Hosea 2:4

Hosea 2:4

And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

a. NLT: And I will not love her children, for they were conceived in prostitution.

b. NIV: I will not show my love to her children, because they are the children of adultery.

c. YLT: And her sons I do not pity, For sons of whoredoms are they,

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Yes, for her children I will have no love nor pity nor mercy, for they are the children of harlotry.

e. Septuagint [Hosea 2:4 in Christian Bibles is Hosea 2:6 in the Septuagint]: And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they are children of fornication.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings [Hosea 2:4 in Christian Bibles is Hosea 2:6 in Jewish Bibles]: And upon her children I will not have mercy, for they are children of harlotry.

1. “And I will not have mercy upon her children…”

a. And [Strong: 853 * 'eth ayth apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

b. I will not [Strong: 3808 * lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. have mercy [Strong: 7355 * racham raw-kham' a primitive root; to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate:--have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy(-iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, X surely.]

d. upon her children [Strong: 1121 * ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

2. “…for they be the children of whoredoms.”

a. for [Strong: 3588 * kiy kee a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

b. they be [Strong: 1992 * hem haym or (prolonged) hemmah {haym'-maw}; masculine plural from 1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.]

c. children [Strong: 1121 * ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

d. of whoredoms [Strong: 2183 * zanuwn zaw-noon' from 2181; adultery; figuratively, idolatry:--whoredom.]

1). Isaiah, who lived during the same time as Hosea for over 20 years but prophesied to Judah, prophesied a similar rebuke to Judah and using the same terminology which was linked to child sacrifice.

a). Isaiah 57:  But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

57:4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood.

57:5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

2). God judged Israel because of their practicing child sacrifice, the shedding of blood mingled with idolatry.

a). Ezekiel 36:16-19  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

36:17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me, as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

36: 18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it;

36:19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their ways and according to their doings I judged them.

3). The phrase, “the blood that they had shed upon the land” in verse 18 is the blood of their children that they had offered to idols. This is confirmed by looking at Ezekiel 16:35, 36.

a). Ezekiel 16:35, 36 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:

16:36 Thus saith the LORD God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them.