Hosea 4:18
“Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Their revelry has turned sour, their unfaithfulness is constant, and their rulers love disgrace, ever crying for more.
What Does Hosea 4:18 Mean?
The picture is of a feast gone bad. Their drink has soured, and their unfaithfulness never pauses. The rulers, who should guard honor, instead 'love' shame, and their cry 'Give ye' captures a greed that begs for bribes and gain even as the nation crumbles.
Corruption at the top hollows out a people. When leaders love what they should hate and grasp for more while their charge decays, the rot spreads everywhere. The verse is a mirror held up to every form of appetite that pursues gain at the cost of integrity. It calls leaders to love what is honorable and to give rather than grasp.