Hosea 7 · Verse 4

Hosea 7:4

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.

Hosea 7:4, King James Version

Hosea 7:4 in other translations

BSB	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.
WEB	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.
ASV	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.
YLT	All of them are adulterers, Like a burning oven of a baker, He ceaseth from stirring up after kneading the dough, till its leavening.
DARBY	They all practise adultery, as an oven heated by the baker: he ceaseth from stirring the fire after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
BBE	They are all untrue; they are like a burning oven; the bread-maker does not make up the fire from the time when the paste is mixed till it is leavened.
Webster	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.

What does Hosea 7:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

4. who ceaseth from raising--rather, "heating" it, from an Arabic root, "to be hot." So the Septuagint. Their adulterous and idolatrous lust is inflamed as the oven of a baker who has it at such a heat that he ceaseth from heating it only from the time that he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened; he only needs to omit feeding it during the short period of the fermentation of the bread. Compare 2Pe 2:14, "that cannot cease from sin" [Henderson].

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 4 As an oven heated by the baker - Calmet's paraphrase on this and the following verses expresses pretty nearly the sense: Hosea makes a twofold comparison of the Israelites; to an oven, and to dough. Jeroboam set fire to his own oven - his kingdom - and put the leaven in his dough; and afterwards went to rest, that the fire might have time to heat his oven, and the leaven to raise his dough, that the false principles which he introduced might infect the whole population. This prince, purposing to make his subjects relinquish their ancient religion, put, in a certain sense, the fire to his own oven, and mixed his dough with leaven. At first he used no violence, but was satisfied with exhorting them, and proclaiming a feast. This fire spread very rapidly, and the dough was very soon impregnated by the leaven. All Israel was seen running to this feast, and partaking in these innovations. But what shall become of the oven - the kingdom; and the bread - the people? The oven shall be consumed by these flames; the king, the princes, and the people shall be enveloped in the burning, Hos 7:7. Israel was put under the ashes, as a loaf well kneaded and leavened; but not being carefully turned, it was burnt on one side before those who prepared it could eat of it; and enemies and strangers came and carried off the loaf. See Hos 7:8, Hos 7:9. Their lasting captivity was the consequence of their wickedness and their apostasy from the religion of their fathers. On this explication Hos 7:4-9, may be easily understood.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

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

The manifold sins of Israel. (Hos. 7:1-7) Their senselessness and hypocrisy. (Hos. 7:8-16) Verses 1-7 A practical disbelief of God's government was at the bottom of all israel's wickedness; as if God could not see it or did not heed it. Their sins appear on every side of them. Their hearts were inflamed by evil desires, like a heated oven. In the midst of their troubles as a nation, the people never thought of…

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

Hosea 7:4 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.

כֻּלָּם֙ku.Lamall of themH3605

מְנָ֣אֲפִ֔יםme.Na.'a.Fim[are] adulterersH5003

כְּמ֣וֹke.MolikeH3644

תַנּ֔וּרta.Nuran ovenH8574

בֹּעֵ֖רָהbo.'E.rahburningH1197

מֵֽאֹפֶ֑הme.'o.Pehfrom a bakerH644

יִשְׁבּ֣וֹתyish.Bot[who] he ceasesH7673

מֵעִ֔ירme.'Irstirring upH5782

מִלּ֥וּשׁmi.Lushfrom kneadingH3888

בָּצֵ֖קba.Tzek[the] doughH1217

עַד\־'ad-untilH5704

חֻמְצָתֽוֹ\׃chum.tza.Tois leavened itH2556

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

Cross references for Hosea 7:4

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.
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
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. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
Hosea 4:2
By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
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. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
Hosea 4:12
My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

are all.
4:2,12; Jer 5:7,8; 9:2; Jas 4:4
as.
6,7
who ceaseth, etc. or, the raiser will cease. raising. or,waking.

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

Context

Hosea 7:3
They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
Hosea 7:4
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.
Hosea 7:5
In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.

Read all of Hosea 7

Hosea 7:4 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Todos ellos adúlteros; son como horno encendido por el hornero, el cual cesará de avivar después que esté hecha la masa, hasta que esté leuda.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Tous, ils commettent l’adultère, comme un four allumé par le boulanger, qui cesse de l’attiser depuis qu’il s’est mis à pétrir la pâte jusqu’à ce qu’elle ait levé.
German Elberfelder 1871	Sie sind Ehebrecher allesamt, gleich einem Ofen, vom Bäcker geheizt, der zu schüren aufhört vom Kneten des Teiges an bis zu seiner Gärung.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Omnes adulterantes, quasi clibanus succensus a coquente; quievit paululum civitas a commistione fermenti, donec fermentaretur totum.