◄ Hosea 4:8 ►
They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity.
Study Bible
They feed on the sins of My people
The phrase "They feed" suggests a consumption or indulgence, indicating that the priests or leaders are not merely passive observers but active participants in the sinful practices of the people. The Hebrew root for "feed" is "אָכַל" (akal), which means to eat or consume. This implies a voracious appetite for the very sins that should be condemned. Historically, the priests were meant to guide the people in righteousness, but here they are depicted as exploiting the people's transgressions for their gain. This reflects a deep corruption within the spiritual leadership, where instead of leading the people away from sin, they are complicit in it.

on the sins of My people
The "sins" refer to the moral and spiritual failings of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "sins" is "חַטָּאָה" (chatta'ah), which encompasses both intentional and unintentional transgressions against God's law. The phrase "My people" emphasizes God's covenant relationship with Israel, highlighting the betrayal of this relationship by both the people and their leaders. In the historical context, Israel was meant to be a holy nation, set apart for God's purposes, yet they have fallen into idolatry and immorality, which the priests are exploiting rather than correcting.

and set their hearts on their iniquity
The phrase "set their hearts" indicates a deliberate and willful choice. The Hebrew root "שִׂים" (sim) means to place or set, suggesting an intentional focus or desire. This is not a passive inclination but an active pursuit of wrongdoing. "Iniquity" is translated from the Hebrew "עָוֹן" (avon), which refers to guilt or perversity. It conveys a deeper level of moral corruption, where sin is not just an act but a state of being. The leaders' hearts are aligned with iniquity, showing a complete moral decay. In a scriptural context, the heart is the center of will and emotion, and setting one's heart on iniquity indicates a profound spiritual rebellion against God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hosea
A prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope.

2. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, often depicted in Hosea as unfaithful to God, engaging in idolatry and moral corruption.

3. Priests
Religious leaders in Israel who were responsible for guiding the people in worship and adherence to God's laws but were instead complicit in their sins.

4. God
The sovereign Lord who is grieved by the unfaithfulness of His people and the corruption of their leaders.

5. Sin and Iniquity
The moral and spiritual failings of the people of Israel, which the priests exploit for their gain.
Teaching Points
The Responsibility of Leadership
Leaders, especially spiritual ones, have a duty to guide people toward righteousness, not exploit their weaknesses.

The Danger of Complicity
When leaders indulge in or benefit from the sins of those they lead, they become complicit in those sins.

The Heart's Inclination
The verse highlights the importance of where we set our hearts. Leaders and believers alike must guard their hearts against inclining toward sin.

God's Grief Over Sin
God is deeply grieved by the unfaithfulness of His people and the corruption of their leaders, calling us to repentance and faithfulness.

Call to Repentance
This passage serves as a call to examine our lives, repent of our sins, and seek to align our hearts with God's will.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the priests in Hosea 4:8 compare to the responsibilities outlined for priests in Leviticus 10?

2. In what ways can modern spiritual leaders guard against the temptation to "feed on the sins" of those they lead?

3. How does the inclination of the heart, as mentioned in Hosea 4:8, relate to Jesus' teachings in Matthew 23?

4. What practical steps can believers take to ensure their hearts are set on righteousness rather than iniquity?

5. How can the church today respond to leaders who exploit their position for personal gain, in light of 1 Peter 5?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 10
Discusses the role of priests and their responsibilities, highlighting the contrast with the corrupt priests in Hosea.

Jeremiah 5
Describes the widespread corruption among the leaders of Israel, similar to the situation in Hosea.

Micah 3
Condemns the leaders and prophets who lead the people astray for personal gain, paralleling the priests in Hosea.

Matthew 23
Jesus criticizes the religious leaders of His time for their hypocrisy, echoing the issues in Hosea.

1 Peter 5
Encourages church leaders to shepherd the flock willingly and not for personal gain, contrasting with the priests in Hosea.
Sermons
Feeding on SinHomilistHosea 4:8
Feeding on SinD. Thomas Hosea 4:8
Priests and PeopleJ. Orr Hosea 4:6-11
Israel's Guilt and PunishmentC. Jerdan Hosea 4:6-14
People
Hosea
Places
Beth-aven, Gilgal, Jezreel
Topics
Desire, Direct, Eat, Feed, Greedy, Heart, Iniquity, Lift, Longeth, Relish, Sin, Sins, Soul, Wickedness, Wrongdoing
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Hosea 4:6-9

     7768   priests, OT function

Hosea 4:6-13

     7233   Israel, northern kingdom

Hosea 4:7-8

     6616   atonement, in OT

Library
'Let Him Alone'
'Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.'--HOSEA iv. 17. The tribe of Ephraim was the most important member of the kingdom of Israel; consequently its name was not unnaturally sometimes used in a wider application for the whole of the kingdom, of which it was the principal part. Being the 'predominant partner,' its name was used alone for that of the whole firm, just as in our own empire, we often say 'England,' meaning thereby the three kingdoms: England, Scotland, and Ireland. So 'Ephraim' here …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Life, as Amplified by Mediaeval Biographers.
1. His Early Years.--Ephraim, according to this biography, was a Syrian of Mesopotamia, by birth, and by parentage on both sides. His mother was of Amid (now Diarbekr) a central city of that region; his father belonged to the older and more famous City of Nisibis, not far from Amid but near the Persian frontier, where he was priest of an idol named Abnil (or Abizal) in the days of Constantine the Great (306-337). This idol was afterwards destroyed by Jovian (who became Emperor in 363 after the …
Ephraim the Syrian—Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian

Instruction for the Ignorant:
BEING A SALVE TO CURE THAT GREAT WANT OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH SO MUCH REIGNS BOTH IN YOUNG AND OLD. PREPARED AND PRESENTED TO THEM IN A PLAIN AND EASY DIALOGUE, FITTED TO THE CAPACITY OF THE WEAKEST. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'--Hosea 4:6 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This little catechism is upon a plan perfectly new and unique. It was first published as a pocket volume in 1675, and has been republished in every collection of the author's works; and recently in a separate tract. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Beth-El. Beth-Aven.
Josephus thus describes the land of Benjamin; "The Benjamites' portion of land was from the river Jordan to the sea, in length: in breadth, it was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." Let these last words be marked, "The breadth of the land of Benjamin was bounded by Jerusalem and Beth-el." May we not justly conclude, from these words, that Jerusalem and Beth-el were opposite, as it were, in a right line? But if you look upon the maps, there are some that separate these by a very large tract of land, …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Of Orders.
Of this sacrament the Church of Christ knows nothing; it was invented by the church of the Pope. It not only has no promise of grace, anywhere declared, but not a word is said about it in the whole of the New Testament. Now it is ridiculous to set up as a sacrament of God that which can nowhere be proved to have been instituted by God. Not that I consider that a rite practised for so many ages is to be condemned; but I would not have human inventions established in sacred things, nor should it be …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me Free from the Law of Sin and Death. "
Rom. viii. 2.--"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." You know there are two principal things in the preceding verse,--the privilege of a Christian, and the property or character of a Christian. He is one that never enters into condemnation; He that believeth shall not perish, John iii. 15. And then he is one that walks not after the flesh, though he be in the flesh, but in a more elevate way above men, after the guiding and leading …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Epistle cxxi. To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville).
To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville). Gregory to Leander, Bishop of Spain. I have the epistle of thy Holiness, written with the pen of charity alone. For what the tongue transferred to the paper had got its tincture from the heart. Good and wise men were present when it was read, and at once their bowels were stirred with emotion. Everyone began to seize thee in his heart with the hand of love, for that in that epistle the sweetness of thy disposition was not to be heard, but seen. All severally …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Third Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' Exod 20: 7. This commandment has two parts: 1. A negative expressed, that we must not take God's name in vain; that is, cast any reflections and dishonour on his name. 2. An affirmative implied. That we should take care to reverence and honour his name. Of this latter I shall speak more fully, under the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy name.' I shall …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Doctrine
OF THE LAW AND GRACE UNFOLDED; OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING THE LAW AND GRACE; THE NATURE OF THE ONE, AND THE NATURE OF THE OTHER; SHOWING WHAT THEY ARE, AS THEY ARE THE TWO COVENANTS; AND LIKEWISE, WHO THEY BE, AND WHAT THEIR CONDITIONS ARE, THAT BE UNDER EITHER OF THESE TWO COVENANTS: Wherein, for the better understanding of the reader, there are several questions answered touching the law and grace, very easy to be read, and as easy to be understood, by those that are the sons of wisdom, the children …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Hosea
The book of Hosea divides naturally into two parts: i.-iii. and iv.-xiv., the former relatively clear and connected, the latter unusually disjointed and obscure. The difference is so unmistakable that i.-iii. have usually been assigned to the period before the death of Jeroboam II, and iv.-xiv. to the anarchic period which succeeded. Certainly Hosea's prophetic career began before the end of Jeroboam's reign, as he predicts the fall of the reigning dynasty, i. 4, which practically ended with Jeroboam's …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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