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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Hosea 12:7 A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/hosea/12-7.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/28_Hos_12_07.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Hosea 12:7 - A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, Jacob" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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Deceitful scales <i>are</i> in his hand; He loves to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/hosea/12.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />A merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent balances, Loves to exploit.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/hosea/12.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, He loves to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/hosea/12.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, He loves to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/hosea/12.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />A merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances, He loves to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/hosea/12.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />A merchant, in whose hand are false <i>and</i> fraudulent balances; He loves to oppress <i>and</i> exploit.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/hosea/12.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/hosea/12.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/hosea/12.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />He is a trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/hosea/12.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Israel, you enjoy cheating and taking advantage of others. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/hosea/12.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />He is a trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/hosea/12.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />[The LORD says,] "The merchants use dishonest scales. They love to cheat people.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/hosea/12.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />The LORD says, "The people of Israel are as dishonest as the Canaanites; they love to cheat their customers with false scales. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/hosea/12.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"Now as for the merchant, deceitful balances remain in his hand, and he loves to defraud.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/hosea/12.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/hosea/12.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/hosea/12.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />A merchant has dishonest scales in his hand. He loves to defraud.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/hosea/12.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/hosea/12.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />A merchant has dishonest scales in his hand. He loves to defraud. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/hosea/12.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Canaan! In his hand [are] balances of deceit! He has loved to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/hosea/12.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Canaan! in his hand are balances of deceit! To oppress he hath loved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/hosea/12.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Canaan in his hand, the balances of deceit: he loved to oppress.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/hosea/12.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />He is like Chanaan, there is a deceitful balance in his hand, he hath loved oppression. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/hosea/12.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Canaan, in his hand is a deceitful balance, he has chosen false accusations.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/hosea/12.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />A merchant who holds a false balance, he loves to extort! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/hosea/12.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />A trader, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/hosea/12.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />The balances of deceit are in the hand of Canaan, he loves to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/hosea/12.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />A scale of deceit is in the hand of Canaan; he loves to oppress<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/hosea/12.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />As for the trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand. He loveth to oppress.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/hosea/12.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br /><i>As for</i> Chanaan, in his hand is a balance of unrighteousness: he has loved to tyrannize.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/hosea/12-7.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpPG1oLnpGk?start=1859" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/hosea/12.htm">A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, Jacob</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">6</span>But you must return to your God, maintaining love and justice, and always waiting on your God. <span class="reftext">7</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3667.htm" title="3667: kə·na·‘an (N-proper-ms) -- From kana'; humiliated; Kenaan, a son a Ham; also the country inhabited by him.">A merchant</a> <a href="/hebrew/157.htm" title="157: ’ā·hêḇ (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To love. Or raheb; a primitive root; to have affection for.">loves</a> <a href="/hebrew/6231.htm" title="6231: la·‘ă·šōq (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To oppress, wrong, extort. A primitive root; to press upon, i.e. Oppress, defraud, violate, overflow.">to defraud</a> <a href="/hebrew/4820.htm" title="4820: mir·māh (N-fs) -- Deceit, treachery. From ramah in the sense of deceiving; fraud.">with dishonest</a> <a href="/hebrew/3976.htm" title="3976: mō·zə·nê (N-mdc) -- Balances, scales. From 'azan; a pair of scales.">scales</a> <a href="/hebrew/3027.htm" title="3027: bə·yā·ḏōw (Prep-b:: N-fsc:: 3ms) -- Hand (indicating power, means, direction, etc.)">in his hands.</a> </span><span class="reftext">8</span>And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/6-10.htm">Micah 6:10-12</a></span><br />Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? / Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? / For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/8-5.htm">Amos 8:5-6</a></span><br />asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. / Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/11-1.htm">Proverbs 11:1</a></span><br />Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/20-23.htm">Proverbs 20:23</a></span><br />Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/5-26.htm">Jeremiah 5:26-28</a></span><br />For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. / Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. / They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/28-5.htm">Ezekiel 28:5</a></span><br />By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has grown proud because of it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-23.htm">Isaiah 1:23</a></span><br />Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/5-3.htm">Zechariah 5:3-4</a></span><br />Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed. / I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/leviticus/19-35.htm">Leviticus 19:35-36</a></span><br />You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. / You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/25-13.htm">Deuteronomy 25:13-16</a></span><br />You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. / You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small. / You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-25.htm">Matthew 23:25</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/16-14.htm">Luke 16:14</a></span><br />The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/5-1.htm">James 5:1-6</a></span><br />Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_timothy/6-9.htm">1 Timothy 6:9-10</a></span><br />Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/6-10.htm">1 Corinthians 6:10</a></span><br />nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loves to oppress.</p><p class="hdg">a merchant.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/16-3.htm">Ezekiel 16:3</a></b></br> And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity <i>is</i> of the land of Canaan; thy father <i>was</i> an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/zechariah/14-21.htm">Zechariah 14:21</a></b></br> Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/john/2-16.htm">John 2:16</a></b></br> And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.</p><p class="hdg">the balances.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/19-35.htm">Leviticus 19:35,36</a></b></br> Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/11-1.htm">Proverbs 11:1</a></b></br> A false balance <i>is</i> abomination to the LORD: but a just weight <i>is</i> his delight.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/16-11.htm">Proverbs 16:11</a></b></br> A just weight and balance <i>are</i> the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag <i>are</i> his work.</p><p class="hdg">he loveth.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/3-5.htm">Isaiah 3:5</a></b></br> And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/22-29.htm">Ezekiel 22:29</a></b></br> The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/amos/2-7.htm">Amos 2:7</a></b></br> That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the <i>same</i> maid, to profane my holy name:</p><p class="hdg">oppress.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_samuel/12-3.htm">1 Samuel 12:3</a></b></br> Behold, here I <i>am</i>: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received <i>any</i> bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/daniel/5-27.htm">Balances</a> <a href="/ezekiel/17-4.htm">Canaan</a> <a href="/hosea/12-1.htm">Deceit</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-36.htm">Defraud</a> <a href="/ezekiel/22-27.htm">Dishonest</a> <a href="/hosea/11-8.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/hosea/7-5.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/hosea/10-11.htm">Loves</a> <a href="/ezekiel/27-20.htm">Merchant</a> <a href="/daniel/7-25.htm">Oppress</a> <a href="/hosea/10-11.htm">Pleasure</a> <a href="/daniel/5-27.htm">Scales</a> <a href="/ezekiel/7-13.htm">Trader</a> <a href="/ezekiel/27-20.htm">Trafficker</a> <a href="/ezekiel/30-21.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/ezekiel/22-6.htm">Uses</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/amos/8-5.htm">Balances</a> <a href="/obadiah/1-20.htm">Canaan</a> <a href="/amos/8-5.htm">Deceit</a> <a href="/micah/2-2.htm">Defraud</a> <a href="/micah/6-11.htm">Dishonest</a> <a href="/hosea/12-10.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/hosea/14-3.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/malachi/2-11.htm">Loves</a> <a href="/zephaniah/1-11.htm">Merchant</a> <a href="/amos/4-1.htm">Oppress</a> <a href="/amos/5-22.htm">Pleasure</a> <a href="/micah/6-11.htm">Scales</a> <a href="/zechariah/14-21.htm">Trader</a> <a href="/zechariah/14-21.htm">Trafficker</a> <a href="/micah/7-3.htm">Twisted</a> <a href="/romans/9-21.htm">Uses</a><div class="vheading2">Hosea 12</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/hosea/12-1.htm">A reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/hosea/12-3.htm">By former favors he exhorts to repentance.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/hosea/12-7.htm">Ephraim's sins provoke God.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/hosea/12.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/hosea/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/hosea/12.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>A merchant</b><br>In the context of ancient Israel, merchants were often seen as individuals who engaged in trade and commerce. The Hebrew word used here can also mean "Canaanite," which historically refers to the people who inhabited the land before Israel. This dual meaning suggests a connection between the merchant's practices and the idolatrous and morally corrupt behaviors of the Canaanites. Merchants were crucial in the economy, but their practices were often scrutinized for fairness and honesty.<p><b>loves to defraud</b><br>The phrase indicates a deep-seated inclination towards deceit and exploitation. In biblical times, defrauding was a common issue in trade, where merchants would take advantage of buyers. This behavior is condemned throughout Scripture, as seen in <a href="/proverbs/11.htm">Proverbs 11:1</a>, which states, "The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him." The love of defrauding highlights a heart condition that prioritizes personal gain over righteousness and justice.<p><b>with dishonest scales</b><br>Dishonest scales were a common method of cheating in trade. Merchants would manipulate weights and measures to deceive customers, ensuring they received less than what they paid for. This practice is explicitly condemned in <a href="/leviticus/19-35.htm">Leviticus 19:35-36</a>, where God commands fair and honest dealings. The use of dishonest scales symbolizes broader themes of injustice and corruption, which are contrary to God's character and law.<p><b>in his hands</b><br>The phrase "in his hands" emphasizes personal responsibility and intentionality in the act of defrauding. It suggests that the merchant is actively engaged in deceitful practices, not merely passively complicit. This imagery of hands being used for dishonest gain contrasts with the biblical ideal of hands being used for work that honors God and serves others, as seen in <a href="/ephesians/4-28.htm">Ephesians 4:28</a>, which encourages honest labor.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/h/hosea.htm">Hosea</a></b><br>A prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century BC. His ministry focused on calling Israel back to faithfulness to God amidst widespread idolatry and social injustice.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/i/israel.htm">Israel</a></b><br>The Northern Kingdom, often depicted in Hosea as unfaithful to God, engaging in idolatry and unethical practices, including economic exploitation.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/m/merchant.htm">Merchant</a></b><br>Represents those in Israel who engage in commerce, specifically those who use dishonest practices to exploit others for personal gain.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/d/dishonest_scales.htm">Dishonest Scales</a></b><br>A metaphor for deceit and corruption in business practices, symbolizing broader societal injustice and moral decay.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/g/god's_judgment.htm">God's Judgment</a></b><br>The overarching theme in Hosea, where God warns of impending judgment due to Israel's unfaithfulness and unethical behavior.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/i/integrity_in_business.htm">Integrity in Business</a></b><br>Christians are called to conduct business with honesty and integrity, reflecting God's character in all dealings.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/social_justice.htm">Social Justice</a></b><br>The Bible consistently condemns exploitation and calls believers to advocate for fairness and justice in society.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_restoration.htm">Repentance and Restoration</a></b><br>Like Israel, individuals and communities are invited to repent from unethical practices and seek restoration with God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_displeasure_with_deceit.htm">God's Displeasure with Deceit</a></b><br>Understanding that God detests dishonesty should motivate believers to pursue truth and transparency.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/faithfulness_in_small_things.htm">Faithfulness in Small Things</a></b><br>Even in seemingly minor transactions, faithfulness and honesty are crucial, as they reflect one's relationship with God.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_hosea_12.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Hosea 12</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible's_stance_on_avoiding_fornication.htm">What does the Bible say about cheating?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_are_maat's_42_precepts.htm">What are the Forty-Two Precepts of Maat?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_hosea_12_8_contradict_israel's_exile.htm">Hosea 12:8: Does Israel’s claim of innocence here contradict passages in which Israel is already punished or exiled? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_'mercy,_not_sacrifice'_mean.htm">What does 'Mercy, Not Sacrifice' mean?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/hosea/12.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(7) <span class= "bld">He is</span> <span class= "bld">a merchant.--</span>The vivid and fierce light of the prophet's words is obscured in the English version. The rendering "he is a merchant" originates from the fact that Canaan (rendered "merchant") is often used predominantly of Ph?nicia, and Canaanites of Ph?nicians, the great trading race (<a href="/isaiah/23-11.htm" title="He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD has given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.">Isaiah 23:11</a>; Job 40:30). Translate: <span class= "ital">As for Canaan, in his hand are false balances. He loves cheating.</span> The descendants of Canaan (the son of Ham, the abhorred son of Noah) became in their whole career a curse and a bye-word in every religious and ethical sense. The princes of Tyre, the merchandise of Ph?nicia, were, perhaps, then in the prophet's mind. (Comp. Ezekiel 27)<p>Moreover, the prophet hints that Ephraim had imbibed Ph?nicia's love of gain and habits of unscrupulous trade. The literature of this period contains frequent references to these tendencies in Israel (<a href="/amos/2-6.htm" title="Thus said the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;">Amos 2:6</a>; <a href="/amos/8-5.htm" title="Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?">Amos 8:5</a>; <a href="/micah/6-10.htm" title="Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?">Micah 6:10</a>).<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/hosea/12.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 7-14</span> contain a fresh description of Israel's apostasy. To this the prophet is led by the preceding train of thought. When he called to mind the earnestness of the patriarch to obtain the blessing, the sincerity of his repentance, and the evidences of conversion, consisting in mercy and judgment and constant waiting on God, he looks around on Israel, and finding those virtues conspicuous by their absence., he repeats the story of their degeneracy. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 7.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">He is a merchant</span> (margin, <span class="accented">Canaan</span>)<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress</span>. This verse is more exactly rendered, <span class="accented">Canaan is he, in his hand are the balances of deceit: he loveth to oppress</span>. How the sons have degenerated from the sire! No longer do we see Jacob wrestling in prayer with the angel of the covenant, and knighted in the field with the name of Israel, or "prince with God;" but a fraudulent merchant <span class="accented">Kenaan</span>, seeking to aggrandize himself by cheating and oppression. His conduct is the opposite of what God requires; instead of the mercy and judgment and trust in God enjoined in the preceding verse, we have the Canaanitish (Phoenician) trader, with his false scales in his hand and the love of oppression in his heart. The word Kenaan sometimes denotes <span class="accented">Canaan</span>, the son of Ham, and ancestor of the Canaanitish nation; sometimes the <span class="accented">land of Canaan</span>, or lowlands (from <span class="hebrew">כָּנַע</span>, bow the knee, <span class="greek">γονυ γνυ γνυπετεῖν</span>, <span class="accented">genu</span>, knee; then "to be low" or "depressed") as opposed to <span class="hebrew">אֲרָם</span>, or" highlands" (from <span class="hebrew">רוּם</span>, to be high); sometimes <span class="accented">Phoenicia</span>, the northern part of Canaan; also, from the Canaanites or Phoenicians having been famous as merchants, a <span class="accented">man of Canaan</span>, or any <span class="accented">merchant</span>, so <a href="/job/40.htm">Job 40</a>:30 and <a href="/proverbs/31-24.htm">Proverbs 31:24</a>, just as <span class="accented">Kasdi Chaldaean</span> is applied to an astrologer. At the time of Hosea, the Phoenicians were the great merchants who had the commerce of the world in their hand. Canaan is thus a figurative designation of Ephraim in their degenerate condition as indicated by the false balances and love of oppression. The verse is well explained by Theodoret: "And thou, Ephraim, imitating <p><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> the <span class="accented">wickedness of Canaan</span>, hast an unjust balance of mind: thou despisest justice, thou greedily desirest unjust power, thou art high-minded in rich, S, and dost arrogate to thyself very much in prescribing and determining the conditions thereof." Rashi more briefly remarks, "Ye depend upon your wealth because ye are merchants and defraud; and of your riches ye say, 'Yet I have become rich, and shall not serve the Holy One;'" while Kimchi marks the contrast between Israel as he ought to be and Israel as he actually is, thus: "But thou art not so (i.e. practicing love and righteousness), but thou art like the Canaanite, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> as <p><span class="note_emph">(2)</span> <span class="accented">the merchant</span>, in whose hand is the deceitful balance." The character of the Phoenician trader is thus given in the 'Odyssey' - "A false Phoenician of insidious mind, Vers'd in vile arts, and foe to humankind." But, in addition to secret fraud, open violence is here charged against Israel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/hosea/12-7.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">A merchant</span><br /><span class="heb">כְּנַ֗עַן</span> <span class="translit">(kə·na·‘an)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3667.htm">Strong's 3667: </a> </span><span class="str2">Canaan -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their land West of the Jordan</span><br /><br /><span class="word">loves</span><br /><span class="heb">אָהֵֽב׃</span> <span class="translit">(’ā·hêḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_157.htm">Strong's 157: </a> </span><span class="str2">To have affection f</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to defraud</span><br /><span class="heb">לַעֲשֹׁ֥ק</span> <span class="translit">(la·‘ă·šōq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6231.htm">Strong's 6231: </a> </span><span class="str2">To press upon, oppress, defraud, violate, overflow</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with dishonest</span><br /><span class="heb">מִרְמָ֖ה</span> <span class="translit">(mir·māh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4820.htm">Strong's 4820: </a> </span><span class="str2">Deceit, treachery</span><br /><br /><span class="word">scales</span><br /><span class="heb">מֹאזְנֵ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(mō·zə·nê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - mdc<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3976.htm">Strong's 3976: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pair of scales</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in his hands.</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּיָד֛וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(bə·yā·ḏōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3027.htm">Strong's 3027: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hand</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/hosea/12-7.htm">Hosea 12:7 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/hosea/12-7.htm">OT Prophets: Hosea 12:7 A merchant has dishonest scales in his (Ho Hs Hos.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/hosea/12-6.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Hosea 12:6"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Hosea 12:6" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/hosea/12-8.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Hosea 12:8"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Hosea 12:8" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>