Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough till it rises. New Living Translation They are all adulterers, always aflame with lust. They are like an oven that is kept hot while the baker is kneading the dough. English Standard Version They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Berean Standard Bible They 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. Berean Literal Bible They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker, who ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough until it is leavened. King James Bible They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. New King James Version “They are all adulterers. Like an oven heated by a baker— He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough, Until it is leavened. New American Standard Bible They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker, Who stops stoking the fire From the time the dough is kneaded until it is leavened. NASB 1995 They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. NASB 1977 They are all adulterers Like an oven heated by the baker, Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Legacy Standard Bible They are all adulterers, Like an oven heated by the baker Who ceases to stir up the fire From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Amplified Bible They are all adulterers; Like the heat of an oven When the baker ceases to stir the fire, [their passion smolders] From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Berean Annotated Bible They 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. Christian Standard Bible All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Holman Christian Standard Bible All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. American Standard Version They are all adulterers; they are as an oven heated by the baker; he ceaseth to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough, until it be leavened. Contemporary English Version Everyone burns with desire--they are like coals in an oven, ready to burst into flames. English Revised Version They are all adulterers; they are as an oven heated by the baker; he ceaseth to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it be leavened. GOD'S WORD® Translation They all commit adultery. They are like a heated oven, an oven so hot that a baker doesn't have to fan its flames when he makes bread. Good News Translation They are all treacherous and disloyal. Their hatred smolders like the fire in an oven, which is not stirred by the baker until the dough is ready to bake. International Standard Version All of them are adulterers— they burn like an oven prepared by the baker, who has ceased stoking it until the dough is leavened. NET Bible They are all like bakers, they are like a smoldering oven; they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire until the kneaded dough is ready for baking. New Heart English Bible They are all adulterers. They are burning like an oven that the baker stops stirring, from the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened. Webster's Bible Translation They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it is leavened. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThey 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. World English Bible They are all adulterers. They are burning like an oven that the baker stops stirring, from the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAll of them [are] adulterers, "" Like a burning oven of a baker, "" He ceases from stirring up after kneading the dough, until its leavening. Berean Literal Bible They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker, who ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough until it is leavened. Young's Literal Translation All of them are adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceaseth from stirring up after kneading the dough, till its leavening. Smith's Literal Translation All of them committing adultery, as an oven set on fire from baking; he will cease from raising from kneading the dough till its leavening. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThey are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker: the city rested a little from the mingling of the leaven, till the whole was leavened. Catholic Public Domain Version They are all adulterers; like an oven heating up before baking, the city rested a little before the leaven was mixed in, until the whole was leavened. New American Bible They are all adulterers, like a blazing oven, Which the baker quits stoking, after the dough’s kneading until its rising. New Revised Standard Version They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven, whose baker does not need to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleTheir rulers are all adulterers, their passion is as an oven heated to bake bread, the baker who kneads the dough ceases from going to the city, and waits until it is leavened. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated All their Rulers are adulterers as an oven burning for baking; one desists from the city; he kneads and kneads until it is leavened OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917They are all adulterers, As an oven heated by the baker, Who ceaseth to stir From the kneading of the dough until it be leavened. Brenton Septuagint Translation They are all adulterers, as an oven glowing with flame for hot-baking, on account of the kneading of the dough, until it is leavened. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Ephraim's Iniquity…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. 5The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.… Cross References They are all adulterers, Jeremiah 9:2 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. James 4:4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. Ezekiel 16:32 You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband! like an oven heated by a baker Proverbs 7:18-19 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses! / For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. 2 Samuel 13:1-2 After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom. / Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her. Proverbs 6:27-29 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? / Can a man walk on hot coals without scorching his feet? / So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. who needs not stoke the fire Romans 1:27 Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. / Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. from the kneading to the rising of the dough. Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? / Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. / Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth. Galatians 5:9 A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough. 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. Ezekiel 22:18-22 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver. / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. / Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you. … Psalm 78:8 Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God. Jeremiah 5:7-9 “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. / They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife. / Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? Treasury of Scripture They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceases from raising after he has kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. are all. Hosea 4:2,12 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood… Jeremiah 5:7,8 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses… Jeremiah 9:2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. as. Hosea 7:6,7 For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire… who ceaseth, etc. Jump to Previous Adulterers Baker Bread-Maker Burning Ceases Ceaseth Dough Fire Heated Kneaded Kneading Leavened Mixed Need Oven Paste Practise Raising Rises Stir Stirring Stops TimeJump to Next Adulterers Baker Bread-Maker Burning Ceases Ceaseth Dough Fire Heated Kneaded Kneading Leavened Mixed Need Oven Paste Practise Raising Rises Stir Stirring Stops TimeHosea 7 1. A reproof of manifold sins.11. God's wrath against them for their hypocrisy. They are all adulterers This phrase highlights the pervasive unfaithfulness among the people of Israel. In the biblical context, adultery often symbolizes spiritual unfaithfulness to God, as seen in Jeremiah 3:8-9 and Ezekiel 16:32. The Israelites were engaging in idolatry, which is considered spiritual adultery. This reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, akin to a marriage, where Israel's worship of other gods is seen as infidelity. like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough Persons / Places / Events 1. HoseaA prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the Israelites. 2. Israel The Northern Kingdom, often referred to in Hosea as Ephraim, which had turned away from God and was engaging in idolatry and immorality. 3. Adulterers Symbolically refers to the Israelites who were unfaithful to God by worshiping other gods and engaging in sinful practices. 4. Baker Represents those who are responsible for maintaining spiritual fervor but have neglected their duties, allowing sin to grow unchecked. 5. Oven Symbolizes the unchecked passion and sinfulness of the people, which is likened to a fire that is not stirred and thus grows out of control. Teaching Points Spiritual UnfaithfulnessJust as Israel was unfaithful to God, Christians today must guard against spiritual adultery by remaining devoted to Christ and avoiding idolatry in any form. Unchecked Sin Like the oven that is not stirred, sin can grow and consume us if we do not actively resist and repent. Regular self-examination and confession are crucial. Role of Spiritual Leaders The baker's negligence serves as a warning to spiritual leaders to diligently tend to their flocks, ensuring that they are spiritually nourished and protected from sin. Influence of Sin Sin, like leaven, can spread quickly and affect the whole community. Believers must be vigilant in addressing sin both personally and corporately. God's Call to Repentance Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God's desire is for His people to return to Him. This call to repentance is still relevant for believers today. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Hosea 7:4?2. How does Hosea 7:4 illustrate the spiritual state of Israel's leaders? 3. What does "like a heated oven" symbolize in Hosea 7:4? 4. How can we avoid becoming "like a heated oven" in our spiritual lives? 5. Compare Hosea 7:4 with James 1:14-15 on temptation and sin's progression. 6. How can church leaders today guard against the corruption described in Hosea 7:4? 7. What does Hosea 7:4 reveal about the nature of Israel's sinfulness? 8. How does the metaphor of the oven in Hosea 7:4 relate to human passion? 9. Why does Hosea use the imagery of an oven in 7:4? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Hosea 7? 11. How does yeast transform dough like God's kingdom? 12. How can we show mercy to others daily? 13. How can we reconcile the command in Hosea 3:1 for a prophet to marry a prostitute with moral standards presented elsewhere in Scripture? 14. Does the symbolic naming in Hosea 1:4-9 conflict with the broader biblical emphasis on God's mercy and redemption? What Does Hosea 7:4 Mean They are all adulterers• The indictment reaches everyone: “They are all adulterers” (Hosea 7:4). God is describing spiritual unfaithfulness, not only marital infidelity. Israel had broken covenant with Him by pursuing idols and foreign alliances—paralleling the way Jeremiah 3:8 pictures Judah’s “adulteries with stones and idols.” • Adultery in Scripture frequently symbolizes worshiping anything in place of God (Exodus 34:15; James 4:4). Here it stresses that the entire nation, leaders and common folk alike, are complicit. • The charge underscores personal responsibility: no one can excuse himself as the exception (Romans 3:10-12). like an oven heated by a baker • The imagery shifts to an everyday scene. An oven, intentionally fired up, illustrates how Israel’s passions are self-kindled. Their desires burn hot, unchecked by reverence for God. • Fire often depicts consuming sin—Isaiah 9:18 notes, “wickedness burns like a fire.” So their inner appetites, not outside forces, provide the heat. • Just as a baker heats an oven for expected use, Israel purposely fuels desires that will bring judgment (Proverbs 6:27). who needs not stoke the fire • Once the baker’s oven reaches the right temperature, he need not add more fuel. Likewise, Israel’s sin smolders continually without fresh provocation. • Unrepentant hearts keep sin alive (Psalm 10:4); evil is self-perpetuating (2 Timothy 3:13). • This phrase exposes the illusion of “manageable” sin. They think they can keep it contained, yet its heat remains constant—an internal blaze (Romans 7:5). from the kneading to the rising of the dough • From start to finish, the fire is undiminished—symbolizing sustained rebellion. Every stage of life and society is permeated. • Dough needs time to rise; the parallel is that sin works silently until fully manifested (Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6). • God sees the process even before the open act: “The LORD searches every heart” (1 Chronicles 28:9). summary Hosea 7:4 paints a vivid picture of a people wholly given over to spiritual adultery. Their passions burn like an oven—self-lit, self-sustaining, endlessly active—from the first mixing of their deeds to the moment those deeds rise into open rebellion. The verse warns that unchecked desire leads to inevitable judgment, calling God’s people to extinguish sin’s fire through repentance and renewed covenant faithfulness. (4) Render, ceaseth heating from the kneading of the dough till its leavening. The baker is unremitting in his exertions to keep up the heat of the oven, the smouldering fire being fed on camel's dung and the like fuel, except when he is obliged to occupy himself with preparing the dough for baking--an apt image of the incessant burning rage of lust and violence.Verse 4. - The difficulty of the section including vers. 4-7 has occasioned considerable difference of exposition; it may not, therefore, be amiss to supplement the foregoing observations.1. Aben Ezra accounts for בערה being accented as milel (1) on the ground that, though a feminine formation, it is really masculine (to agree with תניו), like נחלה and לילה, both of which, though feminine in form, are notwithstanding of the masculine gender. Abarbanel, who is followed by Wunsche, (2) takes בֹּעָרְה as a participle feminine for בֹּעָרהָ or בֹּעֶרָח, which is justified by the circumstance that the names of fire and of what is connected therewith are feminine in the Semitic, so that חנור is feminine. . . . Hebrew They are allכֻּלָּם֙ (kul·lām) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every adulterers, מְנָ֣אֲפִ֔ים (mə·nā·’ă·p̄îm) Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 5003: To commit adultery, to apostatize like כְּמ֣וֹ (kə·mōw) Preposition Strong's 3644: Like, as, when an oven תַנּ֔וּר (ṯan·nūr) Noun - common singular Strong's 8574: (portable) stove, firepot heated בֹּעֵ֖רָה (bō·‘ê·rāh) Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish by a baker מֵֽאֹפֶ֑ה (mê·’ō·p̄eh) Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 644: To cook, to bake who needs not יִשְׁבּ֣וֹת (yiš·bō·wṯ) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7673: To repose, desist from exertion stoke the fire מֵעִ֔יר (mê·‘îr) Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5782: To rouse oneself, awake from the kneading מִלּ֥וּשׁ (mil·lūš) Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 3888: To knead to עַד־ (‘aḏ-) Preposition Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while the rising חֻמְצָתֽוֹ׃ (ḥum·ṣā·ṯōw) Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 2556: To be pungent, in taste, in color of the dough. בָּצֵ֖ק (bā·ṣêq) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1217: Dough (for cooking) Links Hosea 7:4 NIVHosea 7:4 NLT Hosea 7:4 ESV Hosea 7:4 NASB Hosea 7:4 KJV Hosea 7:4 BibleApps.com Hosea 7:4 Biblia Paralela Hosea 7:4 Chinese Bible Hosea 7:4 French Bible Hosea 7:4 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Hosea 7:4 They are all adulterers (Ho Hs Hos.) |
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