Hosea 10:12 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
to sow · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
righteousness
לִצְדָקָה֙litz.da.Kah
H6666
rightness (abstractly) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
reap
קִצְר֣וּkitz.Ru
H7114
to dock off · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
in
לְפִיle.fi-
H6310
the mouth (as the means of blowing) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
mercy
חֶ֔סֶדChe.sed
H2617
kindness · noun, common masculine singular absolute
up
נִ֥ירוּNi.ru
H5214
to till the soil · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
ground
נִ֑ירNir
H5215
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
time
וְעֵת֙ve.'Et
H6256
time · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
seek
לִדְר֣וֹשׁlid.Ro.osh
H1875
properly · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
LORD
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
come
יָב֕וֹאya.Vo'
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
rain
וְיֹרֶ֥הve.yo.Reh
H3384
properly · conjunction + verb, hiphil, 3rd person masculine singular
righteousness
צֶ֖דֶקTze.dek
H6664
the right (natural · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Jeremiah 4:3-4 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Isaiah 45:8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and le…
Proverbs 11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as…
Jeremiah 29:12-14 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon th…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Hosea 10:9–end
Here, I. They are put in mind of the sins of their fathers and predecessors, for which God would now reckon with them. It was told them (Hos 9:9) that they had corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah, and here (Hos 10:9), O Israel! thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah. Not only the wickedness that was committed in that age is revived in this, and reacted, a copy from that original, but the wickedness that was committed in that age has been continued in a constant series and succession through all the intervening ages down to this; so that the measure of iniquity had been long in filling; and still there had been made additions to it. Or, "Thou has sinned more than in the days of G…
Continuation of the image in Hos 10:11 (Pro 11:18). Act righteously and ye shall reap the reward; a reward not of debt, but of grace.
in mercy--according to the measure of the divine "mercy," which over and above repays the goodness or "mercy" which we show to our fellow man (Luk 6:38).
break . . . fallow ground--Remove your superstitions and vices, and be renewed.
seek . . . Lord, fill he come--Though not answered immediately, persevere unceasingly "till He come."
rain--send down as a copious shower.
righteousness--the reward of righteousness, that is, salvation, temporal and spiritual (Sa1 26:23; compare Joe 2:23 ).
Adam Clarke on Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness - Let the seed you sow be of the best kind, and in just measure.
Reap in mercy - By the blessing of God on this ploughing, sowing, and harrowing, you may expect a good crop in harvest.
Break up your fallow ground - Do not be satisfied with a slight furrow; let the land that was fallowed (slightly ploughed) be broken up again with a deep furrow.
For it is time to seek the Lord - This should be immediately done: the season is passing; and if you do not get the seed in the ground, the early rain will be past, and your fields will be unfruitful.
Rain righteousness upon you - God will give you the early rain in due time, and in proper measure. Here are the metap…
Be careful, therefore, O bishop, to study the Word, that you may be able to explain everything exactly and that you may copiously nourish your people with much doctrine and enlighten them with the light of the law. For God says, "Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge, while we have yet opportunity."
Therefore, if you are concerned to attain to the light of spiritual knowledge not by the vice of empty boastfulness but by the grace of correction, you are first inflamed with desire for that blessedness about which it is said, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." [Thus] you may also attain to that about which the angel said to Daniel: "Those who are learned shall shine like the splendor of the firmament, and those who instruct many in righteousness like the stars forever." And in another prophet: "Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge while there is time."
So that we may know clearly what is meant by not having a share in the works which do not bear fruit, let us first inquire as to what sort of actions merit the attribute unfruitful—whether those only that are forbidden or such also are commendable but are not performed in good dispositions. In the Old Testament, the prophet, comparing the saints with the tree, says, "which shall bring forth its fruit in due season." Solomon declares, "The work of the just is unto life, but the fruit of the wicked is sin"; and Hosea, "Sow for yourselves in justice, reap the fruit of life."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Agriculture — Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession…
Fallow-ground — The expression, “Break up your fallow ground” (Hos. 10:12; Jer. 4:3) means, “Do not sow your seed among thorns”, i.e., break off all your evil habits; clear your hearts of weeds, in order that they…
Harrow — (Heb. harits), a tribulum or sharp threshing sledge; a frame armed on the under side with rollers or sharp spikes (2 Sam. 12:31; 1 Chr. 20:3). Heb. verb sadad, to harrow a field, break its clods (Job…
Rain — There are three Hebrew words used to denote the rains of different seasons, (1.) Yoreh (Hos. 6:3), or moreh (Joel 2:23), denoting the former or the early rain. (2.) Melqosh, the “latter rain” (Prov.…
Agriculture Or Husbandry · Illustrative of: Culture of the heart — Illustrative of: Culture of the heart
Desire · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Emblems Of The Holy Spirit, The · Fertilising — Fertilising
Ploughing · The breaking up or tilling of the earth — The breaking up or tilling of the earth
Rain · Illustrative: Of righteousness — Illustrative: Of righteousness
Reaping · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Righteousness · FRUITS OF — FRUITS OF
Seed · Il
John Gill on Hosea 10:12
Saw to yourselves in righteousness,.... Not the seed of grace, which bad men have not, and cannot saw it; and which good men need not, it being sown in them already, and remaining; rather the seed of the word, which should be laid up in their hearts, dwell richly in them, and be kept and retained by them; though it is best of all to understand it of works of righteousness; as sowing to the flesh is doing the works of the flesh, or carnal and sinful acts; so sowing "unto righteousness" (g), as it may be rendered, is doing works of righteousness; living soberly and righteously; doing works according to the word of righteousness, from good principles, and with good views, with a view to the glo…
Hosea 10:12
12. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
12. Seminate vobis ad justitiam, colligite (metite) ab mensuram (vel pro mensura) clementiam (vel, bonitatem;) arate vobis aratinem (alii vertunt, Novate vobis novale, sicuti Jeremiae 4: caeterum quia idem est sensus, ego relinquo hoc liberum:) et tempus inquirendi Jehovam, donec veniat, et pluere faciat justitiam vobis (quanquam megis recepta versio est, Doceat vos justitiam.)
He exhorts here the Israelites to repentance; though it seems not a simple and bare exhortation, but rather a protestation; as though the Lor…
The call to repentance and reformation of life is then appended in Hos 10:12, Hos 10:13, clothed in similar figures. Hos 10:12. "Sow to yourselves for righteousness, reap according to love; plough for yourselves virgin soil: for it is time to seek Jehovah, till He come and rain righteousness upon you. Hos 10:13. Ye have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped crime: eaten the fruit of lying: because thou hast trusted in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men." Sowing and reaping are figures used to denote their spiritual and moral conduct. לצדקה, for righteousness, is parallel to לפי חסד; i.e., sow that righteousness may be able to spring up like seed, i.e., righteousness towards your fello…
Using metaphors from agriculture, God set forth his requirements for his people and a promise of blessing if they did what he commanded (see 6:6; 8:7). Even as Hosea announced God’s judgment, he offered Israel the chance to repent and receive God’s blessing.
Rashi on Hosea 10:12
Sow righteousness for yourselves But you have plowed wickedness etc.; therefore, a tumult shall rise in your people.
plow yourselves a plowing Engage in the Torah and from there you will learn to go on the good way, to overpower temptation, like a person who plows the field to turn over the roots of grasses which sap the strength of the grain in the summer many days prior to sowing, and you shall set aside a time to seek the Lord, i.e., for the study of the Torah.
until He comes and instructs you in righteousness When you toil in it, He will give you to understand to let you know its secrets with righteousness. Another explanation: Plow yourselves a plowing Do good deeds before oppression…
Seeking God · Should be: Immediate — Should be: Immediate
Sower · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
