The Meaning of Hosea 4:15 Explained

Hosea 4:15

KJV: Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

YLT: Though a harlot thou art, O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.

Darby: Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear As Jehovah liveth!

ASV: Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth.

Discover Hosea 4:15

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Hosea 4:15?

MEANING: What does Hosea 4:15 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Hosea 4:15 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Hosea 4:15?

What is the context of Hosea 4:15?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, [yet] let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

What does Hosea 4:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord warned the Israelites not to pollute their brethren in the Southern Kingdom with their unfaithfulness. He also warned them not to go to the pagan shrines and take an oath in His name since they did not really worship Him. This was pure hypocrisy. Gilgal and Beth-aven were representative pagan cultic sites (cf. Hosea 9:15; Hosea 12:11; Amos 4:4). The prophet had come to refer to Bethel (house of God) by the name Beth-aven (house of wickedness) because it had become one of the main centers of idolatry in Israel since the reign of Jeroboam I (cf. Hosea 10:5; Amos 5:5). The use of one name to represent a different though similar place is a figure of speech called atbash.

Context Summary

Hosea 4:11-19 - "joined To Idols"

The prophet does not mince his words in describing the morals of his time. We are reminded of Bunyan's words: "My original and inward pollution was my plague. It was always putting itself forth in me, and I was more loathsome in my own eyes than a toad, and I thought I was in God's eyes also. Corruption bubbled up in my heart as naturally as water in a fountain, and I thought that everyone had a better heart than I." Of course in Christ "we have redemption through His blood," and that means more than forgiveness; it implies the deliverance of the soul from the love and power of evil. But if the soul of man refuses this, obstinately and persistently, a time arrives when God gives him up to reap as he has sown.

The greatest gift we can make to our generation is that of unblemished character. Sir Leslie Stephen, the brilliant agnostic, in his mature life, went back to the grave of an undergraduate, who had been his pupil and had died in early life without having distinguished himself in his studies or athletics, but had lived the Christian life with transparent simplicity and lovableness. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Hosea 4:15 mean?

Though play the harlot you Israel not let offend Judah and not do come up to Gilgal nor go up to Beth Aven nor swear an oath [saying] as lives Yahweh

אִם־ זֹנֶ֤ה אַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַל־ יֶאְשַׁ֖ם יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאַל־ תָּבֹ֣אוּ הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל וְאַֽל־ תַּעֲלוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אָ֔וֶן וְאַל־ תִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ חַי־ יְהוָֽה

אִם־	Though
Parse: Conjunction Root: אִם Sense: if.
זֹנֶ֤ה	play the harlot
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: זָנָה Sense: to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל	Israel
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
יֶאְשַׁ֖ם	let offend
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָשַׁם Sense: to offend, be guilty, trespass.
יְהוּדָ֑ה	Judah
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יְהוּדָה Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וְאַל־	and not
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb Root: אַל Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תָּבֹ֣אוּ	do come up
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural Root: בֹּוא Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל	to Gilgal
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: גִּלְגָּל Sense: the first site of an Israelite camp west of the Jordan, east of Jericho, here Samuel was judge, and Saul was made king; later used for illicit worship.
וְאַֽל־	nor
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb Root: אַל Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תַּעֲלוּ֙	go up
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural Root: סָלַק Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אָ֔וֶן	Beth Aven
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: בֵּית אָוֶן Sense: a city east of Bethel, site unknown.
וְאַל־	nor
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb Root: אַל Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ	swear an oath [saying]
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural Root: שָׁבַע Sense: to swear, adjure.
חַי־	as lives
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: חַי Sense: living, alive.
יְהוָֽה	Yahweh
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular Root: יהוה Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.

What are the major concepts related to Hosea 4:15?

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Similar Scriptures for Hosea 4:15

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