And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

HOSEA 11:7KJV
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Hosea 11:7 (KJV)

What does Hosea 11:7 mean?

Hosea 11:7 describes how the people of Israel are determined to turn away from God, even though they are called to honor Him, and none of them truly lift Him up. The verse shows a deep stubbornness in the people's hearts, as they keep moving away from God despite repeated calls to return.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Hosea to the nation of Israel. The situation is one of ongoing rebellion—Israel keeps "backsliding," or turning away from God, even as prophets and leaders urge them to seek the "most High." The verse highlights the people's unwillingness to truly honor or exalt God, despite being given many opportunities.

The Hebrew behind Hosea 11:7

  • "Bent" (תָּלָא, tala'): This word is often understood as "determined" or "inclined," showing that the people's turning away from God is not accidental but a settled attitude.
  • "Backsliding" (מְשׁוּבָה, meshubah): This word means turning away or apostasy, emphasizing a repeated or ongoing pattern of leaving God, not just a single event.
  • "Exalt" (רוּם, rum): This word means to lift up or honor. The verse points out that, despite being called to do so, none of the people actually lift up or honor God.

Why Hosea 11:7 matters

  • Hosea 11:7 clears up the idea that Israel's disobedience was just a momentary lapse; the language shows a deep, ongoing resistance to God.
  • The verse emphasizes that simply being called to God or hearing about Him is not enough—what matters is actually honoring and exalting Him.
  • In the wider context of Hosea, this verse highlights the heartbreak and frustration of God toward a people who persistently reject His love and guidance, setting up the contrast with God's continued mercy in the following verses.

Where else these words appear

“bent” Hebrew H8511 · used in 3 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
  • 2 Samuel 21:12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

“High” Hebrew H5920 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 27:39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
  • Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
  • Psalms 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

“backsliding” Hebrew H4878 · used in 12 verses

  • Proverbs 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
  • Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
  • Jeremiah 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

“all” Hebrew H3162 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
  • Job 24:4 They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
  • Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.