Hosea 8 KJV
1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
2 Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
4 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
5 Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
6 For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
Hosea Chapter 8 (Old Testament, King James Bible)
7 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.
8 Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
9 For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
10 Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
11 Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
12 I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
Hosea Chapter 8 (Old Testament)
13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
14 For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
| Hebrew Word + Transliteration | Verse + Snippet | Meaning | Scholarly Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| יָרֵא — yare’ | Verse 1 — “because they have transgressed my covenant…” | Fear, revere | Yare’ (“fear/revere”) signals covenant awe (fear). Israel lacks holy reverence. The term reveals heart-level departure. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Hebrew Lexicon (1857) |
| בְּרִית — berit | Verse 1 — “transgressed my covenant…” | Covenant | Berit (“covenant”) expresses binding relationship (covenant). Hosea indicts them for violating sacred commitments. The term anchors the moral charge. — C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Minor Prophets (1866) |
| פָּשַׁע — pasha‘ | Verse 1 — “transgressed…” | Rebel, break away | Pasha‘ (“rebel”) indicates willful revolt (rebellion). Israel tears away from God’s rule. The term shows intentional disobedience. — Franz Delitzsch, OT Commentary (1884) |
| זָנָה — zanah | Verse 4 — “they have set up kings, but not by me…” | Play the harlot | Zanah (“to commit harlotry”) denotes spiritual infidelity (harlotry). Israel chooses rulers outside divine order. The term underscores idolatrous independence. — S. R. Driver, Old Testament Literature (1891) |
| מַסֵּכָה — massekhah | Verse 4 — “they made them idols…” | Molten image | Massekhah (“molten image”) describes cast idols (idol). Hosea confronts man-made religion. The term contrasts Creator with created things. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Lexicon (1857) |
| זָנַח — zanach | Verse 3 — “Israel hath cast off…” | Reject, spurn | Zanach (“reject/spurn”) denotes disdain (reject). Israel spurns the good God offers. The term conveys contemptuous turning. — C. F. Keil, Minor Prophets Commentary (1866) |
| קָצַר — qatsar | Verse 7 — “they shall reap the whirlwind…” | Reap, harvest | Qatsar (“reap”) represents consequential return (reap). Israel’s choices yield destructive outcomes. The term stresses moral sowing and reaping. — Franz Delitzsch, Commentary (1884) |
| סוּפָה — suphah | Verse 7 — “whirlwind…” | Storm, whirlwind | Suphah (“whirlwind”) evokes violent judgment (whirlwind). Hosea warns of uncontrollable consequences. The term paints divine justice. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Lexicon (1857) |
| כָּתַב — kathav | Verse 12 — “I have written to him the great things of my law…” | Write | Kathav (“write”) emphasizes revealed instruction (write). Israel ignores God’s gracious revelation. The term underscores accountability. — S. R. Driver, OT Literature (1891) |
| זָבַח — zavach | Verse 13 — “they sacrifice flesh…” | Sacrifice | Zavach (“sacrifice”) marks ritual offering (sacrifice). Israel brings offerings without obedience. The term exposes empty religion. — Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church (1885) |
Biblical Scholars On This Chapter:
| Scholar (Institution & Dates) | Work | View on Chapter 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Franz Delitzsch (University of Leipzig, 1813–1890) | Biblischer Commentar über das Buch Hosea | The chapter warns of impending judgment due to Israel’s persistent rebellion. |
| August Dillmann (University of Leipzig, 1823–1894) | Die Propheten des Alten Testaments | Dillmann emphasizes the prophetic denunciation of idolatry and covenant violation. |
| Charles Foster Kent (Yale University, 1867–1925) | The Book of Hosea: Introduction and Commentary | Kent highlights the literary structure, framing Israel’s actions as inviting inevitable consequences. |
| Hermann Schultz (University of Göttingen, 1841–1903) | Die Bücher Hosea, Amos und Micha | The chapter portrays the tension between divine justice and mercy through vivid imagery. |
| Franz Xaver von Funk (University of Würzburg, 1840–1907) | Handbuch der biblischen Altertumswissenschaft | Von Funk underscores the theological warning conveyed through symbolic acts and prophecy. |
Hosea 8: What we reap is a reflection of what we sow.
Memory verse: Hosea 8:7 “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.
- We must be very conscious of what we sow as we journey through because whatever we sow would later come in return as a gain – good or bad.
- From the previous chapters, we can see how Israelites were said to be spiritual adulterers with the manner of way they chase after other gods – what God detests.
Their chasing after other gods is what they have invested all their time and resource in, literally, that’s what they sow – they sow a bad thing – instead of seeking the face of God and living to please Him. What the Israelites sowed was sinful and as such there’s a tantamount judgment that follows such a sinful act.
We must ensure that what we sow per time is God's will because when we sow things that are not in tandem with God's will, intense and unbearable consequences would be what follow our decision [Gal 8:7-8].
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