By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
Hosea 4:2 lists unrestrained false swearing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery breaking out without limit, with bloodshed following upon bloodshed in an unbroken and escalating chain. It describes Israel when truth, mercy and knowledge of God were gone because His law was despised and His word banished, bringing the northern kingdom to the limits of divine forbearance and to the Lord's controversy, mourning and judgment before its captivity and downfall. In its wider context its multiplying violence belongs to a transgression that brings a curse and harm upon the land and other creatures. The same condition was fulfilled when the Word of God was banished and Scripture was largely unknown under Romish power in Europe, and it describes the corrupt and violent world of the present time as before the flood, now repeated in the last days before the coming of the Son of man. It exposes the widespread wickedness produced when religious leaders and human lawmakers turn people from God's law to human theories and Sunday observance, supposing it does not matter if they do not keep the Eden Sabbath instituted when the foundations of the earth were laid as God's memorial as Creator who made the world in six days and sanctified and blessed the day of His rest.
Words and Original Setting
The list names false swearing and perjury, lying, killing, stealing, and adultery breaking out without restraint. Its final clause means bloodshed following upon bloodshed in an unbroken and escalating chain, blood touching blood in unbroken succession. It describes a land where there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God. In Israel that absence came when God's law was treated as worthless, and idolatry was accompanied by rampant crime and violence.
It belongs to the account of the state of the land before the captivity of the ten tribes and the downfall of the northern kingdom. Rejecting God's law and banishing His word causes truth and knowledge of God to disappear. Setting aside His law in that way opens the way to deep, widespread, unrestrained wickedness, to fraud, greed, sexual vice, violence, and other crimes committed without restraint.
That lawlessness brings the people to the limits of divine forbearance. It gives the Lord a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. It will bring mourning and judgment. In its wider context in Hosea 4:1-3, this picture of multiplying violence and bloodshed belongs to a broader account in which human transgression brings a curse and harm upon the land and other creatures.
Later History and Final Application
The corruption named in the verse was fulfilled in the world under Romish power, when banishing the word of God produced widespread false oaths, lying, killing, theft, adultery, and bloodshed following upon bloodshed. The same condition prevailed in Europe under papal power, where Scripture was largely unknown and the rejection of God's word and law caused truth and knowledge of God to disappear into fraud, greed, sexual vice, violence, and unrestrained crime. In that history the evils of the verse are the direct result of treating God's law as worthless and removing His word from the land.
The verse also describes the condition of the world at the present time, because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land and therefore swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and adultery break out with blood touching blood. For this the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. It is the same corrupt and violent condition that existed before the flood, now repeated in the last days of this earth's history before the coming of the Son of man.
The widespread lawlessness of the verse comes from turning away from God's law, bringing mourning and judgment where perjury, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, and successive bloodshed fill a land emptied of truth, mercy, and knowledge of God. That turning is produced by religious leaders who lead people away from God's law to human theories. Those who trample upon God's law in this way make human laws which they will force the people to accept, devising and counseling and planning to compel the few in number to do according to the laws of the land because the whole world keeps Sunday.
This breaking of God's law comes from being blinded by error and taking words from the lips of priests and human lawmakers, supposing it does not matter if they do not keep the law of God. That law was instituted in Eden when the foundations of the earth were laid and all the sons of God shouted for joy, given as God's memorial to honor the living God who made the world in six days and sanctified and blessed the day of His rest.
The sins listed in the verse, breaking out among the people with bloodshed following in unbroken succession, belong to a message that calls readers to read Hosea and take up the work to be done. The description of the inhabitants' condition in Hosea 4 is connected with the preparation needed for the coming of the Lord. Its picture of false oaths, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, and bloodshed upon bloodshed shows the state of the land and why the people must prepare for the coming of the Lord.
Hosea 4:2 lists unrestrained false swearing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery breaking out without limit, with bloodshed following upon bloodshed in an unbroken and escalating chain. It describes Israel when truth, mercy and knowledge of God were gone because His law was despised and His word banished, bringing the northern kingdom to the limits of divine forbearance and to the Lord's controversy, mourning and judgment before its captivity and downfall. In its wider context its multiplying violence belongs to a transgression that brings a curse and harm upon the land and other creatures. The same condition was fulfilled when the Word of God was banished and Scripture was largely unknown under Romish power in Europe, and it describes the corrupt and violent world of the present time as before the flood, now repeated in the last days before the coming of the Son of man. It exposes the widespread wickedness produced when religious leaders and human lawmakers turn people from God's law to human theories and Sunday observance, supposing it does not matter if they do not keep the Eden Sabbath instituted when the foundations of the earth were laid as God's memorial as Creator who made the world in six days and sanctified and blessed the day of His rest.
Words and Original Setting
The list names false swearing and perjury, lying, killing, stealing, and adultery breaking out without restraint. Its final clause means bloodshed following upon bloodshed in an unbroken and escalating chain, blood touching blood in unbroken succession. It describes a land where there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God. In Israel that absence came when God's law was treated as worthless, and idolatry was accompanied by rampant crime and violence.
It belongs to the account of the state of the land before the captivity of the ten tribes and the downfall of the northern kingdom. Rejecting God's law and banishing His word causes truth and knowledge of God to disappear. Setting aside His law in that way opens the way to deep, widespread, unrestrained wickedness, to fraud, greed, sexual vice, violence, and other crimes committed without restraint.
That lawlessness brings the people to the limits of divine forbearance. It gives the Lord a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. It will bring mourning and judgment. In its wider context in Hosea 4:1-3, this picture of multiplying violence and bloodshed belongs to a broader account in which human transgression brings a curse and harm upon the land and other creatures.
Later History and Final Application
The corruption named in the verse was fulfilled in the world under Romish power, when banishing the word of God produced widespread false oaths, lying, killing, theft, adultery, and bloodshed following upon bloodshed. The same condition prevailed in Europe under papal power, where Scripture was largely unknown and the rejection of God's word and law caused truth and knowledge of God to disappear into fraud, greed, sexual vice, violence, and unrestrained crime. In that history the evils of the verse are the direct result of treating God's law as worthless and removing His word from the land.
The verse also describes the condition of the world at the present time, because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land and therefore swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and adultery break out with blood touching blood. For this the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. It is the same corrupt and violent condition that existed before the flood, now repeated in the last days of this earth's history before the coming of the Son of man.
The widespread lawlessness of the verse comes from turning away from God's law, bringing mourning and judgment where perjury, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, and successive bloodshed fill a land emptied of truth, mercy, and knowledge of God. That turning is produced by religious leaders who lead people away from God's law to human theories. Those who trample upon God's law in this way make human laws which they will force the people to accept, devising and counseling and planning to compel the few in number to do according to the laws of the land because the whole world keeps Sunday.
This breaking of God's law comes from being blinded by error and taking words from the lips of priests and human lawmakers, supposing it does not matter if they do not keep the law of God. That law was instituted in Eden when the foundations of the earth were laid and all the sons of God shouted for joy, given as God's memorial to honor the living God who made the world in six days and sanctified and blessed the day of His rest.
The sins listed in the verse, breaking out among the people with bloodshed following in unbroken succession, belong to a message that calls readers to read Hosea and take up the work to be done. The description of the inhabitants' condition in Hosea 4 is connected with the preparation needed for the coming of the Lord. Its picture of false oaths, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, and bloodshed upon bloodshed shows the state of the land and why the people must prepare for the coming of the Lord.