Passage

Hosea 5.4

Book: Hosea · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"2. And the revolters are gone deep in making slaughter; but I am a rebuker of them all. 3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me; for now, O Ephraim, thou hast played the harlot, Israel is defiled."

"4. Their doings will not suffer them to turn unto their God; for the spirit of whoredom is within them, and they know not Jehovah."

"5. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity; Judah also shall stumble with them. 6. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah; but they shall not find him: he hath withdrawn himself from them." (Hosea 5:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. The rebels are deep in slaughter; but I discipline all of them. 3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, Ephraim, you have played the prostitute. Israel is defiled."

"4. Their deeds won’t allow them to turn to their God; for the spirit of prostitution is within them, and they don’t know Yahweh."

"5. The pride of Israel testifies to his face. Therefore Israel and Ephraim will stumble in their iniquity. Judah also will stumble with them. 6. They will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Yahweh; but they won’t find him. He has withdrawn himself from them." (Hosea 5:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all. ^{though: or, and} ^{a rebuker: Heb. a correction} 3. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled."

"4. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD. ^{They will: or, Their doings will not suffer them} ^{frame: Heb. give}"

"5. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. 6. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them." (Hosea 5:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. And to slaughter sinners have gone deep, And I [am] a fetter to them all. 3. I have known Ephraim, And Israel hath not been hid from me, For now thou hast gone a-whoring, Ephraim, Defiled is Israel."

"4. They give not up their habitual doings, To turn back unto their God, For a spirit of whoredoms [is] in their midst, And Jehovah they have not known."

"5. And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Stumbled also hath Judah with them. 6. With their flock and with their herd, They go to seek Jehovah, and do not find, He hath withdrawn from them." (Hosea 5:2-6, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Hosea + LORD direct discourse
Audience: Northern Kingdom of Israel before fall to Assyria
Location: Northern Kingdom
Time period: ministry c. 753-715 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). Also appears in: Genesis 1.1, Genesis 1.2, Genesis 1.14-19.
H3045 - yada, yada (Strong's H3045). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 12, Genesis 19.
H3068 - YHWH, YHWH (Strong's H3068). Also appears in: Genesis 2.4, Genesis 2.7, Genesis 2.16-17.
H7307 - ruach, ruach (Strong's H7307). Also appears in: Genesis 1.2, Genesis 3.8, Genesis 6.
H7725 - shuv, shuv (Strong's H7725). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 15.16, Genesis 16.7-13.

Quoted in

Spiritual Warfare

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.