When they had pastureThis phrase refers to the provision and abundance that the Israelites experienced, particularly during their time in the Promised Land. The imagery of pasture suggests a place of nourishment and rest, reminiscent of
Psalm 23:1-2, where God is depicted as a shepherd leading His people to green pastures. Historically, the land of Canaan was described as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (
Exodus 3:8), indicating its fertility and the prosperity it could provide. This abundance was a fulfillment of God's promises to the patriarchs, yet it also presented a spiritual test for the Israelites.
They became satisfied
Satisfaction here implies a sense of contentment and fulfillment that comes from having one's needs met. InDeuteronomy 8:10-14, God warned the Israelites that when they ate and were satisfied, they should not forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. Satisfaction can lead to complacency, where reliance on God diminishes as material needs are met. This satisfaction is not inherently wrong, but it becomes dangerous when it leads to spiritual neglect.
When they were satisfied, their hearts became proud
Pride is a recurring theme in the Bible, often associated with a turning away from God.Proverbs 16:18 warns that pride goes before destruction. The Israelites' pride was a result of their satisfaction and abundance, leading them to believe they were self-sufficient. This pride is contrasted with the humility that God desires, as seen inMicah 6:8, where walking humbly with God is emphasized. Pride can blind individuals to their dependence on God, leading to spiritual downfall.
And as a result they forgot Me
Forgetting God is a serious spiritual issue, as it indicates a severance of the relationship between God and His people. InDeuteronomy 6:12, Moses cautioned the Israelites not to forget the Lord who brought them out of slavery. Forgetting God often leads to idolatry and moral decay, as seen throughout the history of Israel. This forgetfulness is not merely a lapse in memory but a deliberate turning away from God's commandments and His covenant. It underscores the importance of continual remembrance and gratitude towards God, as emphasized in the practice of the Passover and other feasts.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
HoseaA prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the Israelites.
2.
IsraelThe Northern Kingdom, often referred to in Hosea as Ephraim, which had turned away from God and was facing impending judgment.
3.
GodThe central figure who is addressing Israel through Hosea, expressing His disappointment and the consequences of their actions.
Teaching Points
The Danger of ComplacencyWhen we become satisfied with our material or spiritual state, we risk becoming complacent and forgetting our dependence on God.
Pride as a Spiritual HazardSatisfaction can lead to pride, which distances us from God. We must guard our hearts against the subtlety of pride.
Remembering God in ProsperityIt is crucial to cultivate gratitude and remembrance of God, especially in times of abundance, to maintain a humble and dependent relationship with Him.
The Cycle of ForgetfulnessRecognize the cycle of satisfaction leading to pride and forgetfulness, and actively work to break it through spiritual disciplines like prayer and scripture study.
The Role of Spiritual DisciplinesRegular engagement in spiritual disciplines can help keep our hearts aligned with God, preventing the drift into forgetfulness.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Hosea 13:6?
2.How does Hosea 13:6 warn against prosperity leading to forgetfulness of God?
3.What does Hosea 13:6 reveal about Israel's relationship with God during abundance?
4.How can we prevent prosperity from causing us to forget the Lord today?
5.Compare Israel's forgetfulness in Hosea 13:6 with Deuteronomy 8:11-14.
6.What practical steps can we take to remember God in times of plenty?
7.How does Hosea 13:6 reflect the dangers of prosperity leading to spiritual complacency?
8.What historical context in Hosea 13:6 explains Israel's forgetfulness of God?
9.How does Hosea 13:6 challenge modern believers to remain faithful in times of abundance?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Hosea 13?
11.Why did Jeshurun grow fat and forsake God?
12.What is the Bible's perspective on wealth?
13.Deuteronomy 32:15’s reference to Israel “growing fat” before abandoning God—does this correspond with any documented economic or agricultural boom in the region?
14.What is the Bible's perspective on wealth?What Does Hosea 13:6 Mean
When they had pastureHosea pictures Israel as sheep led into choice grazing. The LORD Himself provided that “pasture”—every need supplied, every threat held back.
•Psalm 23:1-2: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
•Ezekiel 34:14-15 shows God pledging, “I will tend them in a good pasture… I Myself will shepherd My flock.”
•John 10:9—Jesus says, “If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
The scene is pure grace: abundant care flowing from a faithful Shepherd.
They became satisfiedProvision led to a full belly and a settled heart. Satisfaction itself is not sinful; it is God’s gift (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Yet it can dull spiritual hunger when not guarded.
•Deuteronomy 8:10-11 warns, “When you have eaten and are satisfied… be careful that you do not forget the LORD.”
•Proverbs 30:8-9 prays, “Give me neither poverty nor riches… lest I be satisfied and deny You.”
Comfort is safest when it fuels gratitude; dangerous when it feeds complacency.
When they were satisfiedThe phrase repeats to underline duration: Israel lived in a state of ongoing plenty. A moment of ease became a lifestyle of entitlement.
•Deuteronomy 32:15: “Jeshurun grew fat and kicked.”
•Jeremiah 5:7 notes the people “had their fill” and then “committed adultery.”
Long-term indulgence erodes dependence on the Giver.
Their hearts became proudPride surfaces when dependence fades. What began as God’s blessing is rebranded as personal achievement.
•Deuteronomy 8:14: “Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God.”
•Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction.”
•Daniel 5:20 shows Nebuchadnezzar’s heart lifted up until God humbled him.
Pride is internal, often invisible at first, but it reorients affections away from God.
Therefore they forgot MeForgetting is more than mental lapse; it is relational abandonment. Memory loss about God always follows spiritual self-sufficiency.
•Judges 3:7: “The Israelites did evil… they forgot the LORD their God.”
•Psalm 106:21: “They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt.”
•Revelation 2:4: “You have forsaken your first love.”
The progression is sobering: gift → satisfaction → pride → neglect of the Giver.
summaryHosea 13:6 traces a tragic arc: God generously provides, His people enjoy the plenty, ease breeds pride, and pride births forgetfulness of God. The verse calls each believer to celebrate provision while vigilantly guarding a humble, grateful heart, lest abundance become the very thing that lures us away from the Shepherd who gave it.
(6)
According to their pasture.--Rather,
As they pastured. (Comp. the language of
Deuteronomy 8:7-18;
Deuteronomy 31:20;
Deuteronomy 32:15.) The gifts of Divine love concealing the giver.
Verse 6. -
According to their pasture so were they filled. The literal rendering is,
according to their pasturing so were they filled. The reference is rather to the care in pasturing than to the pasture-ground. By God's care to the sheep of his pasture they waxed full.
They were filled, and their heart was exalted. Two consequences followed from God's great goodness to Israel - the immediate consequence was pride of heart; the more remote was forgetfulness of God. Perhaps these results should rather be regarded as concurrent, being in point of time simultaneous or nearly so.
Therefore have they forgotten me. This forgetfulness of God is identified with the abandonment of his worship in the Chaldee Version, which is, "They have abandoned my service." The metaphor contained in this verse is taken from a domestic animal, which, in a too luxuriant pasture, becomes headstrong and unmanageable. Thus Rash: "As soon as they came into the land of their pasture, they were filled." The last clause of the verse notices the misuse which Israel made of the riches and blessing of Jehovah, by forgetting their gracious Benefactor; this the prophet attributes to the abuse of the blessings so richly bestowed upon them. Aben Ezra identifies the blessings here mentioned with those vouchsafed to them on their entrance into Canaan; thus: "The prophet enumerates the benefits which Jehovah bestowed on their fathers when they came out of the wilderness into the land of Canaan." Kimchi quotes, as a parallel to this passage,
Deuteronomy 8, of which it is undoubtedly a reminiscence; he says, "When they entered into the place of their pasture, and it was the land of Canaan, they had all good, and were filled; and their heart was exalted, and they forgot me, as it is said in the Thorah that they were ready to do so. He said, 'Lest when thou hast eaten and art full... then thine heart be lifted up, and then forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt... who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness... who fed thee in the wilderness.'"
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
When they had pasture,כְּמַרְעִיתָם֙(kə·mar·‘î·ṯām)Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4830:A pasturing, shepherding, pasturagethey became satisfied;וַיִּשְׂבָּ֔עוּ(way·yiś·bā·‘ū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7646:To be sated, satisfied or surfeitedwhen they were satisfied,שָׂבְע֖וּ(śā·ḇə·‘ū)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7646:To be sated, satisfied or surfeitedtheir heartsלִבָּ֑ם(lib·bām)Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3820:The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centrebecame proud.וַיָּ֣רָם(way·yā·rām)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7311:To be high actively, to rise, raiseAs a result,עַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstthey forgot Me.שְׁכֵחֽוּנִי׃(šə·ḵê·ḥū·nî)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 7911:To mislay, to be oblivious of, from want of memory, attention
Links
Hosea 13:6 NIVHosea 13:6 NLTHosea 13:6 ESVHosea 13:6 NASBHosea 13:6 KJV
Hosea 13:6 BibleApps.comHosea 13:6 Biblia ParalelaHosea 13:6 Chinese BibleHosea 13:6 French BibleHosea 13:6 Catholic Bible
OT Prophets: Hosea 13:6 According to their pasture so were they (Ho Hs Hos.) 
