Hosea 7:3
New International Version
“They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies.

New Living Translation
“The people entertain the king with their wickedness, and the princes laugh at their lies.

English Standard Version
By their evil they make the king glad, and the princes by their treachery.

Berean Standard Bible
They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.

King James Bible
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

New King James Version
They make a king glad with their wickedness, And princes with their lies.

New American Standard Bible
With their wickedness they make the king happy, And the officials with their lies.

NASB 1995
With their wickedness they make the king glad, And the princes with their lies.

NASB 1977
With their wickedness they make the king glad, And the princes with their lies.

Legacy Standard Bible
With their evil they make the king glad, And the princes with their deceptions.

Amplified Bible
They make the king glad with their wickedness, And the princes with their lies.

Christian Standard Bible
They please the king with their evil, the princes with their lies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They please the king with their evil, the princes with their lies.

American Standard Version
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

Contemporary English Version
The king and his officials take great pleasure in their sin and deceit.

English Revised Version
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"They make kings happy with the wicked things they do. They make officials happy with the lies they tell.

Good News Translation
The LORD says, "People deceive the king and his officers by their evil plots.

International Standard Version
They please the king with their evil, and the princes with their dishonesty.

Majority Standard Bible
They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.

NET Bible
The royal advisers delight the king with their evil schemes, the princes make him glad with their lies.

New Heart English Bible
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

Webster's Bible Translation
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

World English Bible
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
With their wickedness they make a king glad, "" And with their lies—princes.

Young's Literal Translation
With their wickedness they make glad a king, And with their lies -- princes.

Smith's Literal Translation
By their evil they will gladden the king, and the chiefs by their falsehoods.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have made the king glad with their wickedness: and the princes with their lies.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The king has rejoiced at their wickedness, and the leaders have rejoiced in their lies.

New American Bible
With their wickedness they make the king rejoice, the princes too, with their treacherous deeds.

New Revised Standard Version
By their wickedness they make the king glad, and the officials by their treachery.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They have made the kings glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They gave joy to Kings and in their evil and in their unfaithfulness
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They make the king glad with their wickedness, And the princes with their lies.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They gladdened kings with their wickedness, and princes with their lies.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ephraim's Iniquity
2But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face. 3They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies. 4They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 9:2-6
If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people. / “They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. ...

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Micah 7:3
Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.

Amos 5:12
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

Psalm 52:3
You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking truth. Selah

Proverbs 29:12
If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.

Jeremiah 5:26-28
For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. / Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. / They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

Ezekiel 22:6-12
See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood. / Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed. / You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. ...

1 Kings 15:26
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

2 Kings 21:9
But the people did not listen and Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

Romans 1:32
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

2 Timothy 3:13
while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Matthew 23:28
In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

John 3:19-20
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.


Treasury of Scripture

They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

Hosea 5:11
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

1 Kings 22:6,13
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king…

Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Jump to Previous
Deceit Delight Glad Lies Princes Rulers Sin Themselves Treachery Wickedness
Jump to Next
Deceit Delight Glad Lies Princes Rulers Sin Themselves Treachery Wickedness
Hosea 7
1. A reproof of manifold sins.
11. God's wrath against them for their hypocrisy.














They delight the king with their evil
In the context of Hosea, the northern kingdom of Israel is depicted as being in a state of moral and spiritual decay. The "king" here likely refers to one of the monarchs of Israel during Hosea's ministry, possibly Jeroboam II or one of his successors. The phrase suggests that the king finds pleasure or satisfaction in the wickedness of his people, indicating a corrupt leadership that encourages or at least tolerates evil practices. This reflects a broader theme in Hosea where leaders are held accountable for leading the people astray (Hosea 4:9). The delight in evil can be seen as a reversal of the king's role, which should be to uphold justice and righteousness (Proverbs 16:12).

and the princes with their lies
The "princes" refer to the ruling officials or nobles who assist the king in governance. Their delight in lies suggests a culture of deceit and manipulation within the leadership. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where falsehood and deception are condemned (Proverbs 12:22). The lies could involve false prophecies, misleading policies, or betrayal of covenants, which were common issues in Israel's history (Jeremiah 23:14). The acceptance and propagation of lies by the leaders contribute to the nation's downfall, as truth and integrity are foundational to a just society. This also foreshadows the ultimate judgment that God will bring upon Israel for their unfaithfulness and corruption (Hosea 7:13).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hosea
A prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope.

2. The King
Likely referring to the reigning monarch of Israel at the time, who is being misled and pleased by the people's sinful actions.

3. The Princes
The ruling officials or leaders in Israel who are complicit in the nation's corruption and deceit.

4. Israel
The Northern Kingdom, which is the primary audience of Hosea's prophecies, characterized by idolatry and moral decay.

5. Evil and Lies
The sinful behaviors and deceitful practices that have become prevalent in Israel, leading to the delight of the king and princes.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Corrupt Leadership
When leaders delight in evil and lies, it sets a precedent for the entire nation, leading to moral and spiritual decay.

The Role of Truth in Governance
Truth should be the foundation of leadership. When truth is compromised, justice and righteousness are undermined.

Personal Integrity Matters
As individuals, we must strive for integrity and truthfulness in our own lives, resisting the temptation to delight in or propagate deceit.

The Consequences of Sin
Sinful behavior, especially when endorsed by leaders, has far-reaching consequences that affect the entire community.

Repentance and Restoration
Despite the grim picture, Hosea's message ultimately points to the possibility of repentance and God's willingness to restore those who turn back to Him.(3) Glad.--The evil awakens no alarm, but rather sympathy and gladness, in the breasts of their kings and rulers, who are ready to follow suit in all deeds of violence.

Verse 3. - They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. The moral corruption and depravity of Israel were extreme and universal. They reached from the rabble to royalty, from the common people to the princes of the court. The king and princes were in full accord with fellows of the basest sort, taking pleasure in their wickedness trod applauding their lies.

(1) Rosenmüller quotes the explanation of Abarbanel to the following purport: "He (the prophet) means to say that the violent men of that ago were accustomed to narrate their atrocities to their kings, that the latter might thence derive entertainment." It is much the same whether the king and princes of that time took pleasure in the villanies which were perpetrated, or in the narratives of those villanies to which they listened,

(2) A somewhat different rendering, and consequently different exposition, have much to recommend them: "In their wickedness they make the king merry, and in their feigning the princes;" their wickedness was their diabolical design to assassinate king and princes; with this object in view they make the king merry with wine so that he might fall an easy and unsuspecting victim; their feigning was their fell purpose of assassination under the profession of friendship. Such was the desperate treachery of those miscreant conspirators. This view tallies well with the context.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They delight
יְשַׂמְּחוּ־ (yə·śam·mə·ḥū-)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8055: To brighten up, be, blithe, gleesome

the king
מֶ֑לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

with their evil,
בְּרָעָתָ֖ם (bə·rā·‘ā·ṯām)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

the princes
שָׂרִֽים׃ (śā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

with their lies.
וּבְכַחֲשֵׁיהֶ֖ם (ū·ḇə·ḵa·ḥă·šê·hem)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3585: A failure of flesh, emaciation, hypocrisy


Links
Hosea 7:3 NIV
Hosea 7:3 NLT
Hosea 7:3 ESV
Hosea 7:3 NASB
Hosea 7:3 KJV

Hosea 7:3 BibleApps.com
Hosea 7:3 Biblia Paralela
Hosea 7:3 Chinese Bible
Hosea 7:3 French Bible
Hosea 7:3 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Hosea 7:3 They make the king glad with their (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 7:2
Top of Page
Top of Page