Hosea 4:11
Hosea 4:11 in Multiple Translations
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding.
Loose ways and new wine take away wisdom.
They destroy their minds with old wine and new wine.
Whoredome, and wine, and newe wine take away their heart.
Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.
and they are devoting themselves to sleeping with prostitutes, and to drinking old wine and new wine, which results in their not being able to think clearly.”
Berean Amplified Bible — Hosea 4:11
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Hosea 4:11 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
זְנ֛וּת
וְ/יַ֥יִן
וְ/תִיר֖וֹשׁ
יִֽקַּֽח
לֵֽב
זְנ֛וּת
zᵉnûwth
H2184
fornication
N-fs
וְ/יַ֥יִן
yayin
H3196
wine
Conj | N-ms
וְ/תִיר֖וֹשׁ
tîyrôwsh
H8492
new wine
Conj | N-ms
יִֽקַּֽח
lâqach
H3947
to take
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
לֵֽב
lêb
H3820
heart
N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Hosea 4:11
זְנ֛וּת
zᵉnûwth
H2184
"fornication"
N-fs
In the Bible, this Hebrew word refers to unfaithfulness, whether it's cheating on a spouse or worshiping idols. It's often translated as 'adultery' or 'whoredom' in the KJV. This concept is discussed in books like Hosea and Ezekiel.
Definition: fornication, harlotry
Usage: Occurs in 9 OT verses. KJV: whoredom. See also: Numbers 14:33; Ezekiel 23:27; Jeremiah 3:2.
וְ/יַ֥יִן
yayin
H3196
"wine"
Conj | N-ms
The Hebrew word for wine, 'yayin', refers to fermented wine and its effects, including intoxication. It is often mentioned in the Bible in the context of banquets and feasts, such as in the book of Esther.
Definition: wine
Usage: Occurs in 134 OT verses. KJV: banqueting, wine, wine(-bibber). See also: Genesis 9:21; Proverbs 20:1; Psalms 60:5.
וְ/תִיר֖וֹשׁ
tîyrôwsh
H8492
"new wine"
Conj | N-ms
New wine, freshly squeezed from grapes, is the meaning of this Hebrew word. It can also refer to fermented wine, but that is less common. The KJV translates it as new or sweet wine.
Definition: wine, fresh or new wine, must, freshly pressed wine
Usage: Occurs in 38 OT verses. KJV: (new, sweet) wine. See also: Genesis 27:28; Psalms 4:8; Proverbs 3:10.
יִֽקַּֽח
lâqach
H3947
"to take"
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Definition: : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed 1b3) to be taken, brought unto 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be taken from or out of 1c2) to be stolen from 1c3) to be taken captive 1c4) to be taken away, be removed 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto 1d2) to be taken out of 1d3) to be taken away 1e) (Hithpael) 1e1) to take hold of oneself 1e2) to flash about (of lightning)
Usage: Occurs in 909 OT verses. KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. See also: Genesis 2:15; Genesis 34:17; Exodus 30:23.
לֵֽב
lêb
H3820
"heart"
N-ms
Leb refers to the heart, but also represents feelings, will, and intellect in the Bible. It is used figuratively to describe the center of something, and is often translated as heart or mind. Leb is a complex concept that encompasses emotions and thoughts.
Definition: 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage
Usage: Occurs in 552 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom] themselves, [idiom] unawares, understanding, [idiom] well, willingly, wisdom. See also: Genesis 6:5; 2 Samuel 13:33; Psalms 4:8.
Study Notes — Hosea 4:11
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Hosea 4:11 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Hosea 4:11
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hosea 4:11
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
- Trapp's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
- Ellicott's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
- Cambridge Bible on Hosea 4:11
- Barnes' Notes on Hosea 4:11
- Whedon's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
- Sermons on Hosea 4:11
Context — God’s Case against His People
9And it shall be like people, like priest. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned the LORD to give themselves
11to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.
12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God. 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 20:1 | Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise. |
| 2 | Luke 21:34 | But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. |
| 3 | Isaiah 28:7 | These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments. |
| 4 | Ecclesiastes 7:7 | Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. |
| 5 | Proverbs 23:27–35 | For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well. Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks. Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast: “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?” |
| 6 | Hosea 4:12 | My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God. |
| 7 | Proverbs 6:32 | He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. |
| 8 | Romans 13:11–14 | And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. |
| 9 | Isaiah 5:12 | At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands. |
Hosea 4:11 Summary
[Hosea 4:11 warns us that turning to promiscuity, wine, and other worldly comforts can lead us away from understanding God's will and living according to His design. This is because these things can cloud our judgment and distract us from what is truly important, as seen in Ephesians 5:18. By focusing on God's Word and seeking His truth, we can avoid the pitfalls of spiritual confusion and live a life that honors Him. As we seek to follow God, we must be mindful of the influences in our lives and make choices that align with His commandments, as encouraged in Psalm 119:97-100.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Hosea 4:11 mean by 'promiscuity, wine, and new wine'?
These are things that people turn to for comfort or escape, but they ultimately lead to spiritual confusion and a lack of understanding, as seen in Ephesians 5:18 where believers are warned not to be drunk with wine, but instead filled with the Holy Spirit.
How does promiscuity affect our relationship with God?
Promiscuity, or sexual immorality, can lead us away from God's design for our lives and damage our ability to understand and follow His will, as warned in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, where our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
What role does wine and new wine play in this verse?
Wine and new wine represent substances that can alter our perception and judgment, leading us away from God's truth and into a state of spiritual confusion, similar to what is described in Proverbs 23:29-35, where the dangers of excessive wine consumption are outlined.
How can we protect ourselves from losing understanding due to these influences?
By focusing on God's Word and following His commandments, as Psalm 119:97-100 encourages, we can cultivate a deep understanding of God's will and avoid the pitfalls of worldly influences that lead to spiritual confusion.
Reflection Questions
- In what ways am I seeking comfort or escape in my life, and how might these things be affecting my understanding of God's will?
- How can I prioritize God's Word and seek His truth in my daily life, even when faced with temptations or pressures to conform to the world's standards?
- What are some practical steps I can take to avoid the influences of promiscuity, wine, and other substances that can lead to spiritual confusion?
- How can I seek accountability and support from fellow believers to help me stay on the path of righteousness and avoid the pitfalls described in Hosea 4:11?
Gill's Exposition on Hosea 4:11
Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. Uncleanness and intemperance besot men, deprive them of reason and judgment, and even of common sense, make them downright fools, and so stupid
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Hosea 4:11
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart - a moral truth applicable to all times The special reference here is to the licentious orgies
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
Whoredom; unlawful converse with wanton women, the forbidden pleasures of an adulterous bed. And wine and new wine; excess of drinking, and indeed all immoderate pleasures; one kind being put for all. Take away the heart; besot men, and deprive them of the right use of their Understanding and judgment. By these courses both priests and people here have disabled themselves to discern aright between good and bad, between safe and dangerous.
Trapp's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
Hosea 4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.Ver. 11. Whoredom and wine and new wine have taken away the heart] i.e. Have robbed my people of themselves, and laid a beast in their room. Any lust allowed and wallowed in will eat out the heart of grace; and, at length, all grace out of the heart. Hence temporizers grow in time so sapless, heatless, and heartless to any good; some unmortifled lust or other there is, that, as a worm, lieth grubbing at the root, and makes all to wither; that, like a drone in a hive, proves a great waster; that, as a moth in fine cloth, consumes all; or, as the light of the sun, puts out the light of the fire: so here. But, above all others, sensual sins and fleshly lusts (such as are here instanced, whoredom and drunkenness) do war against the soul, 1 Peter 2:11, do take away the heart; they besot and infatuate a man, they rob him of his reason, and carry away his affections, &c. Grace is seated in the power of nature. Now these carnal sins disable nature; and so set it in a greater distance from grace. They make men, that formerly seemed to give light as a candle, to become as a snuff in a socket, drowned in the tallow; or as a quagmire, which swallows up the seed sown upon it, and yields no increase. Who are void of the Spirit but such as are sensual?
Judges 1:18-19. And who are they that say unto God, Depart from us, but those that dance to the timbrel and harp, &c., Job 21:11. "They saw God, and did eat and drink," Exodus 24:11; that is, say some, though they had seen God, yet they turned again to sensual pleasures: as if it had reference to that eating, and drinking, and rising up to play, upon the dedication of their calf, which was presently after. Aristotle writeth of a parcel of ground in Sicily that sendeth forth such a strong smell of fragrant flowers to all the fields and grounds thereabouts, that no hound can hunt there; the scent is so confounded with the sweet smell of the flowers. Let us see to it that the pleasures of sin take not away all scent (and sense too) of heavenly delights; that the flesh, as a siren, befool not Wisdom’ s guests, and get them away from her, Proverbs 9:16; as Aelian tells of a whore that boasted that she could easily get all Socrates’ scholars from him, but he could not recover one again from her. Indeed, none that go unto her return again, saith Solomon, Proverbs 2:19, for she gets their hearts from them: as David found, and Solomon complained. David was never his own worthy again, after he had fouled himself with that beastly sin.
Ellicott's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
(11) Heart.—The whole inner life, consumed by these licentious indulgences.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
Verse 11. Whoredom and wine] These debaucheries go generally together. Take away the heart.] Darken the understanding, deprave the judgment, pervert the will, debase all the passions, &c.
Cambridge Bible on Hosea 4:11
11–14. Thus the priests have led the way, and the people follow. They have lost the spiritual faculty; a wild impulse to the most sensual idolatry has carried them away.
Barnes' Notes on Hosea 4:11
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart - (Literally, “takes away”).
Whedon's Commentary on Hosea 4:11
11. Whoredom — The juxtaposition of the word with wine shows that it is to be interpreted literally. Wine… new wine — The former is a general term; on the latter see on Joe 1:5; Joe 1:10.
Sermons on Hosea 4:11
| Sermon | Description | |
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Anti-Booze Efforts by Billy Sunday | Billy Sunday passionately preaches against alcohol, expressing his determination to combat the saloon culture that he believes leads to the destruction of lives and families. He em |
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Prohibition (Edited) by Billy Sunday | In this sermon, the preacher highlights the negative impact of excessive taxation on alcohol in America. He argues that the government's decision to impose a $2 tax on whiskey and |
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Open Air Meeting - Part 1 by Billy Sunday | This sermon by Mr. Kelly Sunday focuses on the Christian support of Prohibition, highlighting the attempt to bind the American people to profit-driven industries like breweries and |
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Prohibition by Billy Sunday | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the negative effects of alcohol consumption on society. He highlights the new law passed by Congress, which imposes a two-dollar tax on whisk |
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Being Blessed by Jesus by Erlo Stegen | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of focusing on the Bible and the gospel rather than indulging in alcohol and worldly desires. He shares a story of a young co |
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The History of Rock - Part 1 by Alan Ives | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of playing good music and its impact on the attitude of Christians. He refers to First Thessalonians 5 and highlights the vari |
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The Folly of Meddling by Chuck Smith | In this sermon, Pastor Brian leads the congregation in reading various verses from Proverbs 20. The verses touch on topics such as the dangers of wine and strong drink, the importa |