Hosea 4:1
New International Version
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

New Living Translation
Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land.

English Standard Version
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;

Berean Standard Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!

King James Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

New King James Version
Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land.

New American Standard Bible
Listen to the word of the LORD, you sons of Israel, Because the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, For there is no faithfulness, nor loyalty, Nor knowledge of God in the land.

NASB 1995
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.

NASB 1977
Listen to the word of the LORD, O sons of Israel, For the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.

Legacy Standard Bible
Listen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel, For Yahweh has a contention against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth or lovingkindness Or knowledge of God in the land.

Amplified Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, For the LORD has a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyalty or kindness Or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.

Christian Standard Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, people of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, people of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land!

American Standard Version
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, listen as the LORD accuses everyone in the land! No one is faithful or loyal or truly cares about God.

English Revised Version
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Listen to the word of the LORD, you Israelites. The LORD has brought these charges against those who live in the land: "There is no faith, no love, and no knowledge of God in the land.

Good News Translation
The LORD has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: "There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God.

International Standard Version
"Hear this message from the LORD, people of Israel. Indeed, the LORD brings a charge against the people who live in the land— for there is no truth and no gracious love or knowledge of God in the land.

Majority Standard Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: ?There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!

NET Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites! For the LORD has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God.

New Heart English Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel; for the LORD has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Webster's Bible Translation
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

World English Bible
Hear Yahweh’s word, you children of Israel, for Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Hear a word of YHWH, sons of Israel, "" For a strife [is] to YHWH with inhabitants of the land, "" For there is no truth, nor kindness, "" Nor knowledge of God in the land;

Young's Literal Translation
Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife is to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,

Smith's Literal Translation
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye sons of Israel: for a contention to Jehovah with the inhabitants of the land, for no truth and no kindness and no knowledge of God in the land.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Listen to the word of the Lord, sons of Israel, for the Lord is judge of the inhabitants of the land. Yet there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God, in the land.

New American Bible
Hear the word of the LORD, Israelites, for the LORD has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land: There is no fidelity, no loyalty, no knowledge of God in the land.

New Revised Standard Version
Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel; for the LORD has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
HEAR the word of the LORD, O children of Israel; for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no justice or mercy or knowledge of God in the land;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Hear the word of LORD JEHOVAH, children of Israel, because LORD JEHOVAH has a judgment with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, neither grace, nor the knowledge of God in the land
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel! For the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth, nor mercy, Nor knowledge of God in the land.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Charges Against Israel
1Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! 2Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 9:3-6
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. / Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity. ...

Isaiah 1:2-4
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. / The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.” / Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Micah 6:2-3
Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and He will argue it against Israel: / ‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you!

Amos 3:1-2
Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: / “Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”

Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Jeremiah 5:1-3
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city. / Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.” / O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

Isaiah 59:4
No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Ezekiel 22:25-29
The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her. / Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. / Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. ...

Zechariah 7:9-12
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another. / Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’ / But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. ...

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. / For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, / unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ...

Matthew 15:8-9
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Romans 3:10-18
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. / All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” ...


Treasury of Scripture

Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel: for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Cir.

1 Kings 22:19
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

Isaiah 1:10
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Isaiah 28:14
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

for.

Hosea 12:2
The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.

Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 3:13,14
The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people…

no truth.

Isaiah 59:13-15
In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood…

Jeremiah 6:13
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Jeremiah 7:3-6
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place…

nor knowledge.

Jeremiah 4:22,28
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge…

Jeremiah 5:4
Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

John 8:55
Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

Jump to Previous
Acknowledgment Case Cause Charge Children Controversy Ear Faithfulness Good Goodness Hear Indeed Inhabitants Israel Israelites Live Mercy Truth Word
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Acknowledgment Case Cause Charge Children Controversy Ear Faithfulness Good Goodness Hear Indeed Inhabitants Israel Israelites Live Mercy Truth Word
Hosea 4
1. God denounces judgments on Israel, for their aggravated impieties and iniquities.
12. He exposes the ignorance and wickedness of the priests,
13. and moral dissolution of the people,
14. he will leave their wives and daughters to commit lewdness, without present punishment.
15. He warns Judah, not to imitate Israel's crimes, which are still further reproved.














Hear the word of the LORD
The Hebrew word for "hear" is "שְׁמַע" (shema), which implies not just listening but also obeying. This call to "hear" is a summons to attention and action, urging the Israelites to heed God's message. The phrase "the word of the LORD" signifies divine authority and truth, emphasizing that the message comes directly from God, the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance. In a conservative Christian perspective, this underscores the importance of Scripture as God's authoritative communication to His people.

O children of Israel
This phrase identifies the audience as the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. It highlights their covenant relationship with God, reminding them of their identity as God's chosen people. Historically, Israel's identity was rooted in their unique relationship with Yahweh, which came with both privileges and responsibilities. The call to the "children of Israel" serves as a reminder of their heritage and the expectations that come with it.

for the LORD has a case
The Hebrew word for "case" is "רִיב" (riv), which can mean a legal dispute or controversy. This legal terminology suggests that God is bringing a formal charge against His people, akin to a lawsuit. It reflects the covenantal framework in which God holds Israel accountable for their actions. From a conservative viewpoint, this underscores God's justice and righteousness, as He holds His people to the standards of His covenant.

against the inhabitants of the land
This phrase broadens the scope of the indictment to include all who dwell in the land, not just the Israelites. It suggests a pervasive moral and spiritual decline affecting the entire society. The "land" here refers to the Promised Land, a place meant to be holy and set apart for God's purposes. The failure of its inhabitants to live according to God's standards is a serious breach of their covenantal obligations.

because there is no truth
The absence of "truth" (אֱמֶת, emet) indicates a lack of faithfulness and reliability. Truth is foundational to a just and righteous society, and its absence suggests widespread deceit and corruption. In a biblical context, truth is not just factual accuracy but also faithfulness to God's covenant. The conservative Christian perspective emphasizes the importance of truth as a reflection of God's character and a requirement for His people.

no loving devotion
The Hebrew word "חֶסֶד" (chesed) is often translated as "loving devotion" or "steadfast love." It denotes covenantal loyalty and kindness. The absence of "chesed" indicates a breakdown in relationships, both with God and among the people. This lack of loving devotion reflects a failure to uphold the covenantal love that God expects from His people. In Christian theology, "chesed" is seen as a reflection of God's own faithful love, which His people are called to emulate.

and no knowledge of God
The Hebrew word for "knowledge" is "דַּעַת" (da'at), which implies an intimate, experiential understanding rather than mere intellectual awareness. The lack of "knowledge of God" suggests a failure to truly know and understand God's character and will. This ignorance leads to moral and spiritual decay. From a conservative Christian perspective, knowing God is foundational to living a life that honors Him, and this knowledge is cultivated through Scripture, prayer, and obedience.

in the land
The phrase "in the land" emphasizes the geographical and spiritual context of the indictment. The land was a gift from God, meant to be a place where His people could live out their covenantal relationship with Him. The moral and spiritual failures occurring "in the land" are a direct violation of the purpose for which it was given. This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's ways.

(1) Controversy.--A judicial suit, in which Jehovah is plaintiff as well as judge (Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 41:21). By the "children of Israel" we are to understand the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, as distinguished from Judah.

Mercy.--Better rendered love. The Hebrew word chesed expresses (1) the love of God for Israel under covenant relationship; (2) the corresponding quality in man exhibited to God or towards his fellow-men. (See Hupfeld on Psalm 4:4; and Duhm, Theologie der Propheten, p. 100.)

Verse 1. - A new and distinct division of the book commences with this fourth chapter and continues till the close. What had previously been presented in figure and symbol is now plainly and literally stated. The children of Israel are summoned in the first verse of this chapter to hear the charge preferred against them and the sentence pronounced. Having convened, as it were, a public assembly and cited the persons concerned, the prophet proceeds to show cause why they are bound to give an attentive hearing. In God's controversy with the people of the land the prophet acts as his ambassador, accusing the people of great and grievous sins, and vindicating the justice of God's judgments in their punishment. The ki with which the last clause of the verse commences may be either causal or recitative, and may thus specify either the ground or subject of controversy. It is commonly understood here in the former sense. Israel is charged with want of truth, mercy, and the knowledge of God. Kimchi comments on this controversy as follows: "With the inhabitants of the land of Israel I have a controversy, for I gave them the land on the condition that they should exercise righteousness and judgment, and on this condition I pledged myself to them that my eyes would be upon them from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. But since they practice the opposite - cursing, lying, etc. - I also will act with them in a way contrary to what I assured them, and will hide my face from them." He adds, "There were some righteous among them, but they were few, and they hid themselves from the face of the multitude who were wicked." Truth and mercy are at once Divine attributes and human virtues; it is in the latter sense, of course, that they are here employed. Truth includes works as well as words, doing as well as saying; it implies uprightness in speech and behavior - thorough integrity of character and conduct, Mercy goes beyond and supplements this. We sometimes say of such a one that he is an honest but a hard man. Mercy combined with truth, on the contrary, makes a man kind as well as honest, benevolent as well as upright. In a somewhat similar sense the apostle conjoins goodness and righteousness when he says, "Scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die." The knowledge of God is the real root of these two virtues of truth and mercy. If we know God as he is in himself and as he stands in his relations to us, we shall conform our conduct to his character and our actions to his will. If we know God to be a God of truth, who delighteth in truth in the inward parts, we shall cultivate truth in our hearts, express it with our lips, and practice it in our lives. If we know God as a God of mercy, who has shown such boundless mercy to us in pardoning our multiplied and aggravated offences, we shall imitate that mercy in our relations to our fellow-man; nor shall we enact the part of the merciless man in the parable, who owed his lord ten thousand talents, and who, having nothing to pay, was freely forgiven the debt; but finding his fellow-servant, who owed him only an hundred pence, laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, "Pay me that thou owest," and, deaf to that fellow-servant's supplications, east him into prison till he should pay the debt. The intimate connection of the knowledge of God with the virtues in question is confirmed by the Prophet Jeremiah, "Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? he judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me, saith the Lord?"

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Hear
שִׁמְע֥וּ (šim·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

the word
דְבַר־ (ḏə·ḇar-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

O children
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

for
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the LORD
לַֽיהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has a case
רִ֤יב (rîḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7379: Strife, dispute

against
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

the inhabitants
יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י (yō·wō·šə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

of the land:
הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

There is no
אֵין־ (’ên-)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

truth,
אֱמֶ֧ת (’ĕ·meṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 571: Stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness

no
וְֽאֵין־ (wə·’ên-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

loving devotion,
חֶ֛סֶד (ḥe·seḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

and no
וְאֵֽין־ (wə·’ên-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

knowledge
דַּ֥עַת (da·‘aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

of God
אֱלֹהִ֖ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

in the land!
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (bā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT Prophets: Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of Yahweh you children (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 3:5
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