5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;
because a spirit of idolatry 1 controls their heart, 2
and they do not acknowledge the Lord.
1 tn Heb “a spirit of harlotries”; NIV “a spirit of prostitution”; TEV “Idolatry has a powerful hold on them.” However, CEV takes this literally: “your constant craving for sex keeps you from knowing me.”
2 tn Heb “is in their heart” (so NIV); NASB, NRSV “is within them.”