Hosea 4:2-3

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They resort to violence and bloodshed. ¹ 

4:3 Therefore the land will mourn,

and all its inhabitants will perish. ² 

The wild animals, ³  the birds of the sky,

and even the fish in the sea will perish.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).

[4:3]  ² tn Or “languish” (so KJV, NRSV); NIV “waste away.”

[4:3]  ³ tn Heb “the beasts of the field” (so NAB, NIV).