Hosea 4:1-5

YHWH's Indictment Of Israel And Warning Of The Consequences (Hosea 4:1).

YHWH now charges ‘the people (children) of Israel' with being bereft of all truth and compassion because of their lack of the knowledge of YHWH. In consequence they are breaching all the commandments, and engaging in widespread bloodshed, and the final result is that the whole land is suffering through severe drought. But they are in no position to lay charges against YHWH with respect to this, for they are disqualified as being like ‘strivers with the priests', that is, as being like anarchists, those who reject and despise the verdicts of their own supreme court. In other words they are lawless. That is why they and the prophets to whom they listen will stumble by day and night, and Israel itself (their mother) will be destroyed.

For ‘hear the word of YHWH' (Hosea 4:1) compare ‘hear this, O you priests, and listen you house of Israel, and give ear O house of the king --' (Hosea 5:1). This would seem to confirm that chapter 4 is a separate oracle by itself.

Analysis of Hosea 4:1.

a Hear the word of YHWH, you children of Israel, for YHWH has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor covenant love, nor knowledge of God in the land (Hosea 4:1).

b There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery (Hosea 4:2 a).

c They break out, and blood touches blood (Hosea 4:2 b).

b Therefore will the land mourn, and every one who dwells in it will languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, yes, the fishes of the sea also will be taken away (Hosea 4:3).

a Yet let no man strive, nor let any man reprove, for your people are as those who strive with the priest. And you will stumble in the day, and the prophet also will stumble with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother (Hosea 4:4).

Note that in ‘a' YHWH has a controversy with His people, and the land has no truth, goodness or knowledge of God, and in the parallel the people are not to strive with YHWH and they and the prophets stumble whether it be light or dark. In ‘b' the land is full of breaches of the covenant, and in the parallel the consequence is that the land and all that is in it mourns and languishes. Centrally in ‘c' bloodshed is widespread.