EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Hosea 4:1
"Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."
"The time preceding the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel was one of similar disobedience and of similar wickedness. God's law was counted as a thing of nought, and this opened the floodgates of iniquity upon Israel. “The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,” Hosea declared, “because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” Hosea 4:1, 2 . PK 297.3"
EGW directly quotes Hosea 4:1-2 and applies it to the situation of the ten tribes of Israel.
Hosea 4:6
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
"Had Israel heeded the messages of the prophets, they would have been spared the humiliation that followed. It was because they had persisted in turning aside from His law that God was compelled to let them go into captivity. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” was His message to them through Hosea. “Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee: ... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God.” Hosea 4:6 . PK 297.1"
EGW directly quotes Hosea 4:6 and applies it to the situation of Israel.
"“Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel,” was the message that finally came to them: “Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against Me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.... I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.” Hosea 4:1, 6-9 . PK 281.3"
EGW directly quotes Hosea 4:6.
"The words of God to ancient Israel have a solemn warning to the church and its leaders today. Of Israel the Lord said, “I have written to him the great things of My law; but they were counted as a strange thing.” Hosea 8:12 . And to the priests and teachers He declared, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee; ... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6 . COL 306.2"
EGW directly quotes Hosea 4:6.
"Through the medium of the press, knowledge of every kind is placed within the reach of all; and yet how large a share of every community are depraved in morals, and superficial in mental attainments. If the people would but become Bible readers—Bible students—we would see a different state of things. CE 39.3"
The EGW passage emphasizes the importance of Bible reading and study, contrasting it with moral depravity and superficiality. This aligns with Hosea 4:6, which states that people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of God's law. The connection is strong and direct.
"Many of our younger ministers, and some of more mature experience, are neglecting the word of God and also despising the testimonies of His Spirit. They do not know what the testimonies contain and do not wish to know. They do not wish to discover and correct their defects of character. Many parents do not themselves seek instruction from the testimonies, and of course they cannot impart it to their children. They show their contempt for the light which God has given, by going directly contrary to His instructions. Those at the heart of the work have set the example. 5T 61.3"
EGW's lament about the neglect of God's word and testimonies, leading to defects of character, directly parallels the warning in Hosea 4:6 about the destruction that comes from rejecting knowledge of God.
"The same spirit is still leading to the same results. A neglect to appreciate and improve the provisions of divine grace has deprived the church of many a blessing. How often would the Lord have prolonged the work of some faithful minister, had his labors been appreciated! But if the church permits the enemy of souls to pervert the understanding, so that they misrepresent and misinterpret the words and acts of the servant of Christ; if they allow themselves to stand in his way and hinder his usefulness, the Lord sometimes removes from them the blessing which He gave. AA 417.3"
The EGW passage illustrates the principle of Hosea 4:6, where a lack of appreciation for divine provisions (knowledge) leads to the removal of blessings. The EGW passage applies this principle to the church's treatment of faithful ministers.
"This was the method of education that God desired to establish in Israel. But when brought out of Egypt there were among the Israelites few prepared to be workers together with Him in the training of their children. The parents themselves needed instruction and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowledge of God and little faith in Him. They were confused by false teaching and corrupted by their long contact with heathenism. God desired to lift them to a higher moral level, and to this end He sought to give them a knowledge of Himself. Ed 34.1"
EGW's statement about the Israelites' lack of knowledge and the need for God to lift them to a higher moral level aligns with the principle in Hosea 4:6, which states that people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. EGW applies this principle to the specific context of the Israelites after the Exodus.
"Under the rule of the Roman Church the people were sunken in poverty and ground down by oppression. They were destitute of the Scriptures; and having a religion of mere signs and ceremonies, which conveyed no light to the mind, they were returning to the superstitious beliefs and pagan practices of their heathen ancestors. The nation was divided into contending factions, whose perpetual strife increased the misery of all. The king determined upon a reformation in the state and the church, and he welcomed these able assistants in the battle against Rome. GC 243.1"
The EGW passage describes the people as 'destitute of the Scriptures' and returning to pagan practices, which directly relates to the 'lack of knowledge' mentioned in Hosea 4:6. Both passages highlight the consequences of spiritual ignorance and the rejection of God's law.
"The revenue of the king and of many of his subjects was greatly increased, but at what a cost! Through the cupidity and shortsightedness of those to whom had been entrusted the oracles of God, the countless multitudes who thronged the highways of travel were allowed to remain in ignorance of Jehovah. PK 72.1"
Both passages connect a lack of knowledge (of God/Jehovah) with negative consequences. The EGW passage describes the people being left in ignorance, and Hosea describes the people being destroyed for lack of knowledge.
"away every impression that would make them wise unto salvation, and the time of trouble will find them unready. GC 594.1"
Both passages highlight the danger of lacking knowledge and the consequences thereof. Hosea 4:6 states that God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, while EGW states that rejecting impressions that would make them wise unto salvation will leave them unready for the time of trouble. The principle of the importance of knowledge for salvation and avoiding destruction is present in both.
God has given us His word that we may become acquainted with its teachings and know for ourselves what He requires of us. When the lawyer came to Jesus with the inquiry, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” the Saviour referred him to the Scriptures, saying: “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” Ignorance will not excuse young or old, nor release them from the punishment due for the transgression of God's law; because there is in their hands a faithful presentation of that law and of its principles and claims. It is not enough to have good intentions; it is not enough to do what a man thinks is right or what the minister tells him is right. His soul's salvation is at stake, and he should search the Scriptures for himself. However strong may be his convictions, however confident he may be that the minister knows what is truth, this is not his foundation. He has a chart pointing out every waymark on the heavenward journey, and he ought not to guess at anything. GC 598.1 I…
Both passages address the importance of knowledge of God's law and the consequences of lacking it. EGW emphasizes personal study of scripture, while Hosea speaks of destruction due to lack of knowledge and rejection of God's law. The connection is thematic, focusing on the necessity of understanding God's word.
"N eed of Education in Health Principles Education in health principles was never more needed than now. Notwithstanding the wonderful progress in so many lines relating to the comforts and conveniences of life, even to sanitary matters and to the treatment of disease, the decline in physical vigor and power of endurance is alarming. It demands the attention of all who have at heart the well-being of their fellow men. MH 125"
Hosea 4:6 speaks of destruction due to lack of knowledge, and the EGW passage discusses the need for education in health principles to combat declining physical vigor. The thematic parallel is that a lack of knowledge leads to negative consequences.
"Page 265. Causes of the French Revolution.—On the far-reaching consequences of the rejection of the Bible and of Bible religion, by the people of France, see H. von Sybel, History of the French Revolution, B. 5, ch. 1, pars. 3-7; Henry Thomas Buckle, History of Civilization in England, Chs. 8 , 12, 14 (New York, 1895, vol. 1, pp. 364-366, 369-371, 437, 540, 541, 550); Blackwood's Magazine, Vol. 34, no. 215 (November, 1833), p. 739; J. G. Lorimer, An Historical Sketch of the Protestant Church in France, Ch. 8, pars. 6, 7. GC 687.5"
The EGW passage discusses the consequences of rejecting the Bible in France, and the Bible verse speaks of destruction due to a lack of knowledge and rejection of God's law. The connection is that rejecting knowledge of God leads to destruction.
"Those to whom the care of the little child is committed are too often ignorant of its physical needs; they know little of the laws of health or the principles of development. Nor are they better fitted to care for its mental and spiritual growth. They may be qualified to conduct business or to shine in society; they may have made creditable attainments in literature and science; but of the training of a child they have little knowledge. It is chiefly because of this lack, especially because of the early neglect of physical development, that so large a proportion of the human race die in infancy, and of those who reach maturity there are so many to whom life is but a burden. Ed 275.2"
Both passages connect a lack of knowledge to negative consequences. Hosea 4:6 speaks of destruction due to a lack of knowledge of God's law, while EGW speaks of physical and developmental problems due to a lack of knowledge about child care. The thematic parallel is the destructive power of ignorance.
"A practice that is laying the foundation of a vast amount of disease and of even more serious evils is the free use of poisonous drugs. When attacked by disease, many will not take the trouble to search out the cause of their illness. Their chief anxiety is to rid themselves of pain and inconvenience. So they resort to patent nostrums, of whose real properties they know little, or they apply to a physician for some remedy to counteract the result of their misdoing, but with no thought of making a change in their unhealthful habits. If immediate benefit is not realized, another medicine is tried, and then another. Thus the evil continues. MH 126.2"
Both passages address the consequences of a lack of knowledge and the rejection of wisdom. Hosea 4:6 speaks of spiritual ignorance leading to destruction, while the EGW passage discusses the lack of knowledge regarding health and the misuse of drugs leading to disease. The parallel lies in the destructive outcome of neglecting knowledge.
"Unless ministers educate themselves to speak in accordance with physical law, they will sacrifice life, and many will mourn the loss of “those martyrs to the cause of truth;” when the facts in the case are, that by indulging in wrong habits, they did injustice to themselves and to the truth which they represented, and robbed God and the world of the service they might have rendered. God would have been pleased to have them live, but they slowly committed suicide. GW 90.2"
Both passages deal with the consequences of neglecting knowledge and its impact on service to God. Hosea 4:6 speaks of destruction due to a lack of knowledge, while the EGW passage discusses ministers shortening their lives and diminishing their service due to neglecting physical laws. The connection is thematic, focusing on the negative consequences of neglecting important knowledge.
"Parents and teachers take the responsibility of training these children, yet how few of them realize their duty before God to become acquainted with the physical organism, that they may know how to preserve the life and health of those who are placed in their charge. Thousands of children die because of the ignorance of those who care for them. CE 183.1"
Both passages connect a lack of knowledge with negative consequences, specifically the destruction or death of children. While Hosea 4:6 is broader, EGW applies the principle to parental knowledge of health.
"There are precious blessings and a rich experience to be gained if ministers will combine the presentation of the health question with all their labors in the churches. The people must have the light on health reform. This work has been neglected, and many are ready to die because they need the light which they ought to have and must have before they will give up selfish indulgences. GW 231.2"
Both passages connect a lack of knowledge with negative consequences. Hosea speaks of destruction due to rejecting knowledge of God's law, while EGW speaks of people dying because they lack knowledge of health reform.
"Thousands of men who minister in the pulpit are lacking in the essential qualities of mind and character because they do not apply themselves to the study of the Scriptures. They are content with a superficial knowledge of the truths of God's word, and they prefer to go on losing much in every way rather than to search diligently for the hidden treasure. GW 249.3"
Both passages address the negative consequences of a lack of knowledge of God's word, particularly for those in religious leadership. Hosea 4:6 states that God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, while EGW states that ministers lack essential qualities due to a lack of scriptural study. The connection is valid.
"The only hope of better things is in the education of the people in right principles. Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system. MH 127.1"
EGW's emphasis on education and understanding the laws of health as a means of restoration echoes the principle in Hosea 4:6 about the destruction that comes from a lack of knowledge. While not a direct quote, the principle of knowledge leading to well-being connects the two passages.
Hosea 4:11
"Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart."
"There is no class guilty of greater perversion and abuse of His precious gifts than are those who employ the products of the soil in the manufacture of intoxicating liquors. The nutritive grains, the healthful, delicious fruits, are converted into beverages that pervert the senses and madden the brain. As a result of the use of these poisons, thousands of families are deprived of the comforts and even the necessaries of life, acts of violence and crime are multiplied, and disease and death hurry myriads of victims to a drunkard's grave. GW 386.1"
Both passages connect alcohol consumption with negative consequences, including loss of reason and moral corruption. Hosea 4:11 speaks of wine taking away the heart, while EGW describes intoxicating liquors perverting the senses and maddening the brain.
"The king was dazed with wine. Passion held sway, and reason was dethroned. He saw only the hall of pleasure, with its reveling guests, the banquet table, the sparkling wine and the flashing lights, and the young girl dancing before him. In the recklessness of the moment, he desired to make some display that would exalt him before the great men of his realm. With an oath he promised to give the daughter of Herodias whatever she might ask, even to the half of his kingdom. DA 221.3"
The Hosea verse links whoredom and wine to the loss of reason, which is mirrored in the EGW passage where Herod's intoxication leads to irrational behavior and a terrible promise. The connection is valid.
"With a liberal hand, God has bestowed His blessings upon men. If His gifts were wisely used, how little the world would know of poverty or distress! It is the wickedness of men that turns His blessings into a curse. It is through the greed of gain and the lust of appetite that the grains and fruits given for our sustenance are converted into poisons that bring misery and ruin. MH 337.3"
Both passages connect indulgence in intoxicating substances with a loss of reason and moral compass. Hosea 4:11 directly states that wine takes away the heart, while the EGW passage describes how grains and fruits are converted into poisons that bring misery and ruin through greed and lust. The connection is thematic.
Hosea 4:17
"Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone."
"God works by the manifestation of His Spirit to reprove and convict the sinner; and if the Spirit's work is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul. The last resource of divine mercy has been employed. The transgressor has cut himself off from God, and sin has no remedy to cure itself. There is no reserved power by which God can work to convict and convert the sinner. “Let him alone” ( Hosea 4:17 ) is the divine command. Then “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Hebrews 10:26, 27 . PP 405.1"
EGW directly quotes Hosea 4:17 in the context of God ceasing to strive with a sinner.
"The evils that had overspread the land had become incurable; and upon Israel was pronounced the dread sentence: “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” “The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it.” Hosea 4:17 ; 9:7 . PK 285.2"
Ellen White directly references Hosea 4:17 in this passage.
Said the True Witness to the church at Ephesus: “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:4, 5 . The Saviour watches for a response to His offers of love and forgiveness, with a more tender compassion than that which moves the heart of an earthly parent to forgive a wayward, suffering son. He cries after the wanderer, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you.” Malachi 3:7 . But if the erring one persistently refuses to heed the voice that calls him with pitying, tender love, he will at last be left in darkness. The heart that has long slighted God's mercy, becomes hardened in sin, and is no longer susceptible to the influence of the grace of God. Fearful will be the doom of that soul of whom the pleading Saviour shall finally declare, he “is joined to …
Ellen White directly references Hosea 4:17 in this passage.
Every time you refuse to listen to the message of mercy, you strengthen yourself in unbelief. Every time you fail to open the door of your heart to Christ, you become more and more unwilling to listen to the voice of Him that speaketh. You diminish your chance of responding to the last appeal of mercy. Let it not be written of you, as of ancient Israel, “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.” Hosea 4:17 . Let not Christ weep over you as He wept over Jerusalem, saying, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Luke 13:34, 35 . COL 237.1 We are living in a time when the last message of mercy, the last invitation, is sounding to the children of men. The command, “Go out into the highways and hedges,” is reaching its final fulfillment. To every soul Christ's invitation will be given. The messengers are saying, “Come; for all things are now ready.” Heavenly ang…
Ellen White directly references Hosea 4:17 in this passage.