Hosea 4:16 Meaning and Explanation
“For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Israel is as stubborn as a balky heifer, so they cannot be pastured like a gentle lamb in open meadow.
What Does Hosea 4:16 Mean?
Hosea reaches for a farmyard image. Israel is like a 'backsliding heifer,' a young cow that balks at the yoke and pulls away. Because of this stubbornness, the Lord cannot tend them gently as a shepherd pastures a lamb in a wide, open field. Their willfulness shuts the door on the very peace they crave.
Stubbornness keeps us from the gentle care God longs to give. The Lord pictures Himself here as a shepherd ready to lead His flock into spacious places, an image fulfilled in the Good Shepherd who makes His sheep lie down in green pastures. The yoke we resist is the path to the rest we need.
Hosea 4:16 in the Original Language
sarar (סָרַר), 'backsliding' -- stubborn, rebellious, refusing to be led.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hosea 4:16
What does Hosea 4:16 mean?
Israel is as stubborn as a balky heifer, so they cannot be pastured like a gentle lamb in open meadow.