suggests a complete scattering and destruction, mirroring the way a whirlwind can obliterate everything in its path.
Hosea 8 7 Bonus Section
The concept of sowing and reaping is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, emphasizing God's order and justice. In the New Testament, Jesus uses a similar agricultural metaphor in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), where different types of soil represent varied responses to God's word, leading to different yields. However, Hosea 8:7 specifically focuses on the negative consequences of unfaithfulness and rebellion. The "whirlwind" is particularly potent imagery, suggesting not just misfortune but a violent and uncontrolled judgment that sweeps away all that has been built on unrighteousness. This verse encapsulates the dire warning that spiritual compromise and rebellion will always yield a bitter harvest, leading to desolation.
Hosea 8 7 Commentary
Hosea 8:7 is a timeless principle of divine justice. Israel's persistent rebellion against God, characterized by their embrace of idolatry and reliance on flawed human systems rather than on divine covenant, is portrayed as planting ephemeral "wind." This "wind" represents their superficial devotion, their dependence on empty promises and alliances, and their commitment to self-serving strategies. The predictable and inevitable outcome of sowing such things is reaping a "whirlwind"—a catastrophic, destructive force of divine judgment. This whirlwind symbolizes the calamitous consequences that will engulf them, including invasion, exile, and complete devastation, as a direct result of their apostasy. The proverb underscores that actions have inescapable consequences, especially in the context of one's relationship with God. Their "sowing" was not accidental but deliberate, a choice to reject God's path for their own. The harvest will be equally deliberate, a manifestation of God's righteous judgment against their disobedience and betrayal.