Hosea 7:9
7 All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
8 Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is an unturned cake.
Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God; despite all this, they do not seek Him.
11 So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove— calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
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
- Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
- KJV
- Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
- WEB
- Strangers have devoured his strength, and he doesn’t realize it. Indeed, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he doesn’t realize it.
- ASV
- Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth [it] not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth [it] not.
- DARBY
- Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth [it] not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth [it] not.
- BLB
- Strangers have devoured his power, and he does not know; even gray hairs are scattered on him, and he does not know.
- ÅB
- Fremmede har fortært hans kraft, men han vet det ikke; hans hår er alt gråsprengt, men han vet det ikke.
- OTB
- Fremmede fortærer hans styrke,
Likevel vet han det ikke;
Grå hår er også strødd på ham,
Likevel vet han det ikke. - B1930
- Fremmede har fortært hans kraft, men han vet det ikke; hans hår er alt gråsprengt, men han vet det ikke.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Hosea 8:7
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
Read in contextIsaiah 42:22–25
But this is a people plundered and looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”
Read in contextProverbs 23:35
“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”
Read in context2 Kings 13:3–7
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.
Read in contextIsaiah 1:7
Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you— a desolation demolished by strangers.
Read in context2 Kings 13:22
And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
Read in contextIsaiah 57:1
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil.
Read in context2 Kings 15:19
Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
Read in context