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Hosea 10:3

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Hosea 10:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?
Hosea 10:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Hosea 10

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Israel is a luxuriant vine, that putteth forth his fruit: according to the abundance of his fruit he hath multiplied his altars; according to the goodness of their land they have made goodly pillars.
2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found guilty: he will smite their altars, he will destroy their pillars.
3Surely now shall they say, We have no king; for we fear not Jehovah; and the king, what can he do for us?
4They speak [vain] words, swearing falsely in making covenants: therefore judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
5The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calves of Beth-aven; for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced over it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
6It also shall be carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
← Hosea 10:2Hosea 10:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For now they shall say, we have no king, etc.] This they would say, either when they had one; but by their conduct and behaviour said they had none; because they had no regard unto him, no affection for him, and reverence of him; but everyone did what was right in his own eyes: or during the interregnum, between the murder of Pekah, which was in the twentieth year of Jotham, and the settlement of Hoshea, which was in the twelfth of Ahaz; (see <121530>2 Kings 15:30 17:1); or when the land of Israel was invaded, and their king was shut up in prison, and Samaria besieged, so that it was as if they had no king; they had none to protect and defend them, to sally out at the head of them against…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“now, &c.--Soon they, deprived of their king, shall be reduced to say, We have no king (Hos 10:7, Hos 10:15), for Jehovah deprived us of him, because of our not fearing God. What then (seeing God is against us) should a king be able to do for us, if we had one? As they rejected the heavenly King, they were deprived of their earthly king.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“For now they shall say, we have no king - These are the words of despair, not of repentance; of people terrified by the consciousness of guilt, but not coming forth out of its darkness; describing their condition, not confessing the iniquity which brought it on them. In sin, all Israel had asked for a king, when the Lord was their king; in sin, Ephraim had made Jeroboam king; in sin, their subsequent kings were made, without the counsel and advice of God; and now as the close of all, they reflect how fruitless it all was. They had a king, and yet, as it were, they had no king, since, God being angry with them, he had no strength to deliver them. And now, without love, the memory of their…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Say - See and feel. No king - Either no king at all, or no such king as we expected. What then - For kings are not able to save without the God of kings. Hosea 10:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“10:3 We have no king: Some interpreters see these words as an acknowledgement, after the destruction of Israel, that they had been punished and the monarchy had come to an end because they didn’t fear the Lord. Others regard this as the Israelites’ arrogant rejection of the Lord’s kingship.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“We have: Hos 10:7, Hos 10:15, Hos 3:4, Hos 11:5, Hos 13:11; Gen 49:10; Mic 4:9; Joh 19:15 Hosea 10:4”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification