But Israel has rejected good; an enemy will pursue him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Israel has cast off that which is good. The enemy will pursue him.
- KJV Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
- NKJV Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.
- NASB Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him.
- NLT But it is too late. The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after 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
Israel has rejected what is good, so the enemy will pursue him.
Overview
Having spurned the good, which is God Himself and His ways, Israel is left to the consequence of being chased down by an enemy. The rejection of good is the root cause of the coming pursuit and judgment. This sober principle, that forsaking God forfeits His protection, drives home the value of clinging to the good that is fully revealed in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lam 3:66You will pursue them in anger and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
- Ps 81:10–11I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.
- Amos 1:11This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly.
- 1 Tim 5:12and thus will incur judgment because they are setting aside their first faith.
- Lev 26:36As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them.
- Deut 28:25The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
- Lam 4:19Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:3 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.