Hosea 8 · Verse 2

Hosea 8:2

Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.

Hosea 8:2, King James Version

Hosea 8:2 in other translations

BSB	Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!”
WEB	They cry to me, ‘My God, we, Israel, acknowledge you!’
ASV	They shall cry unto me, My God, we Israel know thee.
YLT	To Me they cry, ‘My God, we--Israel--have known Thee.'
DARBY	They shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee; we, Israel.
BBE	They will send up to me a cry for help: We, Israel, have knowledge of you, O God of Israel.
Webster	Israel shall cry to me, My God, we know thee.

What does Hosea 8:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

2. My God, we know thee--the singular, "My," is used distributively, each one so addressing God. They, in their hour of need, plead their knowledge of God as the covenant-people, while in their acts they acknowledge Him not (compare Mt 7:21, 22; Tit 1:16; also Is 29:13; Jr 7:4). The Hebrew joins "Israel," not as English Version, with "shall cry," but "We, Israel, know thee"; God denies the claim thus urged on the ground of their descent from Israel.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 Israel shalt cry - The rapidity of the eagle's flight is well imitated in the rapidity of the sentences in this place. My God, we know thee - The same sentiment, from the same sort of persons, under the same feelings, as that in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Mat 7:29 : "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? Then will I profess unto them, I never Knew You."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hosea 8:1-4

Destruction threatened for the impiety of Israel. (Hos. 8:1-4) For their idolatry. (Hos. 8:5-10) Further threatenings for the same sins. (Hos. 8:11-14) Verses 1-4 When Israel was hard pressed, they would claim protection from God, but this would be disregarded. What stead will it stand in to say, My God, I know thee, if we cannot say, My God, I love thee, serve thee, and cleave to thee only?

Read the full comment on Hosea 8:1-4 →

Hosea 8:2 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.

לִ֖יlito me

יִזְעָ֑קוּyiz.'A.kuthey cry outH2199

אֱלֹהַ֥י'e.lo.HaiO God myH430

יְֽדַעֲנ֖וּךָye.da.'a.Nu.khawe know youH3045

יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

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

Cross references for Hosea 8:2

Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Titus 1:16
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Hosea 7:13-14
Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.
Psalms 78:34-37
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
Matthew 25:11
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
1 John 2:4
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
2 Kings 10:16
And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot.
Jeremiah 7:4
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.
Micah 3:11
The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.
Luke 13:25
When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
2 Kings 10:29
Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth–el, and that were in Dan.
Isaiah 48:1-2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

5:15; 7:13,14; 2Ki 10:16,29; Ps 78:34-37; Isa 48:1,2; Jer 7:4
Mic 3:11; Mt 7:21; 25:11; Lu 13:25; Tit 1:16; 1Jo 2:4

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

Context

Hosea 8:1
Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
Hosea 8:2
Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
Hosea 8:3
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.

Read all of Hosea 8

Hosea 8:2 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	A mí clamará Israel: Dios mío, te hemos conocido.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ils me crieront: Mon Dieu, nous te connaissons, nous, Israël!…
German Elberfelder 1871	Sie werden zu mir schreien: Mein Gott, wir kennen dich, wir, Israel!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Me invocabunt: Deus meus, cognovimus te Israël.