New International Version When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like the birds in the sky. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them. New Living Translation But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all the evil they do. English Standard Version As they go, I will spread over them my net; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens; I will discipline them according to the report made to their congregation. Berean Standard Bible As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. Berean Literal Bible When they go, I will spread over them My net, like birds of the heavens I will bring them down; I will chastise them according to the report of their congregation. King James Bible When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. New King James Version Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard. New American Standard Bible When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. NASB 1995 When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. NASB 1977 When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. Legacy Standard Bible When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the report to their congregation. Amplified Bible When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the heavens [into Assyrian captivity]. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation (prophecy) to their congregation. Berean Annotated Bible As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. Christian Standard Bible As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly. Holman Christian Standard Bible As they are going, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky. I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches their assembly. American Standard Version When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heavens; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Contemporary English Version But I will catch them in a net as hunters trap birds; I threatened to punish them, and indeed I will. English Revised Version When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven: I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. GOD'S WORD® Translation When you go, I will spread my net over you. I will snatch you out of the air like a bird. I will punish you for all the evil things you have done. Good News Translation But I will spread out a net and catch them like birds as they go by. I will punish them for the evil they have done. International Standard Version When they go, I'll cast my net over them. I'll bring them down, as one shoots birds in the sky. I'll chasten them, as the assembly has already heard. NET Bible I will throw my bird net over them while they are flying, I will bring them down like birds in the sky; I will discipline them when I hear them flocking together. New Heart English Bible When they go, I will spread my net on them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard. Webster's Bible Translation When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleAs they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. World English Bible When they go, I will spread my net on them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionWhen they go I spread over them My net, "" As the bird of the heavens I bring them down, "" I discipline them as their congregation has heard. Berean Literal Bible When they go, I will spread over them My net, like birds of the heavens I will bring them down; I will chastise them according to the report of their congregation. Young's Literal Translation When they go I spread over them My net, As the fowl of the heavens I bring them down, I chastise them as their company hath heard. Smith's Literal Translation When they shall go I will spread my net upon them; as birds of the heavens I will bring them down; I will correct them when hearing to their assembly. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd when they shall go, I will spread my net upon them: I will bring them down as the fowl of the air, I will strike them as their congregation hath heard. Catholic Public Domain Version And when they will set out, I will spread my net over them. I will pull them down like the birds of the sky; I will cut them down in accordance with the reports of their meetings. New American Bible When they go I will spread my net around them, like birds in the air I will bring them down. I will chastise them when I hear of their assembly. New Revised Standard Version As they go, I will cast my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will discipline them according to the report made to their assembly. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleWherever they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the air; I will chastise them according to the testimony which is heard against them. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated I shall spread upon them my net in the place where they will go, and like a bird of Heaven I shall bring them down and I shall chastise them according to the report of their testimony OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Even as they go, I will spread My net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath been made to hear. Brenton Septuagint Translation Whenever they shall go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the sky, I will chasten them with the rumor of their coming affliction. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context Ephraim's Iniquity…11So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria. 12As they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. 13Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me! Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.… Cross References As they go, I will spread My net over them; Ezekiel 32:3 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will spread My net over you with a company of many peoples, and they will draw you up in My net. Ezekiel 17:20 I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me. Ezekiel 12:13 But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die. I will bring them down like birds of the air. Proverbs 1:17 How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it! Ecclesiastes 9:12 For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them. Proverbs 6:5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. Psalm 83:3-5 With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish, / saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.” / For with one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against You— Psalm 2:1-4 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: / “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” … Isaiah 8:9-10 Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered! / Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.” Jeremiah 16:16 But for now I will send for many fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks. Ezekiel 12:13 But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die. Amos 9:3 Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. Psalm 91:3 Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. Lamentations 3:52 Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird. Proverbs 6:5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler. Isaiah 24:17-18 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. / Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. Treasury of Scripture When they shall go, I will spread my net on them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation has heard. I will spread. Job 19:6 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net. Jeremiah 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. Ezekiel 12:13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. I will bring. Ecclesiastes 9:12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. as their Leviticus 26:14-46 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; … Deuteronomy 28:15-68 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: … Deuteronomy 29:22-28 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it; … Jump to Previous Accordance Air Assembly Birds Chastise Company Congregation Deeds Fowl Fowls Hear Heard Heaven Net Proclamation Pull Punishment Sin Sky Spread Stretched Throw Together WickedJump to Next Accordance Air Assembly Birds Chastise Company Congregation Deeds Fowl Fowls Hear Heard Heaven Net Proclamation Pull Punishment Sin Sky Spread Stretched Throw Together WickedHosea 7 1. A reproof of manifold sins.11. God's wrath against them for their hypocrisy. As they go, I will spread My net over them; Israel’s leaders sought security through foreign alliances and idolatry, but their movements could not place them beyond God’s authority. Like birds caught in a hunter’s net, they would be trapped by the judgment their rebellion had brought upon them. Ezk 32:3 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will spread My net… I will bring them down like birds of the air. Their plans for escape and self-preservation would fail. God would bring down the nation that had exalted itself in pride and trusted in political strength rather than in Him. Pro 1:17 How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it… I will chastise them when I hear them flocking together. Their united pursuit of sinful counsel and rebellion was fully known to God. The coming discipline would be deliberate and deserved, carrying out the warning already proclaimed against Israel. Psa 83:3-5 With cunning they scheme against Your people… Persons / Places / Events 1. GodThe sovereign Lord who speaks through the prophet Hosea, expressing His intention to discipline Israel for their unfaithfulness. 2. Israel The northern kingdom, often referred to as Ephraim in Hosea, which is being addressed for its rebellion and idolatry. 3. Hosea The prophet through whom God delivers His message of judgment and hope to Israel. 4. Net A metaphor used by God to describe His method of capturing and disciplining Israel, symbolizing inescapable judgment. 5. Assembly Refers to the gathering of the people of Israel who have heard the warnings and teachings of the prophets. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in JudgmentGod is in control and His judgments are purposeful and just. He uses the imagery of a net to show that His discipline is both inevitable and inescapable for those who persist in rebellion. The Certainty of Divine Discipline Just as a bird cannot escape a net, Israel cannot escape the consequences of their actions. This serves as a warning to us about the seriousness of sin and the certainty of God's discipline. The Call to Repentance God's intention in discipline is not merely punitive but redemptive. He desires His people to turn back to Him, highlighting the importance of repentance in our relationship with God. Hearing and Heeding God's Word The reference to the assembly hearing the message underscores the importance of listening to and acting upon God's Word. We are called to be attentive and responsive to His teachings. God's Relentless Pursuit Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God continues to pursue them. This reflects His relentless love and desire for restoration, encouraging us to trust in His unfailing love and return to Him. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Hosea 7:12?2. How does Hosea 7:12 illustrate God's response to Israel's disobedience and rebellion? 3. What does "spread My net over them" reveal about God's judgment methods? 4. How can Hosea 7:12 encourage us to seek God's guidance in our lives? 5. What parallels exist between Hosea 7:12 and God's discipline in Hebrews 12:6? 6. How can we avoid the pitfalls of Israel's actions described in Hosea 7:12? 7. What does Hosea 7:12 reveal about God's judgment and mercy towards Israel? 8. How does Hosea 7:12 illustrate God's omnipresence and omniscience? 9. In Hosea 7:12, what is the significance of God spreading a net over Israel? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Hosea 7? (12) When they shall go.--Best rendered, Whenever they go, &c. The ultimate ruin produced by this policy of dependence on foreign states and of doubledealing intrigue was even at this early stage foreseen by the prophet, and portrayed under the simile of Jehovah's net snaring the unwary bird. As their congregation hath heard.--Should be, according to the report to their assembly--i.e., according to what they hear, perhaps from Hosea himself. The threatenings of the Pentateuch (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:13-68; Deuteronomy 32:15-35) find their echoes here. Verse 12. - When they shall go, l will spread my net over them. Threats of punishment are contained in this and the following verses. He begins by the application of the comparison of Ephraim to a dove. Exactly as a dove in its silliness falls into the net set by the fowler, so Israel runs into the net of destruction in seeking help from Egypt and Assyria. The literal rendering is, according as they go, or, whatsoever way they shall go. God threatens to spread a net over them, from which there can be no escape. The chief aim of Hebrew sovereigns and rulers was to defend themselves from Egypt by the help of Assyria, or from Assyria by the aid of Egypt; in either case God threatens to spread over them the net of destruction as the bird-catcher. The application to one or other of these powers God forbade, but when they go to either for relief, the result is sure to prove fatal. The image of a net is frequent in Ezekiel; so in Job, he "hath compassed me with his net." I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven. The comparison with birds and bird-catching continues. Though their sunward soaring flight be high as the eagle's, or rapid as the soft swift wing of the dove, they cannot outspeed or escape the hand of God, but shall be brought down to earth. Or the idea may be that, swiftly as a bird of prey swoops down out of the free air of heaven upon its quarry on the low-lying earth, Jehovah will bring Israel down out of the air of freedom into the net of captivity. Thus in Obadiah 1:4 we read, "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord;" likewise in Amos 9:2, "Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down." I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard. The word אַיְסִידֵם is an anomalous Hiph. instead of אֵיסִירֵם, that is, yod mobile instead of yod quiescent or diphthongal zere. The literal rendering makes the meaning more obvious; it is: "I will chastise them according to the tidings [or,' announcement '] to their congregation." In the Law and by the prophets it was repeatedly declared that judgments would fall upon the disobedient and rebellions. As specimens of such announcements, we may refer to Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:15-68; and Deuteronomy 32:15-35 The prophet now assures Ephraim that the judgments so frequently and forcibly announced to the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and repeated in subsequent times by the prophets, would be executed on the rebellious rigorously, and in exact accordance with those many previous denunciations. Kimchi has the following comment: "I will assemble them through the chastisement of the peoples, as I announced to their assembly in the wilderness words of chastisement, which are written in the Law, if they will not hearken to the words of the Law." The LXX. may have read צרתם, as their rendering is ἐν τῇ ἀκοῇ τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῶν, equivalent to "'I will chasten them with the rumor of their (coming) affliction," Hosea 7:12 underlines that wandering hearts invite unavoidable discipline. The LORD tracks His people’s self-chosen path, throws an inescapable net, drags them down from their self-made heights, and chastens them the moment their corporate rebellion rises to His ears. Judgment is certain, yet its purpose remains corrective, urging them—and us—to leave empty alliances and return to the faithful care of the covenant-keeping God.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Asכַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר (ka·’ă·šer) Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that they go, יֵלֵ֗כוּ (yê·lê·ḵū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk I will spread אֶפְר֤וֹשׂ (’ep̄·rō·wś) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse My net רִשְׁתִּ֔י (riš·tî) Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 7568: A net over them; עֲלֵיהֶם֙ (‘ă·lê·hem) Preposition | third person masculine plural Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against I will bring them down אֽוֹרִידֵ֑ם (’ō·w·rî·ḏêm) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend like birds כְּע֥וֹף (kə·‘ō·wp̄) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 5775: Flying creatures of the air. הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם (haš·šā·ma·yim) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky I will chastise them אַיְסִרֵ֕ם (’ay·si·rêm) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural Strong's 3256: To discipline, chasten, admonish when I hear them כְּשֵׁ֖מַע (kə·šê·ma‘) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 8088: Something heard, a sound, rumor, announcement, audience flocking together. לַעֲדָתָֽם׃ (la·‘ă·ḏā·ṯām) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 5712: A stated assemblage Additonal Resources Hosea 7:12 Blue Letter BibleHosea 7:12 Bible Gateway Hosea 7:12 Bible.com Hosea 7:12 NIV |
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