Discovery BoxHosea 8:4-7 
Context8:4 They enthroned kings without my consent! 1
They appointed princes without my approval! 2
They made idols out of their silver and gold,
but they will be destroyed! 3
8:5 O Samaria, he has rejected your calf idol!
My anger burns against them!
They will not survive much longer without being punished, 4
even though they are Israelites!
8:6 That idol was made by a workman – it is not God!
The calf idol of Samaria will be broken to bits.
8:7 They sow the wind,
and so they will reap the whirlwind!
The stalk does not have any standing grain;
it will not produce any flour.
Even if it were to yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it all up.
1 tn Heb “but without me”; NCV “without asking my permission”; CEV “without consulting me.”
2 tn Heb “but I did not know”; NRSV “but without my knowledge.”
3 tn Heb “in order to be cut off.” The text gives the impression that they made the idols for this purpose, but the language is ironic and sarcastic, bringing out the futility of their efforts. One could paraphrase, “they made idols…but only so that they might be destroyed.” Though they had other plans for the idols, God’s judgment would bring their intentions to naught.
4 tn Heb “How long will they be able to be free from punishment?” This rhetorical question affirms that Israel will not survive much longer until God punishes it.
