Hosea 8

Read the chapter

¹“Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord, for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law. ✦ ²Now Israel pleads with me, ‘Help us, for you are our God!’ ✦ ³But it is too late. The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them. ✦ ⁴The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my approval. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction. ✦ ⁵“O Samaria, I reject this calf— this idol you have made. My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable of innocence? ✦ ⁶This calf you worship, O Israel, was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits. ✦ ⁷“They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. ✦ ⁸The people of Israel have been swallowed up; they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot. ✦ ⁹Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves— sold themselves to many lovers. ✦ ¹⁰But though they have sold themselves to many allies, I will now gather them together for judgment. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king. ✦ ¹¹“Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! ✦ ¹²Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. ✦ ¹³The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt. ✦ ¹⁴Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.” ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

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.

Where this chapter connects

Hos 10 ·7 Deut 28 ·6 2 Kgs 15 ·5 2 Kgs 17 ·5 Amos 1 ·5 Hos 7 ·5 Hos 2 ·5 Hos 9 ·4

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 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

Pastoral

SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Hosea videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Hosea 8YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Hosea 8David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on HoseaMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Hosea 8Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

← Hosea 7 Hosea 9 →