So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Ephraim is like an easily deceived dove, without understanding. They call to Egypt. They go to Assyria.
- KJV Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
- NKJV “Ephraimalso is like a silly dove, without sense— They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.
- NASB So Ephraim has become like a gullible dove, without sense; They call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
- NLT “The people of Israel have become like silly, witless doves, first calling to Egypt, then flying to Assyria for help.
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
Ephraim is like a silly, senseless dove, fluttering to Egypt and then to Assyria for help.
Overview
Israel's foreign policy is mocked as the behavior of a foolish dove flitting helplessly between great powers instead of trusting God. Their lack of understanding leads them to seek security in the very nations that will undo them. The verse exposes the folly of trusting anything other than the LORD, a folly the gospel answers by directing faith to Christ alone.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Hos 12:1Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
- Hos 5:13When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
- Hos 11:11They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes, declares the LORD.
- Hos 4:11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
- Jer 2:18Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
- Prov 6:32He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
- Hos 9:3They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.
- Jer 2:36How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
- Isa 30:1–6“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.
- Prov 15:32He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
- 2 Kgs 17:3–4Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
- Isa 31:1–3Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Hos 8:8–9Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.
- Hos 14:3Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
- 2 Kgs 15:19Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom.
- Ezek 23:4–8The older was named Oholah, and her sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
- Prov 17:16Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 7:11 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.