What is the meaning of Hosea 13:4? Yet I am the LORD your God “Yet I am the LORD your God…” (Hosea 13:4a) - God begins with His covenant name and authority, echoing “I am the LORD your God” from Exodus 20:2. - “Your God” underscores a personal bond: He claims His people even when they drift (Malachi 3:6). - The word “Yet” contrasts His steady faithfulness with Israel’s shifting loyalties (Hosea 13:1-3). ever since the land of Egypt “…ever since the land of Egypt…” (Hosea 13:4b) - He points to the historical rescue from bondage (Exodus 12–14), the very birth of their nation. - That deliverance proves His enduring power (Deuteronomy 7:18-19) and covenant commitment (Exodus 19:4-6). - Forgetting this saving history fuels present idolatry (Psalm 106:7). you know no God but Me “…you know no God but Me…” (Hosea 13:4c) - “Know” speaks of intimate relationship, not mere information (Deuteronomy 4:35). - It echoes the first commandment: exclusive loyalty to the Lord (Exodus 20:3). - Returning to that sole allegiance is the path to life (Jeremiah 24:7). for there is no Savior besides Me “…for there is no Savior besides Me.” (Hosea 13:4d) - God alone delivers—physically from Egypt and spiritually from sin (Isaiah 43:11). - Idols and human alliances, like Israel’s appeal to Assyria, cannot rescue (Psalm 146:3-5; Hosea 10:13-15). - The promise culminates in Jesus Christ: “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). summary Hosea 13:4 is God’s reminder that He has always been Israel’s covenant Lord since the exodus. Because He alone has saved and still saves, He calls for total, undivided devotion from His people in every generation. |
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