Hosea 4:19
“The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A whirlwind sweeps the nation away, and their idol-sacrifices will end only in shame.
What Does Hosea 4:19 Mean?
The chapter closes with a swift, sweeping image: the wind binds the people in its wings and carries them off, as a storm scatters chaff. All their false sacrifices, offered to gods that cannot save, will yield nothing but shame in the end.
What is built on unfaithfulness cannot stand against the wind. The verse leaves the reader sobered, yet it is not despair. Hosea's aim throughout is to turn hearts back before the storm, to trade the shame of empty worship for the joy of return. The God who warns so plainly is the God who waits to receive all who come home.
In the Original Language
ruach (רוּחַ), 'wind' -- wind, breath, or spirit, here a sweeping, irresistible force.