Hosea 10:13 (ASV)

Passage

Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Nearby Context

Hosea 10:11 And Ephraim is a heifer that is taught, that loveth to tread out [the grain]; but I have passed over upon her fair neck: I will set a rider on Ephraim; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall break his clods.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; for thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Hosea 10:14 Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with her children.

Hosea 10:15 So shall Beth-el do unto you because of your great wickedness: at daybreak shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "plowed", "wickedness", "reaped", "iniquity", "eaten", "fruit", "lies", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "plowed" and "wickedness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Sow to yourselves in righteousness reap according..." into verse 14's "Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy...", so "plowed" and "wickedness" belong inside that flow. In Hosea context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "plowed" and "wickedness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.