Hosea 11 · Verse 6

Hosea 11:6

And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.

Hosea 11:6, King James Version

Hosea 11:6 in other translations

BSB	A sword will flash through their cities; it will destroy the bars of their gates and consume them in their own plans.
WEB	The sword will fall on their cities, and will destroy the bars of their gates, and will put an end to their plans.
ASV	And the sword shall fall upon their cities, and shall consume their bars, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
YLT	Grievous hath been the sword in his cities, And it hath ended his bars, and consumed--from their own counsels.
DARBY	and the sword shall turn about in his cities, and shall consume his bars, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
BBE	And the sword will go through his towns, wasting his children and causing destruction because of their evil designs.
Webster	And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.

What does Hosea 11:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

6. abide--or, "fall upon" [Calvin]. branches--that is, his villages, which are the branches or dependencies of the cities [Calvin]. Grotius translates, "his bars" (so La 2:9), that is, the warriors who were the bulwarks of the state. Compare Ho 4:18, "rulers" (Margin), "shields" (Psa 47:9). because of their own counsels--in worshipping idols, and relying on Egypt (compare Ho 10:6).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 6 The sword shall abide on his cities - Israel was agitated with external and intestine wars from the time of Jeroboam the Second. Although Zechariah his son reigned twelve years, yet it was in continual troubles; and he was at last slain by the rebel Shallum, who, having reigned one month, was slain by Menahem. Pekahiah succeeded his father Menahem, and reigned two years, and was killed by Pekah, son of Remaliah. He joined Rezin, king of Syria, and made an irruption into the land of Judah; but Ahaz having obtained succor from Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, Pekah was defeated, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, were carried away captives by the Assyrian king; and in a short time after, Hosea, son of Elah, slew Pekah and usurped the kingdom, which he could not possess without the assistance of Shalmaneser, who for his services imposed a tribute on the Israelitish king. Wishing to rid himself of this yoke, he applied to the king of Egypt; but this being known to Shalmaneser, he came against Samaria, and after a three years' siege took and destroyed it. Thus the sword rested on their cities; it continued in the land till all was ruined. See Calmet.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hosea 11:1-7

God's regard for Israel; their ingratitude. (Hos. 11:1-7) The Divine mercy yet in store. (Hos. 11:8-12) Verses 1-7 When Israel were weak and helpless as children, foolish and froward as children, then God loved them; he bore them as the nurse does the sucking child, nourished them, and suffered their manners. All who are grown up, ought often to reflect upon the goodness of God to them in their childhood. He took…

Read the full comment on Hosea 11:1-7 →

Hosea 11:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְחָלָ֥הve.cha.Lahand it will whirlH2342

חֶ֙רֶב֙che.reva swordH2719

בְּעָרָ֔יוbe.'a.Ravin cities hisH5892

וְכִלְּתָ֥הve.khi.le.Tahand it will put an end toH3615

בַדָּ֖יוva.Davbars hisH907

וְאָכָ֑לָהve.'a.Kha.lahand it will devour [them]H398

מִֽמֹּעֲצ֖וֹתֵיהֶֽם\׃mi.mo.'a.Tzo.tei.Hemfrom schemes theirH4156

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Hosea 11:6

Hosea 13:16
Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.
Hosea 10:6
It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
Hosea 10:14
Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth–arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
Micah 5:11
And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:
Psalms 106:43
Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
Ezekiel 20:47
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
Deuteronomy 28:52
And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.
Ezekiel 15:2-7
Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? …
Malachi 4:1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Jeremiah 5:17
And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
Leviticus 26:31
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
Deuteronomy 32:25
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the sword.
10:14; 13:16; Le 26:31,33; De 28:52; 32:25; Jer 5:17; Mic 5:11
consume.
Ps 80:11-16; Isa 9:14; 18:5; 27:10; Eze 15:2-7; 20:47; Mal 4:1
because.
10:6; Ps 106:39,43; Isa 30:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Hosea 11:5
He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
Hosea 11:6
And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
Hosea 11:7
And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

Read all of Hosea 11

Hosea 11:6 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y caerá espada sobre sus ciudades, y consumirá sus aldeas; consumirálas á causa de sus consejos.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	et l’épée fera le tour de leurs villes, détruira leurs barres, et les dévorera, à cause de leurs desseins.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und das Schwert wird kreisen in seinen Städten und seine Riegel vernichten, und wird fressen um ihrer Ratschläge willen;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Cœpit gladius in civitatibus ejus, et consumet electos ejus, et comedet capita eorum.