Hosea 9:16

¹⁴ Give them, O LORD— what will You give? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that dry up!

¹⁵ All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I hated them. I will drive them from My house for the wickedness of their deeds. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.

Ephraim is struck down; their root is withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay the darlings of their wombs.

¹⁷ My God will reject them because they have not obeyed Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

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: Ephraim is struck down; their root is withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay the darlings of their wombs.
KJV: Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
WEB: Ephraim is struck. Their root has dried up. They will bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, yet I will kill the beloved ones of their womb.”
ASV: Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved fruit of their womb.
DARBY: Ephraim is smitten: their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they should bring forth, yet will I slay the beloved [fruit] of their womb.
BLB: Ephraim is stricken, their root has withered; they will not bear fruit. Even if they give birth, I will kill the precious ones of their womb.

ÅB: Efra'im er ormstukket, deres rot er blitt tørr, frukt skal de ikke bære; om de enn føder, vil jeg drepe deres dyre livsfrukt.
OTB: Efraim er rammet, deres rot er uttørket,
De skal ikke bære frukt.
Selv om de føder,
Vil jeg drepe de dyrebare av deres livmor.
B1930: Efra'im er ormstukket, deres rot er blitt tørr, frukt skal de ikke bære; om de enn føder, vil jeg drepe deres dyre livsfrukt.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Hosea 9:11–13
Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
Read in context
Ezekiel 24:21
Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’
Read in context
Isaiah 5:24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Read in context
Job 18:16
The roots beneath him dry up, and the branches above him wither away.
Read in context
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 context
Isaiah 40:24
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.
Read in context
Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
Read in context
Hosea 5:11
Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow worthless idols.
Read in context