They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have stopped obeying the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to Yahweh.
- KJV For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
- NKJV For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
- NASB They will eat, but not have enough; They will play the prostitute, but not increase, Because they gave up devoting themselves to the Lord.
- NLT They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Their indulgence in food and immorality will fail to satisfy or multiply them, because they abandoned the Lord. Sin yields emptiness, not fulfillment.
Overview
Eating without being filled and pursuing immorality without increase picture the futility that follows forsaking God. The blessings of nourishment and offspring are withheld because the people have 'abandoned giving to Yahweh,' turning from true worship. The verse teaches that sin promises satisfaction but delivers frustration, for fullness of life is found only in faithful devotion to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Mic 6:14You will eat but not be satisfied, and your hunger will remain with you. What you acquire, you will not preserve; and what you save, I will give to the sword.
- Hag 1:6You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”
- Lev 26:26When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.
- Prov 13:25A righteous man eats to his heart’s content, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.
- Ps 125:5But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
- Zeph 1:6and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”
- 2 Pet 2:20–22If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
- Mal 2:1–3“And now this decree is for you, O priests:
- Hos 4:14I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.
- Ezek 18:24But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.
- Hos 9:11–17Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
- 2 Chr 24:17After the death of Jehoiada, however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.
- Isa 65:13–16Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
- Jer 34:15Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.
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Christ at the center
God's relentless love for an unfaithful bride dramatizes the gospel: 'Out of Egypt I called my son' is fulfilled in Jesus, who redeems an adulterous people at his own cost.
How Hosea 4:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.