Hosea 13:4

"Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the dew that passes away early, like the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing floor, and like the smoke out of the chimney."

Key Reflection

Hosea 13:4 uses vivid imagery to describe the fleeting nature of Israel's relationship with God. The people are compared to morning mist, dew that evaporates early, chaff driven by a whirlwind from the threshing floor, and smoke from a chimney—each symbolizing something temporary or ephemeral. This passage reflects the transient and unreliable character of those who turn away from God’s true guidance, highlighting how quickly their loyalty can wane and their influence dissipate.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Yet -, (literally, and) I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt God was still the same God who had sheltered them with His providence, ever since He had delivered them from Egypt. He had the same power and will to help them. Therefore their duty was the same, and their destruction arose, not from any change in Him, but from themselves. “God is the God of the ungodly, by creation and general providence.” And thou shalt -(i. e., oughtest to) know no God but Me, for (literally, and) there is not a Saviour but me “To be God and Lord and Saviour are incommunicable properties of God. Wherefore God often claimed these titles to Himself, from the time He revealed Himself to Israel.

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