Hosea 10:3 (GNV)

Passage

For now they shall say, We haue no King because we feared not the Lord: and what should a King doe to vs?

Nearby Context

Hosea 10:1 Israel is a emptie vine, yet hath it brought foorth fruite vnto it selfe, and according to the multitude of the fruite thereof he hath increased the altars: according to the goodnesse of their lande they haue made faire images.

Hosea 10:2 Their heart is deuided: nowe shall they be founde faultie: he shall breake downe their altars: he shall destroy their images.

Hosea 10:3 For now they shall say, We haue no King because we feared not the Lord: and what should a King doe to vs?

Hosea 10:4 They haue spoken woordes, swearing falsly in making a couenant: thus iudgement groweth as wormewoode in the furrowes of the fielde.

Hosea 10:5 The inhabitants of Samaria shall feare because of the calfe of Beth-auen: for the people thereof shall mourne ouer it, and the Chemarims thereof, that reioyced on it for the glorie thereof, because it is departed from it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "haue", "king", "feared", "lord", and "should". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "haue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Their heart is deuided nowe shall they..." into verse 4's "They haue spoken woordes swearing falsly in...", so "shall" and "haue" 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 "shall" and "haue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.