Hosea 4:3

Sin

¹ Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land!

² Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.

Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

⁴ But let no man contend; let no man offer reproof; for your people are like those who contend with a priest.

⁵ You will stumble by day, and the prophet will stumble with you by night; so I will destroy your mother—

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
KJV: Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
WEB: Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells in it will waste away, with all living things in her, even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky; yes, the fish of the sea also die.
ASV: Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
DARBY: For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
BLB: Upon thus mourns the land, and languish all dwelling in it; with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea, they are gathered up.

ÅB: Derfor skal landet visne, og alt det som bor der, skal vansmekte, både markens dyr og himmelens fugler, endog havets fisker skal utryddes.
OTB: På grunn av dette sørger landet, og alle som bor i det, visner bort; markens dyr, himmelens fugler og til og med havets fisk blir tatt bort.
B1930: Derfor skal landet visne, og alt det som bor der, skal vansmekte, både markens dyr og himmelens fugler, endog havets fisker skal utryddes.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Read in context
Isaiah 24:4–12
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.
Read in context
Nahum 1:4
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.
Read in context
Ezekiel 38:20
The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.
Read in context
Amos 5:16
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.
Read in context
Jeremiah 12:4
How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 4:27–28
For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.
Read in context
Isaiah 33:9
The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
Read in context