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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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New Century Version

Hosea 7:9

Foreign nations have eaten up his strength, but he doesn't know it. Israel is weak and feeble, like an old man, but he doesn't know it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Company;   Confidence;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Companionship;   Gray Hairs;   Hairs, Gray;   Ignorance;   Long Life;   Old Age;   Self, Ignorance of;   Temptation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hair, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Treaty;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Hosea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Stranger;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Hair;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Color;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Color;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Foreigners consume his strength,but he does not notice.Even his hair is streaked with gray,but he does not notice.
Hebrew Names Version
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.
King James Version
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
English Standard Version
Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.
New American Standard Bible
Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.
Amplified Bible
Strangers have devoured his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Strangers haue deuoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray heares are here and there vpon him, yet he knoweth not.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Strangers devour his strength, Yet he does not know it; Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, Yet he does not know it.
Legacy Standard Bible
Strangers devour his power,Yet he does not know it;Gray hairs also are sprinkled on him,Yet he does not know it.
Berean Standard Bible
Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
Contemporary English Version
They don't seem to realize how weak and feeble they are; their hair has turned gray, while foreigners rule.
Complete Jewish Bible
Foreigners have eaten up his strength, but he doesn't know it; yes, gray hairs appear on him here and there, but he doesn't know it.
Darby Translation
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth [it] not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth [it] not.
Easy-to-Read Version
Strangers destroy Ephraim's strength, but Ephraim does not know it. Gray hairs are also sprinkled on Ephraim, but Ephraim does not know it.
George Lamsa Translation
Thus strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not: yea, gray hairs have grown upon him, yet he knows it not.
Good News Translation
and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it.
Lexham English Bible
Foreigners devour his strength, and he does not know it; mold is also sprinkled upon him, and he does not know it.
Literal Translation
Strangers have eaten up his strength, yet he does not know. Yea, gray hairs are sprinkled here and there on him, yet he does not know.
American Standard Version
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not.
Bible in Basic English
Men from other lands have made waste his strength, and he is not conscious of it; grey hairs have come on him here and there, and he has no knowledge of it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not.
King James Version (1611)
Strangers haue deuoured his strength, and hee knoweth it not: yea, gray haires are here and there vpon him, yet he knoweth not.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Straungers haue deuoured his strength, and he regardeth it not: he waxeth full of gray heeres, yet wyll he not knowe it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Strangers devoured his strength, and he knew it not; and grey hairs came upon him, and he knew it not.
English Revised Version
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, and he knoweth it not.
World English Bible
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Aliens eeten the strengthe of hym, and he knew not; but also hoor heeris weren sched out in hym, and he knew not.
Update Bible Version
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he does not know [it]: yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, and he does not know [it].
Webster's Bible Translation
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth [it] not: yes, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
New English Translation
Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, but he does not recognize it! His head is filled with gray hair, but he does not realize it!
New King James Version
Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it.
New Living Translation
Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don't even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don't realize they're old and weak.
New Life Bible
Strangers destroy his strength, yet he does not know it. White hairs come upon him, yet he does not know it.
New Revised Standard
Foreigners devour his strength, but he does not know it; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, but he does not know it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Foreigners have, eaten up, his strength, and, he, knoweth it not, - even gray hairs, are sprinkled upon him, and, he, knoweth it not.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knew it not: yea, grey hairs also are spread about upon him, and he is ignorant of it.
Revised Standard Version
Aliens devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not.
Young's Literal Translation
Devoured have strangers his power, And he hath not known, Also old age hath sprinkled [itself] on him, And he hath not known.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
straungers haue deuoured his strength, yet he regardeth it not: he waxeth ful of gray haires, yet wil he not knowe it:

Contextual Overview

8 "Israel mixes with other nations; he is like a pancake cooked only on one side. 9 Foreign nations have eaten up his strength, but he doesn't know it. Israel is weak and feeble, like an old man, but he doesn't know it. 10 Israel's pride will cause their defeat; they will not turn back to the Lord their God or look to him for help in all this. 11 Israel has become like a pigeon— easy to fool and stupid. First they call to Egypt for help. Then they run to Assyria. 12 When they go, I will catch them in a net, I will bring them down like birds from the sky; I will punish them countless times for their evil. 13 How terrible for them because they left me! They will be destroyed, because they turned against me. I want to save them, but they have spoken lies against me. 14 They do not call to me from their hearts. They just lie on their beds and cry. They come together to ask for grain and new wine, but they really turn away from me. 15 Though I trained them and gave them strength, they have made evil plans against me. 16 They did not turn to the Most High God. They are like a loose bow that can't shoot. Because their leaders brag about their strength, they will be killed with swords, and the people in Egypt will laugh at them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

devoured: Hosea 8:7, 2 Kings 13:3-7, 2 Kings 13:22, 2 Kings 15:19, Proverbs 23:35, Isaiah 42:22-25, Isaiah 57:1

here and there: Heb. sprinkled

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:3 - turned Judges 16:20 - I will go 2 Chronicles 30:1 - Ephraim Proverbs 5:10 - strangers Ecclesiastes 6:2 - but Ecclesiastes 12:1 - while Isaiah 1:7 - strangers Isaiah 42:25 - he knew Ezekiel 24:13 - because Haggai 2:17 - yet

Cross-References

Genesis 2:19
From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the sky, and he brought them to the man so the man could name them. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name.
Genesis 7:6
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came.
Genesis 7:9
came to Noah. They went into the boat in groups of two, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
Genesis 7:11
When Noah was six hundred years old, the flood started. On the seventeenth day of the second month of that year the underground springs split open, and the clouds in the sky poured out rain.
Genesis 7:12
The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:16
One male and one female of every living thing came, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
Isaiah 65:25
Wolves and lambs will eat together in peace. Lions will eat hay like oxen, and a snake on the ground will not hurt anyone. They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain," says the Lord .
Jeremiah 8:7
Even the birds in the sky know the right times to do things. The storks, doves, swifts, and thrushes know when it is time to migrate. But my people don't know what the Lord wants them to do.
Galatians 3:28
In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:11
In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is in all believers, and Christ is all that is important.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Strangers have devoured his strength,.... Or his substance, as the Targum; his wealth and riches, fortresses and strong holds: these strangers were either the Syrians, who, in the times of Jehoahaz, destroyed Ephraim or the Israelites, and so weakened them, as to make them like the dust by threshing, 2 Kings 12:7; or the Assyrians, first under Pul king of Assyria, who came out against Menahem king of Israel, and exacted a tribute of a thousand talents of silver, and so drained them of their treasure, which was their strength, 2 Kings 15:19; and then under Tiglathpileser, another king of Assyria, who came and took away from them many of their fortified places, and carried the inhabitants captive, 2 Kings 15:29;

and he knoweth [it] not; is not sensible how much he is weakened by such exactions and depredations; or does not take notice of the hand of God in all this; does not consider from whence it comes, what is the cause of it, and for what ends;

yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not; or, "old age has sprinkled itself upon him" s; or, "gray hairs are sprinkled on him"; gray hairs, when thick, are a sign that old age is come; and, when sprinkled here and there, are symptoms of its coming on, and of a person's being on the decline of life; and here it signifies the weak and declining state of Israel, through the exactions and depredations of their neighbours, and that theft utter ruin was near; and yet they did not know nor consider their latter end, nor repent of their sins and acknowledge them, and return unto the Lord, and implore his mercy: so carnal professors, who mix with the men of the world, that are strangers to God and godliness, and everything that is divine and good, are devoured by them; they lose their time and substance, and their precious souls, and are not aware of it. The symptoms of the declining state of the church of God are at this time upon us, and yet not taken notice of; such as great departures from the faith; a number of false teachers risen up; great failings off of professors, and of such who have made a great figure in the church; a small number of faithful men; great coldness and lukewarmness to spiritual things; little faith on the earth; great neglect of Gospel worship and ordinances; much sleepiness and drowsiness; great immorality and profaneness: as also the symptoms of the declining state of the world, and of its drawing to its period; as wars, and rumours of wars, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes in divers places; volcanos, burning mountains, eruptions of subterraneous fire, which portend the general conflagration; and yet these things are little attended to.

s שיבה זרקה בו "canities sparsit se in eo", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Schmidt; "cani sparsi sunt", Tigurine version; "canities aspergit eum", Junius Tremellius, Piscator so Latin writers: "sparserit et nigras alba senecta comas". Propert. l. 3. Eleg. 4. "Jam mihi deterior canis aspergitur aetas". Ovid. de Ponto, l. 1. Eleg. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not - Like Samson, when, for sensual pleasure, he had betrayed the source of his strength and God had departed from him, lsrael knew not how or wherein his alliancs with the pagan had impaired his strength. He thought his losses at the hand of the enemy, passing wounds, which time would heal; he thought not of them, as tokens of God’s separation from him, that his time of trial was coming to its close, his strength decaying, his end at hand. Israel was not only incorrigible, but “past feeling” Ephesians 4:19, as the Apostle says of the pagan. The marks of wasting and decay were visible to sight and touch; yet he himself perceived not what all saw except himself. Israel had sought to strangers for help, and it “had turned to his decay.” Pul and Tiglath-pileser had “devoured his strength,” despoiling him of his wealth and treasure, the flower of his men, and the produce of his land, draining him of his riches, and hardly oppressing him through the tribute imposed upon him. But “like men quite stupified, they, though thus continually gnawed upon, yet suffered themselves willingly to be devoured, and seemed insensible of it.” Yet not only so, but the present evils were the forerunners of worse. Grey hairs, themselves the effects of declining age and tokens of decay, are the forerunners of death. “Thy grey hairs are thy passing-bell,” says the proverb .

The prophet repeats, after each clause, “he knoweth not.” He knoweth nothing; be knoweth not the tokens of decay in himself, but hides them from himself; he knoweth not God, who is the author of them;. he knoweth not the cause of them, his sins; he knoweth not the end and object of them, his conversion; he knoweth not, what, since he knoweth not any of these things, will be the issue of them, his destruction. People hide from themselves the tokens of decay, whether of body or soul. And so death, whether of body or soul or both, comes upon them unawares. : “Looking on the surface, he imagines that all things are right with him, not feeling the secret worm which gnaws within. The outward garb remains; the rules of fasting are observed; the stated times of prayer are kept; but the heart is far from Me, saith the Lord. Consider diligently what thou lovest, what thou fearest, whereat thou rejoicest or art saddened, and thou will find, under the habit of religion, a worldly mind; under the rags of conversion, a heart of perversion.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Hosea 7:9. Gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. — The kingdom is grown old in iniquity; the time of their captivity is at hand, and they are apprehensive of no danger. They are in the state of a silly old man, who through age and infirmities is become nearly bald, and the few remaining hairs on his head are quite gray. But he does not consider his latter end; is making no provision for that eternity on the brink of which he is constantly standing; does not apply to the sovereign Physician to heal his spiritual diseases; but calls in the doctors to cure him of old age and death! This miserable state and preposterous conduct we witness every day. O how fast does the human being cling to his native earth! Reader, hear the voice of an old man: -

O my coevals! remnants of yourselves,

Shall our pale withered hands be still stretched out?

Trembling at once with eagerness and age;

With avarice and ambition grasping-fast

Grasping at air! For what hath earth beside?

We want but little; nor THAT LITTLE long.


 
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