Hosea 10:4

Good News Translation

They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They speak mere words,taking false oaths while making covenants.So lawsuits break outlike poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

Hebrew Names Version
They make promises, swearing falsely in making covenants. Therefore judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

King James Version
They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

English Standard Version
They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

New American Standard Bible
They speak mere words, With worthless oaths they make covenants; And judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

New Century Version
They make many false promises and agreements which they don't keep. So people sue each other in court; they are like poisonous weeds growing in a plowed field.

Amplified Bible
They have spoken empty (disingenuous) words, Swearing falsely to make covenants [they intend to break]; Therefore, judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Geneva Bible (1587)
They haue spoken woordes, swearing falsly in making a couenant: thus iudgement groweth as wormewoode in the furrowes of the fielde.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They speak mere words, With worthless oaths they make covenants; And judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Legacy Standard Bible
They speak mere words;With worthless oaths they cut covenants;And judgment flourishes like gall in the furrows of the field.

Berean Standard Bible
They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

Contemporary English Version
Israel, you break treaties and don't keep promises; you turn justice into poisonous weeds where healthy plants should grow.

Complete Jewish Bible
They mouth words, swearing falsely, making treaties. Thus judgment spreads like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

Darby Translation
They speak [mere] words, swearing falsely in making a covenant; therefore shall judgment spring up as hemlock in the furrows of the fields.

Easy-to-Read Version
They make promises, but they are only telling lies. They don't keep their promises. They make agreements with other countries. God does not like those agreements . The judges are like poisonous weeds growing in a plowed field.

George Lamsa Translation
They have spoken words belonging to false altars; they have broken the covenant and paid the penalty; they are like briers in a barren field.

Lexham English Bible
They utter words of vain oaths when making covenants, and judgment blossoms like a poisonous plant on the furrows of the field.

Literal Translation
They have spoken words, swearing vanity to cut a covenant. So judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

American Standard Version
They speak vain words, swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

Bible in Basic English
Their words are foolish; they make agreements with false oaths, so punishment will come up like a poison-plant in a ploughed field.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
They speak words, they swear falsely, they make covenants; thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

King James Version (1611)
They haue spoken words, swearing falsely in making a couenant: thus iudgement springeth vp as hemlocke in the furrowes of the field.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They haue spoken wordes, swearyng falslye in makyng a couenaunt: thus iudgement groweth as wormewood in the furrowes of the fielde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and what should a king do for us, speaking false professions as his words? he will make a covenant: judgment shall spring up as a weed on the soil of the field.

English Revised Version
They speak vain words, swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

World English Bible
They make promises, swearing falsely in making covenants. Therefore judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Speke ye wordis of vnprofitable visioun, and ye schulen smyte boond of pees with leesyng; and doom as bittirnesse schal burioune on the forewis of the feeld.

Update Bible Version
They speak [vain] words, swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment springs up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

Webster's Bible Translation
They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.

New English Translation
They utter empty words, taking false oaths and making empty agreements. Therefore legal disputes sprout up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a plowed field.

New King James Version
They have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.

New Living Translation
They spout empty words and make covenants they don't intend to keep. So injustice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer's field.

New Life Bible
They speak empty words and make false promises, so punishment grows like weeds of poison in a plowed field.

New Revised Standard
They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They have spoken words, swearing falsely, in solemnizing a covenant, - therefore shall judgment, spring up like a poisonous plant, on the ridges of the field.

Douay-Rheims Bible
You speak words of an unprofitable vision, and you shall make a covenant: and judgment shall spring up as bitterness in the furrows of the field.

Revised Standard Version
They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Young's Literal Translation
They have spoken words, To swear falsehood in making a covenant, And flourished as a poisonous herb hath judgment, on the furrows of a field.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They comon together, and sweare vayne oothes: they be cofederate together, therfore groweth their punyshment, as the wedes in the forowes of the londe.

Contextual Overview

¹ The people of Israel were like a grapevine that was full of grapes. The more prosperous they were, the more altars they built. The more productive their land was, the more beautiful they made the sacred stone pillars they worship. ² The people whose hearts are deceitful must now suffer for their sins. God will break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars. ³ These people will soon be saying, "We have no king because we did not fear the Lord . But what could a king do for us anyway?" ⁴ They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field. ⁵ The people who live in the city of Samaria will be afraid and will mourn the loss of the gold bull at Bethaven. They and the priests who serve the idol will weep over it. They will wail when it is stripped of its golden splendor. ⁶ The idol will be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the great emperor. The people of Israel will be disgraced and put to shame because of the advice they followed. ⁷ Their king will be carried off, like a chip of wood on water. ⁸ The hilltop shrines of Aven, where the people of Israel worship idols, will be destroyed. Thorns and weeds will grow up over their altars. The people will call out to the mountains, "Hide us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

swearing: Hosea 6:7, 2 Kings 17:3, 2 Kings 17:4, Ezekiel 17:13-19, Romans 1:31, 2 Timothy 3:3

thus: Deuteronomy 29:18, Isaiah 5:7, Isaiah 59:13-15, Amos 5:7, Amos 6:12, Acts 8:23, Hebrews 12:15, Revelation 8:10, Revelation 8:11

Reciprocal: Job 5:6 - spring out Proverbs 16:10 - transgresseth Jeremiah 5:2 - though Ezekiel 17:16 - whose oath Habakkuk 1:4 - for Acts 24:25 - righteousness 1 Timothy 1:10 - perjured

Cross-References

Numbers 24:24
Invaders will sail from Cyprus; They will conquer Assyria and Eber, But they, in turn, will perish forever."

Isaiah 23:1
This is a message about Tyre. Howl with grief, you sailors out on the ocean! Your home port of Tyre has been destroyed; its houses and its harbor are in ruins. As your ships return from Cyprus, you learn the news.

Isaiah 23:12
City of Sidon, your happiness has ended, and your people are oppressed. Even if they escape to Cyprus, they will still not be safe.

Ezekiel 27:12
"You did business in Spain and took silver, iron, tin, and lead in payment for your abundant goods.

Ezekiel 27:25
Your merchandise was carried in fleets of the largest cargo ships. "You were like a ship at sea Loaded with heavy cargo.

Daniel 11:30
The Romans will come in ships and oppose him, and he will be frightened. "Then he will turn back in a rage and try to destroy the religion of God's people. He will follow the advice of those who have abandoned that religion.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant,.... Those are other crimes they were guilty of, for which the wrath of God could not be awarded from them by a king, if they had one, or by any other. They had used vain and idle words in their common talk and conversation; and lying and deceitful ones to one another in trade and commerce, in contracts and promises; and so had deceived and overreached one another: they had belched out many "oaths of vanity" u: or vain oaths and curses; their mouths had been full of cursing and bitterness; and they made covenants with God, and their king, and with other kings and princes, and with one another, and had not kept them; and now for these things God had a controversy with them:

thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field; either the judgment of God, his wrath and vengeance for the above sins, rose up and spread itself in all their cities, towns, and villages; or rather the judgment and justice they pretended to execute, instead of being what it should have been, useful and beneficial to the people, like a wholesome herb, sprung up like hemlock, bitter and poisonous, and spread itself in all parts of the kingdom. Injustice is meant; see Amos 6:12.

u אלות שוא "execrationes vanitatis", Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They have spoken words - The words which they spoke were eminently “words;” they were mere “words,” which had no substance; “swearing falsely in making a covenant, literally, swearing falsely, making a covenant, and judgments springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.” : “There is no truth in words, no sanctity in oaths, no faithfulness in keeping covenants, no justice in giving judgments.” Such is the result of all their oaths and covenants, that “judgment springeth up,” yea, flourisheth; but, what judgment? Judgment, bitter and poisonous as hemlock, flourishes, as hemlock would flourish on ground broken up and prepared for it. They break up the ground, make the “furrows.” They will not have any chance self-sown seed; they prepare the soil for harvest, full, abundant, regular, cleared of all besides. And what harvest? Not any wholesome plant, but poison. They cultivate injustice and wickedness, as if these were to be the fruits to be rendered to God from His own land. So Amos says, “Ye have turned judgment into gall or wormwood” Amos 6:12; Amos 5:7, and Habakkuk, “Judgment went forth perverted” Habakkuk 1:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hosea 10:4. They have spoken words — Vain, empty, deceitful words.

Swearing falsely — This refers to the alliances made with strange powers, to whom they promised fidelity without intending to be faithful; and from whom they promised themselves protection and support, notwithstanding God was against them, and they knew it. All their words were vain, and in the end as bitter as gall.

Judgment springeth up as hemlock — As our land lies without cultivation, so that we have nothing but noxious weeds instead of crops; so we have no administration of justice. What is done in this way is a perversion of law, and is as hurtful to society as hemlock would be to animal life. All this may refer to the anarchy that was in the kingdom of Israel before Hoshea's reign, and which lasted, according to Archbishop Usher, nine years. They then, literally, "had no king."