Bible/Hosea/12

Hosea 12:7

12:6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress. a merchant: or, Canaan oppress: or, deceive

KJV

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A merchant has dishonest scales in his hand. He loves to defraud.

He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.

He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loves to oppress.

12:8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin. in all: or, all my labours suffice me not: he shall have punishment of iniquity in whom is sin that: Heb. which

What does Hosea 12:7 mean?

Hosea 12:7 is a verse in the book of Hosea, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include כְּנַעַן (Kᵉnaʻan), מֹאזֵן (môʼzên), מִרְמָה (mirmâh). It connects to 8 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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He
is
a
merchant,כְּנַעַןKᵉnaʻan/ken-ah'-an/H3667Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him
the
balancesמֹאזֵןmôʼzên/mo-zane'/H3976(only in the dual) a pair of scales
of
deceitמִרְמָהmirmâh/meer-maw'/H4820fraud
are
in
his
hand:יָדyâd/yawd/H3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
he
lovethאָהַבʼâhab/aw-hab'/H157to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)
to
oppress.עָשַׁקʻâshaq/aw-shak'/H6231to press upon, i.e. oppress, defraud, violate, overflow
a
merchant:
or,
Canaan
oppress:
or,
deceive

Commentary on Hosea 12:7

HENRY_FULL · Hosea 12:7
n18396" What our Lord Jesus said to St. Paul ( Acts xxvi. 16 ) may fitly be applied to the prophet Ezekiel, to whom the same Jesus is here speaking, "Rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister." We have here Ezekiel's ordination to his office, which the vision was designed to fit him for, not to entertain his curiosity with uncommon speculations, but to put him into business. Now here, I. He is commissioned to go as a prophet to the house of Israel, now captives in Babylon, and to deliver God's messages to them from time to time, ver. 1-5 . II. He is cautioned not to be afraid of them, ver. 6 . III. He is instructed what to say to them, and has words put into his mouth, signified by the vision of a roll, which he was ordered to eat ( ver. 7-10 ), and which, in the next chapter, we find he did eat.

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Numbers 11:25

And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

Numbers 11:26

But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

Judges 13:25

And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. the camp: Heb. Mahanehdan

1 Samuel 16:13

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Nehemiah 9:30

Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. forbear: Heb. protract over them in thy: Heb. in the hand of thy prophets

Joel 2:28

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Joel 2:29

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Revelation 11:11

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Topics

Merchant

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Hosea 12:7.

Amos 8:5

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? new: or, month set: Heb. open falsifying: Heb. perverting the balances of deceit

Micah 6:11

Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? count: or, be pure with, etc

Proverbs 11:1

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. A false: Heb. Balances of deceit just: Heb. perfect stone

Proverbs 20:23

Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. a false: Heb. balance of deceit

Frequently asked questions

What does Hosea 12:7 say?

Hosea 12:7 (King James Version) reads: "He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress. a merchant: or, Canaan oppress: or, deceive"

Is Hosea 12:7 in the Old or New Testament?

Hosea 12:7 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Hosea.

Reflect

As you read Hosea 12:7, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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