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In the day of our king Princes have made him sick, inflamed with wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers.
Hosea 7:5 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB On the day of our king, the princes made themselves sick with the heat of wine. He joined his hand with mockers.
  • KJV In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
  • BSB The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
  • NASB On the day of our king, the officials became sick with the heat of wine; He stretched out his hand with scoffers,
  • NLT On royal holidays, the princes get drunk with wine, carousing with those who mock them.

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

On the king's feast day, the officials grew sick with wine, and the king joined hands with mockers.

Overview

A royal celebration becomes an occasion of drunkenness and scorn, with the king himself allying with those who mock God. The leaders' debauchery shows the rot at the heart of the nation's government. This portrait of corrupt revelry stands in stark contrast to the sober, righteous reign that God's true King would bring.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 18

  • Dan 5:23but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which don’t see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, you have not glorified.
  • 1 Pet 4:3–4For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries.
  • Ps 69:12Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.
  • Gen 40:20On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
  • Ps 1:1Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
  • Eph 5:18Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
  • Isa 28:1Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
  • Prov 13:20One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
  • Mark 6:21Then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.
  • 1 Kgs 13:4When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself.
  • Isa 5:11–12Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!
  • Dan 5:1–4Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
  • Isa 5:22–23Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink;
  • Prov 20:1Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
  • Prov 23:29–35Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
  • Matt 14:6But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod.
  • Isa 28:7–8They also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment.
  • Hab 2:15–16“Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies!

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Hosea videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Hosea 7:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HoseaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 7:5 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.