Hosea 6:4
New International Version
“What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.

New Living Translation
“O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the LORD. “For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.

English Standard Version
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.

Berean Standard Bible
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.

King James Bible
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

New King James Version
“O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.

New American Standard Bible
What shall I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, And like the dew which goes away early.

NASB 1995
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.

NASB 1977
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud, And like the dew which goes away early.

Legacy Standard Bible
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your lovingkindness is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.

Amplified Bible
O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O Judah, what shall I do with you? For your [wavering] loyalty and kindness are [transient] like the morning cloud And like the dew that goes away early.

Christian Standard Bible
What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your loyalty is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes.

American Standard Version
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
What shall I do to you, Aphreim, and what shall I do to you, Yehuda? Your goodness is as a cloud of the morning and like the early dew, and it passes away

Brenton Septuagint Translation
What shall I do unto thee, Ephraim? What shall I do to thee, Juda? whereas your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that goes away.

Contemporary English Version
People of Israel and Judah, what can I do with you? Your love for me disappears more quickly than mist or dew at sunrise.

Douay-Rheims Bible
What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim? what shall I do to thee, O Juda? your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth away in the morning.

English Revised Version
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth early away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"What should I do with you, Ephraim? What should I do with you, Judah? Your love is like fog in the morning. It disappears as quickly as the morning dew.

Good News Translation
But the LORD says, "Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day.

International Standard Version
"What am I to do with you, Ephraim? What am I to do with you, Judah? Your love is like a morning rain cloud— it passes away like the morning dew.

JPS Tanakh 1917
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the dew that early passeth away.

Literal Standard Version
“What do I do to you, O Ephraim? What do I do to you, O Judah? Your goodness [is] as a cloud of the morning, | And as dew rising early—going.

Majority Standard Bible
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.

New American Bible
What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your loyalty is like morning mist, like the dew that disappears early.

NET Bible
What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, O Judah? For your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist; it disappears as quickly as dawn's dew!

New Revised Standard Version
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.

New Heart English Bible
"Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early.

Webster's Bible Translation
O Ephraim, what shall I do to thee? O Judah, what shall I do to thee? for your goodness is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

World English Bible
“Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early.

Young's Literal Translation
What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness is as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early -- going.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel and Judah are Unrepentant
3So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth. 4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes. 5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.…

Cross References
Psalm 78:34
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.

Hosea 7:1
When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets.

Hosea 11:8
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.


Treasury of Scripture

O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goes away.

what.

Hosea 11:8
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

Isaiah 5:3,4
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard…

Jeremiah 3:19
But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

for.

Judges 2:18,19
And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them…

Psalm 78:34-37
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God…

Psalm 106:12,13
Then believed they his words; they sang his praise…

goodness.

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.

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Hosea 6
1. Exhortations to repent and hope in God.
4. A lamentation over those who had sinned after conviction.
5. Reproofs of obstinate sinners, and threats against them.














(4) Here ends the supposed language of the penitents. If it were genuine, and accompanied by a deep sense of sin, it would not be in vain. But the prophet utters the heartrending response and expostulation of Jehovah, who bewails the transitory nature of their repentance.

Your goodness . . .--Better rendered, Your love (to me) is like the morning cloud (which promises rain, and does not give it; like the dew (or, "morning mist;" see Note, Hosea 14:5), which early goeth away, vanishing in the blaze of summer day--your tears leaving you parched and dried as before.

Verse 4. - For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. A new section here commences. God, having tried various expedients and many ways to restore Israel to faithfulness, finds all those methods unavailing; and now he asks what further means of reclamation he can resort to; what further punishment he is to inflict. Thus in Isaiah 1:5, "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more!" or what additional privileges can be vouchsafed? Thus in Isaiah 5:4, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, than I have not done in it?" The reason is then assigned for such questioning; it was the brief duration of Israel's piety. It was evanescent as the early cloud which floats across a summer's sky and which the sun soon scatters for ever, or which pro-raises a refreshing shower, but which is exhaled by the sun's heat; it was transient as the dew which lies in pearly drops of beauty upon the grass, but which the foot of the passing traveler brushes away in a moment. The prophet had, in the opening verses, referred to real repentance; but now, turning to Israel, he reminds them of their repentance by way of con-trust, showing them that it was neither of the consistency nor permanent character required. Proofs of their deficiency lay on the pages of their national history. Hezekiah had done "that which was right in the sight of the Lord;" but his son and successor, Manasseh, "wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to auger." Josiah, again, was eminent for piety, so that "like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might;" but his successors degenerated, for it is added, "neither after him arose there any like him." The connection and meaning are well given by Kimchi: "How shall I heal you, and how shall I bind you up, as your repentance is by no means perfect? For if the kings of Israel did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, so have they soon turned to do evil, like Jehu. And likewise the kings of Judah, who in the days of Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, turned again to do evil in the days of his son and son's son." Thus he reproves them for the superficial and fleeting character of their goodness. The participles mashkim and holek are either co-ordinated asynde-tously, thus: "coming in the morning, going away;" or the latter is subordinated to the former: "in the morning passing away." Kimchi takes the former word as a noun after the form of makbir, equivalent to "abundance" (Job 36:31); the right rendering is, "as the dew early going away." A somewhat different rendering is proposed by Wunsche, viz. "Your goodness goeth away like a morning cloud, and like the dew in the morning;" "goodness" being the subject, "goeth away" the predicate, "like morning cloud and dew" nearer definitions.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מָ֤ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

shall I do
אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־ (’e·‘ĕ·śeh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

with you,
לְּךָ֙ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

O Ephraim?
אֶפְרַ֔יִם (’ep̄·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory

What
מָ֥ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

shall I do
אֶעֱשֶׂה־ (’e·‘ĕ·śeh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

with you,
לְּךָ֖ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

O Judah?
יְהוּדָ֑ה (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites

For your loyalty
וְחַסְדְּכֶם֙ (wə·ḥas·də·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

is like a morning
בֹּ֔קֶר (bō·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning

mist,
כַּֽעֲנַן־ (ka·‘ă·nan-)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6051: A cloud, the nimbus, thunder-cloud

like the early
מַשְׁכִּ֥ים (maš·kîm)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7925: To load up, to start early in the morning

dew
וְכַטַּ֖ל (wə·ḵaṭ·ṭal)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2919: Night mist, dew

that vanishes.
הֹלֵֽךְ׃ (hō·lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk


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OT Prophets: Hosea 6:4 Ephraim what shall I do to you? (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 6:3
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